The IAPI Publishes 2019 Census

Every year the IAPI commission Amárach Research to conduct a survey of its members to capture key industry data, providing a detailed analysis of Ireland’s creative and media industry. The IAPI census is compiled from an analysis of a number of Irish agencies in the industry which is worth at least €1billion to the Irish Economy and is estimated to employ 5,500 people, both directly and indirectly. This year's IAPI Census Report is now available for download here.

During 2018, the average number of staff working in creative sector agencies grew by 20% with 42% reporting hiring during the year. Of particular note was the trend of new hires being sourced from outside the industry reflecting the greater multi-disciplinary nature of creative solutions required, especially in an increasingly data-driven and digital market.

Among the key themes emerging in IAPI Census 2019 are the increasingly onerous and unsustainable costs of pitching for new business; continued loss of talent to the tech industries; and the training, learning and development needs required to ensure that creative industries can continue to deliver value to Irish businesses and support growth and employment generation. 

Jimmy Murphy (right), president IAPI and Director, Publicis Dublin, said: “We’ve advanced in many of our key areas of focus since 2018, and, in talking to other agency leaders, significant progress has been made by IAPI members in future proofing the industry. I believe IAPI’s strategic focus should continue to be a key enabler for our membership to transform and grow their business both domestically and internationally.”

Charley Stoney (left), IAPI CEO, added: “As an industry we have been asked to completely rethink and transform how we do business as there is potential competition from in-house teams, the big tech firms or FAANGs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) and also across the whole gambit of the commercial creativity business as agencies embrace all the disciplines in this new world. I believe we are responding well, particularly in Ireland where we’ve always had to turn on a sixpence to survive. 

A tender which is designed for a client to really get to know their potential agency partner is much more likely to have a successful outcome and it is time the industry embrace the more innovative, less onerous and costly tender processes that the enlightened few have started to use. 

In IAPI we are very focused on providing quality, yet affordable training and development for the industry as it’s vitally important that agency talent are still able to provide the most creative, innovative and value-added solutions for clients in the future.”

IAPI represents 56 agencies across Ireland's Creative Commercial Industry with over 2,000 employees.

The full IAPI Census 2019 report is available here.