Merkle (www.merkle.com), a leading customer relationship marketing (CRM) firm and the nation’s largest privately-held agency, announced it has hired Tom Quinn as vice president and chief digital revenue officer for the company’s digital marketing services practice. Merkle posted 2011 digital services revenue growth of 54% over 2010 and has created this new role in support of its ongoing commitment to being the premier CRM agency in the digital space.

 Quinn joins Merkle with a rich and diverse background in digital and direct marketing. Throughout his twenty-year career, he has held leadership positions in digital media, website development, online technology and market research firms. During six years with Razorfish, as vice president of client development and consumer insights, Quinn led teams that developed new media strategies to help leading marketers deepen relationships with their customers. He has also held the positions of executive vice president of marketing services at Blast Radius, a digital agency that is part of WPP; and most recently, chief revenue officer at Passenger, a pioneer in social marketing services. Prior to entering the digital space, Quinn spent 8 years at Information Resources (IRI), developing sales and marketing strategies for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and healthcare industries.

 In his new role, Quinn will lead the business development efforts for Merkle’s digital media practice, building agency-of-record relationships with world-class brands.   

 “I am excited to become a part of this smart, talented and committed team of CRM professionals,” said Quinn. “I’ve always had the utmost respect for Merkle, having worked with several members of its management team in the past. I am particularly impressed with the company’s customer-centric approach to helping clients win. Merkle’s investments in digital innovation, such as the acquisitions of IMPAQT and Social Amp, and the introduction of Merkle Connect, have demonstrated a legitimate commitment to integrating digital capabilities with CRM excellence. I believe this is an outstanding combination.”

 “Tom’s diverse background and track record of success in database and interactive marketing bring exactly the type of the customer-focused perspective that Merkle was seeking in this leadership role,” said Patrick Hounsell, chief digital officer for Merkle. “Tom and I worked together in the past, helping to grow Razorfish into the largest buyer of online media. He immediately came to mind as a great fit with the Merkle team, both strategically and culturally. We look forward to working together again to continue building Merkle’s digital practice, making us the premier CRM agency of record for the nation’s top brands.”