The Philadelphia Region's communications and marketing industry sector’s economic impact on the Philadelphia Region is $5.4 billion annually. Communications and marketing is the largest for-profit, creative industry in the Philadelphia Region, employing 67,300 workers with average annual wages of $55,800. Communications and marketing firms comprise nearly 25% of all creative industry employment in the Philadelphia Region.
The Philadelphia Region's communications and marketing industry - defined in Creative Footprint as all industries/occupations relating to fields such as journalism, advertising, public relations, broadcasting, publishing, promotion, marketing and consulting - houses impressive highly-skilled employees. From 2003-2005, communications and marketing occupational employment grew by 19.7%. The region's communications and marketing employment growth in recent years sets the stage to enhance Philadelphia's reputation as a hub for communications and marketing.
Notable Assets
“Philly is a hip, progressive city that is home to some of the country’s most talented communications and marketing professionals. It’s a competitive market, one of the places where the best can work with and compete with the best,” says Marisa Sharkey, President of Philadelphia Chapter of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Sharkey also notes how the communications and marketing industry in Philadelphia has grown more competitive in recent years. “As more communications and marketing professionals are calling Philadelphia home, clients have a larger pool of talent for hire.”
Peter Madden, President of local public relations and marketing company AgileCat, also praises that the Philadelphia Region has a real energy and authenticity to it that breeds creativity.
“There are lots of young business owners in Philadelphia and this is a very interconnected city. I love that I can walk down the street and see seven or eight familiar faces in a row. It is nice to see so many familiar faces in a big city,” said Brett Silver, Founder of Silver Marketing Group and SocialPhilly.com.
According to the 2007 Philadelphia Business Journal's "Book of Lists", the region's largest communications and marketing firms, by number of local employees, include advertising agencies such as Star Group, Dorland Global Corp., and Cadient Group Inc., and public relations firms such as Dorland Global Public Relations, Vox Media Health-Care Public Relations Group and Gregory FCA.
The top six advertising and top six public relations firms in the Philadelphia Region combined employ over 1,270 communications and marketing professionals, working for local and national accounts, such as Comcast, Saladworks, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Wawa and many more.
Industry Growth
Monster reported that Philadelphia showed 63% growth within advertising/marketing/public relation’s jobs in 2007. Since late 2004, the index for marketing-oriented occupations has registered sturdy growth amid sharply rising help-wanted advertising for professionals throughout the industry.
According to a recent Monster recruiter survey, companies are working harder to find qualified marketing professionals and over 70% of recruiters felt their need for marketing and creative professionals will increase this year.
“[Philadelphia has] become more of an independent consultant’s market. It seems that numerous practitioners are branching out on their own, and doing very well as organizations of all sizes are finding that they can contract experienced talent without the corporate overhead,” Sharkey says. To note, Creative Footprint reports 17.7%, or 6,500 individuals, of self-employed professionals within the creative industry sectors are communications and marketing professionals.
A Creative Industry Sector on the Rise
Creative Footprint reports the communications and marketing industry sector in the Philadelphia Region is 18% higher than the national average. At the national level, communications and marketing continues to grow in popularity as a high value employment industry.
Sharkey says that sharing Philadelphia’s strengths and successes – the amazing work that comes from our talented arts and communications professionals needs to be seen by our peers in other markets - will help attract more young professionals to the Philadelphia Region. Marketing Philadelphia’s thriving arts and culture scene and gourmet restaurants may attract more professionals to the region as well.
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