Pitney Bowes has selected Shift Communications to provide PR services for its Business Insight unit starting October 1. The search was a competitive one that involved CJP (which had been working with Pitney Bowes and will continue to do so), Edelman, and Affect Strategies, Pitney Bowes VP of external communications Matt Broder told PRWeek (sub req’d).  He also said Schwartz Communications, which had been working with the company, participated in the pitch, but the agency did not confirm. With Logitech and Taser, this is the third recent addition to the firm’s roster of clients.

Earlier this week, there was also talk about the increase in hiring both in-house and at PR firms. PRNewser asked Shift principal Jim Joyal whether there’s reason for optimism in the industry.

“For sure,” he responded, adding that the industry has done a good job of showing how useful PR can be.

“From a PR perspective, we’ve done a good job of educating our markets about new products and services and new communications platforms and curiosity has peaked,” he said. He also thinks there’s a lot of “pent up demand” for PR services.

Joyal also thinks there’s a lot of “pent up demand” for PR services, but the key to business moving forward will be digital.

“If you’re not adept at providing good counsel and flawless execution of social media strategies, then you’re going to go the way of the dodo bird,” he said.