Digital Ad Firms Expand Staff As Market Resumes Growth

Despite continued difficulties in the wider employment market, companies in the digital advertising sphere are aggressively recruiting talent. A plethora of vacancies across the market -on both the sales and agency side – this January suggests the slowdown of the past two years is officially over, and the market is once again returning to a healthy rate of growth.

“The market is definitely picking up again for us. Even in the worst times digital was quite active, but the trend is certainly on an upward trajectory,” commented Tim Cecere, human resources director for WPP-owned agency conglomerate GroupM. “This year compared to last year we are more aggressive, and much more aggressive than two years ago,” he added.

Digital agency R/GA lists over 60 vacancies for its New York office, 13 for its San Francisco office, and nine for its base in Chicago. Rival agency ZenithOptimedia says it chose to hire last year in an attempt to beat its competition to the talent. “We took advantage of the market and hired around 35 staff on the digital side,” said John Nitti, the company’s SVP and Managing Director of integrated planning. “We have about 12 or 15 vacancies open right now, and we’re also focusing on staff retention.”

GroupM claims it too is hiring ahead of the curve, as it anticipates continued growth in the digital ad space. “Investing in digital is at the forefront of our thinking. We’re willing to bet ahead of the curve on it, while on the traditional side we’re cautious and hire more in relation to client needs,” said Cecere. “In digital we’re willing to shore up our staff because digital talent is still hard to find.”

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