DBC2’s father and son duo – major brain surgery and a passion for performance cars

Major brain surgery and a shared passion for performance cars and car racing provided the perfect impetus for father and son, Dale and Mitch Brittain, to work together at DBC2. 

Marketing agency DBC2 executes end-to-end marketing campaigns for Australia’s automotive industry. 

For Dale Brittain, he’s worked in the automotive industry since he left school at the age of 15. He then took a two-year break to work in the dot.com sector, he said. 

“The global ISP I worked for sponsored a V8 supercar team which opened my eyes to the power of brand sponsorship,” said Dale Brittain.

“You could say DBC2 was born from that experience landing its first client in its opening week. I knew then I was on a winner as there was no other agency in the market with a core automotive offering.” 

For Dale’s son and agency director at DBC2, Mitch Brittain, he said he never actively campaigned to work with his dad.  

It was major brain surgery when he was 17 that required him to take time off from school where it all unfolded. 

“Dad suggested I join him at DBC2 as a junior designer – probably one of my worst career moments – and after a year working in the business I decided not to return to school and continue at DBC2,” he said. 

“I have never looked back. Of course, a mutual love of performance cars and car racing has helped.” 

Mitch Brittain joined DBC2 in 2010. It’s taken some years, said Dale, for him to reconcile himself to the fact that Mitch is not only his work colleague but is also his son. 

“For a long time, I tended to focus more on the 'work colleague' relationship so the balance between our personal and professional relationship was very skewed, and I have in the past been much harder and less tolerant to Mitch than I am to others,” he said. 

‘Now I realise the importance of celebrating our father/son relationship and diving deeper into being both a great dad and a worthy colleague. After all, family matters more than anything.” 

As founder and managing director of DBC2, Dale Brittain notes that his first client was an eye-opener for everyone, including himself, the race team and the brand sponsor.  

“I like to say my marketing qualifications were grounded in those early heady days and in 2003, DBC2 evolved from a pure sponsorship agency into the automotive marketing business that it is today,” he said. 

Juggling work and family life can be tough, said Mitch, especially as his dad would forget to switch off the "boss badge” when they were at home. 

“It’s different now. I’m 30, I’m established and dad recognises my strengths and what I add to the business just as clearly as I recognise his. After a rocky few years, our relationship is far more balanced and is built on mutual respect for each other,” said Mitch Brittain. 

Difficulties aside, the pair understand there are far more benefits of working together in the same industry than downfalls.  

The duo know each other inside and out and over time that has been a big help, said Dale Brittain. 

“I’m probably more of the strategic thinker and Mitch is the do-er. He’s a master at executing big ideas that support the client ask and align with the strategy we have developed,” he said.  

“Mitch’s experience garnered from working across design, production, account management and digital means he leans heavily into that broad knowledge base and skillset, enabling him to execute the best solution for our clients.” 

There is a different level of trust when working with family members, said Mitch Brittain. 

“I trust dad implicitly. We may disagree on some things but when we do, we can now work through the challenge and deliver the best outcome. It’s only taken 13 years to come to this point but I can honestly say our relationship is the best it’s ever been,” he said. 

If any obstacles arise, the pair are honest and talk it through.  

“I do my research, know my argument and take it from there,” said Mitch Brittain. 

In the current landscape, DBC2 is at a crossroads in its evolutionary journey and grwoth agenda, said Dale Brittain. 

“We are evolving our proposition to futureproof the business, especially as AI in particular is influencing our industry. We are very excited about our future,” he said.  

“Mitch’s future is his own decision, but what I do know is the experience he has gained working at DBC2 sets him up for success and as his dad, I will certainly be barracking for him whatever he decides to do.” 

Technology is a disruptor and automotive, like every other industry, has had to move fast to adapt or be left behind, notes Mitch Brittain.  

“Luckily everyone at DBC2, including dad, is an early adopter of technology and we are keeping pace with the importance of social media, AI, data-led campaigns and everything in between,” he said. 

“Dad often tells the story of him delivering a keynote on the Gold Coast in the late 1990s and nearly being boo-ed off stage because he had the ‘audacity’ to say the internet was the next big thing, and the way of the future would involve small things like booking your car service online.” 

Mitch said it was lucky his father had that attitude. 

“Look where we are now, the internet is at the core of everything we do in both our personal and professional lives.” 

Being a father and son team, there are certain things most people don’t know about the other.  

Dale said many people in the team know that he taught Mitch to drive well on a race track and that they both share a love of competing against one another.  

“What they don’t know is he mostly beats me now, by a long shot, and that is a bone of contention for sure!” he said.  

For son Mitch, he said his dad has lofty dreams to be a grandfather.  

“But I keep telling him it’s good to dream.”