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Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit
2 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 3
Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit by BOP Consulting
CONTENTS
British Council’s Creative And Cultural
Economy Series ⁄
Published by The British Council
10 Spring Gardens,
London SW1A 2BN,
England 07 – Preface
www.britishcouncil.org
09 – 1 ⁄ MAPPING THE CREATIVE INDUStries
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-086355-640-1 13 – 2 ⁄ the creative industries
Author: BOP Consulting ⁄ 23 – 3 ⁄ THE MAPPING TOOLKIT
24 – STEP 1 ⁄ Why do mapping?
BOP Consulting is an independent research and 28 – STEP 2 ⁄ Which policy questions can mapping address?
strategy consultancy specialising in culture and 36 – STEP 3 ⁄ how are the creative industries defined?
the creative industries. They are based in London. 40 – step 4 ⁄ Who is in charge? Who does the work?
www.bop.co.uk 41 – step 5 ⁄ Which research approach should be adopted?
47 – STEP 6 ⁄ How can the project’s findings connect with key audiences and policy agendas?
50 – STEP 7 ⁄ How can momentum be maintained?
Editors ⁄
Pablo Rosselló 52 – 4 ⁄ Where Next?
Shelagh Wright
56 – Appendix 1 - The BRITISH COUNCIL’s Creative Economy Unit
Publication Design ⁄ 58 – Appendix 2 - Creative Industry SIC Codes
YCE Brand guidelines by BB Saunders
Design by Érika Muller
Photo Credits ⁄
© Aldeguer, Jay: page 56a
© Burns, Josephine: page 26
© DCMS/BIS: page 32
© Gauteng Provincial Government: page 43
© Noon, Frank: pages 56b, 57
© Rossello, Pablo: pages 1, 2-3, 8, 12, 18, 20, 22,
31, 33, 35, 38, 48, 50, 54-55
© Slade, Jon: page 42
© Szynkarczuk, Olga: pages 60-61
© Vaz, Gaurav Joshua: page 6
© Zetu, Dragos: page 45
© British Council 2010 Creative Economy Unit
The United Kingdom’s international organisation
for educational opportunities and cultural
relations. We are registered in England as a charity.preface
In our interdependent contemporary Shelagh Wright
world at the start of the 21st century we Advisor, Creative and Cultural Economy
face complex challenges, polarisation Programme
and inequality within and between
nations. Development strategies British Council
are needed to unleash the creative The British Council is committed to
potential of all to respond to the far- working in partnership to help shape
reaching cultural, economic, social the contours of our shared creative and
and technological shifts that we are cultural economy through its values of
living through. In this context the equity, freedom of expression, mutuality
concept of ‘the creative and cultural and sustainability.
economy’ is growing around the globe
as the interface between culture,
economics and technology. Our world
is increasingly dominated by images,
sounds, symbols and ideas that are
creating new jobs, wealth and new
culture. The UK has been a leader
in the development of this agenda,
not just as a driver of the economy
but also promoting social inclusion,
diversity and development. No-one
can claim a monopoly on wisdom as
innovative creative people all over the
world are changing the way we make
and exchange goods, services and
culture. This booklet (and the series
it is part of) is a contribution to our
shared knowledge and expertise for this
emergent and valuable sector. We hope
you find it both stimulating and useful.
8 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 91 ⁄ Mapping the Creative
Industries
The products of the creative industries Thinking the steps through at this
pervade contemporary life. Watching stage will help researchers and other
television, going to the cinema, reading interested parties understand the
newspapers, listening to music, playing challenges they are likely to face. This
computer games or socialising online report also briefly discusses the place
occupy many of the waking hours of of the creative industries within broader
the world’s citizens. This is not simply economic and historical contexts.
confined to the old industrial heartlands If you would like to explore the
of Europe and the United States: from feasibility of a mapping project in
the telenovelas of Latin America and more depth, lists of suggested further
Bollywood films to the design flair of reading and organisations which can
Korea’s Samsung, the creative industries provide more information are provided
are a global phenomenon. Yet 15 years in section 4.
ago, the term ‘creative industries’
was barely known. How, then, can this 1.1 Introduction
phenomenon be understood and its The desire to create things whose
economic value quantified? value is not purely practical – things
that are beautiful, that communicate
One method that has been developed cultural value through music, drama,
to help countries, regions or cities start entertainment and the visual arts,
thinking about the value of the creative or that communicate social position
industries is ‘mapping’. Pioneered in through style and fashion – is as old as
Britain in the late 1990s, mapping human society itself. There have always
extends well beyond the production been, and always will be, people with
of actual maps. It is shorthand for a the imagination and talent to make and
whole series of analytic methods for do these things. Their products and
collecting and presenting information services are said to have an ‘expressive
on the range and scope of the creative value’, a cultural significance that may
industries. Mapping is intended bear little relationship to how much they
especially to give an overview of the cost to make.
industries’ economic value, particularly In the twentieth century, these ancient
in places where relatively little is known traditions of cultural work – designing,
about them. This toolkit explores the making, decorating and performing
practicalities of using such methods. – began to be woven together with a
The toolkit draws on the experience of range of modern economic activities
the British Council and its consultants to such as advertising, design, fashion
set out the seven steps of a successful and moving image media to create
creative industries mapping project. new forms of commercial culture. In
10 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 11the first decade of this new century as it is the activity of these industries
these developments have been hugely which is being measured here. These Those who will be organising the mapping need to start
by clearly thinking through why they want to do it and
amplified by the power and reach of days, though, ‘creative economy’ is
Why do mapping? who they want to persuade.
digital technology. probably the more widely used term. In Who is it for?
