Merkle (www.merkle.com), one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing customer relationship marketing agencies, today announced that two of its executives will present at the eTail West Coast Conference at the JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert, Calif., to be held Feb. 22 -25.

On February 24 at 3:15, Rich Fleck, Vice President of Merkle's Interactive Strategic Services group, and Mike Ricci, Vice President of Mobile Solutions, will present a session entitled, "Integrate Social and Mobile Marketing to Drive Customer Engagement." During the session, Fleck and Ricci will discuss the importance of using interactive social and mobile media in conjunction with other marketing tools to boost business as part of a company’s overall social media marketing plan. The presentation will also focus on using targeted mobile marketing to attract customers and increase an organization’s mobile marketing audience through social media.

Rich Fleck said, "Social and mobile media, such as Facebook and Twitter, continue to grow in popularity among diverse audiences. For many consumers, social and mobile interaction is becoming an increasingly essential part of the daily routine and a critical component of how we communicate today. If companies learn to integrate social media tools with their email marketing programs, there will be less disconnect between marketing functions – making businesses much more unified and effective in how they reach key audiences."

Mike Ricci said, “Utilizing mobile platforms to reach and influence customers is quickly transforming into a must-have requirement in any marketer’s toolkit. It’s proven to be a highly flexible and cost-effective means of attaining and retaining customers, especially in today’s tough Merkle Executives to Speak at eTail West in February 2 economic climate. I encourage marketers who are interested in expanding the role of social and mobile media within their organizations to attend."

Rich Fleck guides the development and implementation of clients’ online marketing programs at Merkle. He has spoken at many industry events for organizations including the American Marketing Association and the Direct Marketing Association. Mike Ricci oversees mobile campaigns for many of Merkle’s Fortune 500 clients. Ricci has been a speaker for the Direct Marketing Association and will lead a webinar about mobile marketing for the Colorado Chapter of the American Marketing Association in April.