Modern marketing skills on the menu at DTW's digital breakfasts : In‐house training transforms an agency

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to describe award‐winning in‐house training that boosted the digital‐marketing skills of employees at UK public‐relations and marketing agency DTW. Design/methodology/approach – The article explains the reasons for the training, the form it took and the results it has achieved. Findings – The article details an 18‐month program of “digital breakfasts” at which employees learned about such topics as the digital landscape, writing for the web, interactive advertising and digital marketing. Practical implications – It is reported that a staff survey showing that almost all staff engaged in new digital initiatives as a result of the training. The number of digital clients rose modestly, from 18 to 19, but turnover of digital sales rose by 56 percent, which reflected improved selling to existing clients. The board was so confident of the company's growing success that it decided to launch a specialist digital‐media sub‐brand, offering the full range of digital services. The article highlights the importance of digital skills in modern marketing and public relations. Originality/value – The article describes a training initiative that had a significant and immediate impact on the business, and brought about a change in outlook across the company and a positive view of the future.