Digital, social media consultancy power Weber Shandwick growth

GLOBAL public relations firm Weber Shandwick is banking on the rising importance of digital communications and social media platforms to boost growth in the coming years.

Firms were just "dipping their toes in the water" in the past, its chief executive, Andy Polansky, says. Increasingly they are now seeking advice on digital activation and strategy, according to him. He points out that firms see the water level rising and they need to learn to be good swimmers to be successful.

As a result, Weber Shandwick has been making a concerted effort to hire employees with strong digital expertise from different backgrounds, including advertising, strategic planning and online content creation. Having a diverse team also helps in crafting good and unique ideas, which is important since the field calls for reacting in real-time to events and creating content that will reach out to consumers online.