22 June 2022

LinkedIn highlights scale of ad industry’s changes and mass exodus

LinkedIn, the professional network site, has tracked the changes* taking place across the ad industry based on its 850 million members – the results indicate a profound shift from creative to technical skills and a net outflow from the industry.

Why it matters

Speaking on the Cannes Lions main stage, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky explained his view that advertising sits between the business of innovation (new products) and promise-making (why you need them). But talent flows show an exodus from marketing while technology companies are recruiting heavily; many of those firms hoovering up talent are the major B2B firms powering systems – Salesforce, ServiceNow, Nvidia, among others.

Many of these B2B firms that he uses to conclude his argument have done a lot of innovation quietly without too much promise-making; there’s an opportunity for creative agencies to develop their B2B advertising capabilities to help such firms become major brands capable of continued growth in the future.

By the numbers: what’s happening in advertising

• The ad industry has seen a net outflow of 5.5% of staff over the last five years.
• Role changes in the ad industry spiked in 2021 (this will include promotions or internal changes). The biggest shifts were among the youngest, Gen-Z workers.
• Technical skills are increasingly evident in advertising, with 47% more tech skills across personal profiles. But among the firms with the heft to attend Cannes, that shift climbs to 67%.
• Creative skills are diminishing, however, down 17% across the total industry and 32% among Cannes attendees. As the industry stands currently, tech roles far outnumber creative roles.  

Comment

Even allowing for LinkedIn’s interests in B2B (the social network is a major sponsor of the new B2B Lions award) these are startling numbers – but not altogether surprising. While the major B2B tech firms like Salesforce and ServiceNow have vast market caps (the latter larger than Ford and Ferrari combined), it’s not digital but creative skills they lack. 

*LinkedIn’s Economic Graph tracks real-time changes among its user base – including around five million updates to job roles, skills, etc every minute. This research is based on those profiles and companies that serve marketing and advertising.