The industries responsible for these any case it is likely that each country or
products are a varied bunch, yet they region will adapt the creative industries/
have certain things in common. Such economy concept to suit its own needs.
industries earn their profits from the It should also be noted that some Creative industries mapping is rarely undertaken simply out
Which policy questions of intellectual curiosity: it is intended to have an impact on
creative skills of their workforce and organisations, such as the European can mapping be used to policy. Which areas is it likely to have most effect on?
the generation of intellectual property Union and UNESCO, have generally address?
(IP), and collectively have come to be favoured an older term, the ‘cultural
known as the creative industries. industries’. There is a substantial
Intellectual property law is the catalyst academic literature debating the Deciding what is included in the study and what is not is
that transforms creative activity into finer points of these distinctions1 , central to a successful mapping. A project may choose to
creative industry. It protects the and people should be aware that the How are the creative assess all the creative industries or concentrate on just a
industries defined?
creator’s ownership of ideas in the terminology used in this toolkit is not few sub-sectors.
same way that other laws protect the uncontroversial.
right to the ownership of goods, land However, this toolkit is intended to be a
or buildings. It allows the inventors of practical guide to mapping – one that Who will manage the mapping project and ensure the work
new products and processes to benefit explores how to do it, which approach Who is in charge? is of high quality? There are a number of distinct roles that
from their creativity by providing a would be best in any given context, and Who does the work? have to be filled.
framework within which they can work. how to maximise the policy impact of
It also enables them to make choices the work. It aims to help researchers,
about what they protect and what they policymakers and creative practitioners
choose to give away. to understand the creative industries There are a range of approaches available to the research
The creative industries do not, however, better by setting out ways in which team. Thought needs to be given to which would be most
Which research
appropriate in the circumstances.
operate in isolation. They sit at the evidence can be gathered. It draws on approach should be
centre of a web of connections with both the UK’s experience and a number adopted?
other industrial sectors, and are a of mapping projects from around the
source of innovation for the wider world that have been supported by the
How can the research team increase the likelihood of the
economy, particularly through design, British Council’s Creative Economy Unit. How can the project’s
mapping findings being noticed and acted upon? How do
branding and advertising. They also To help make sense of the process of findings connect with
key audiences and policy they connect with key audiences and affect policy agendas?
have an important role to play in urban running a successful creative industries agendas?
regeneration and community cohesion. project, the toolkit sets out seven steps
This wider web is often referred to as which need to be considered.
the creative economy. On its own, the project is unlikely to achieve all its goals – it
The terms ‘creative industries’ and Section 3 of the toolkit addresses How can momentum be needs to be part of an ongoing effort to raise the profile of
‘creative economy’ are both relatively each of these seven steps in turn, maintained? the creative industries.
new and do not yet have fully settled illustrated by case studies.
definitions. Sometimes they are used
interchangeably, sometimes they refer
Notes ⁄
to related but separate concepts. 1. See, for instance, Flew, T. and Cunningham, S. (2010)
This toolkit uses the term ‘creative Creative Industries After the First Decade of Debate, The
Information Society, 26(2).
industries’ for the sake of simplicity,
12 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 132 ⁄ The Creative Industries
Before exploring the toolkit in detail, the The adoption of the creative
creative industries/creative economy industries concept was very much
concept will be discussed, and the associated with the election of the
reasons why it has become increasingly New Labour government in 1997 and
prominent in economic debates the creation of the, then Department
examined. for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS),
now Department for Culture, Olympics,
2.1 The Creative Industries in Britain Media and Sport (DCOMS), which
The term ‘creative industries’ originated built upon the functions of the earlier
in the mid-to-late 1990s and was Department of National Heritage. One
first taken up at a national level by of the new department’s first acts was
the UK’s government. The concept to set up the Creative Industries Task
was an attempt to change the terms Force, which was responsible for the
of the debate about the value of landmark Creative Industries Mapping
arts and culture. While the arts were Document in 1998 and a follow-up
supported to some degree or other report in 2001.
by most governments, they tended The 1998 mapping document
to be seen as marginal to economic was the first systematic attempt to
life and dependent on public subsidy. define and measure the creative
Advocates of the creative industries industries. It was designed both to
idea believed that this was too narrow collect data on the industries and to
a view – the totality of economic promote a deeper understanding of
activity stemming from creativity and the sector by telling its story in a way
culture, including their commercial that politicians, journalists, investors,
forms, needed to be considered to academics and government officials
understand their true contribution. This could immediately understand. It
activity included not just the traditional revealed, to the surprise of some,
art forms, such as theatre, music and just how economically significant the
film, but service businesses such as creative industries were. It calculated
advertising (which sell their creative that they accounted for almost a million
skills mostly to other businesses), jobs and 4 per cent of GDP in Britain,
manufacturing processes that feed and earned £7.5bn from exports. It
into cultural production, and the retail also showed, though, that the sector
of creative goods. It was argued that was polarised between a myriad of
the industries with their roots in culture very small firms and sole traders and a
and creativity were an important and handful of very large, often multinational
growing source of jobs and wealth companies.
creation.
14 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 15The idea of the creative paintings, sculpture, furniture, maps, • Interactive leisure software services. It covers the creation,
industries soon started to catch on as it drawings and prints. In Britain, most This sub-sector principally consists production and supply of tools
was seen as encapsulating a truth about such businesses are small but some, of computer and video games, but and applications and of software
Britain’s changing economic landscape. notably Sotheby’s and Christie’s, are also includes some educational and products, including web design. The
In particular, the definition adopted internationally important. reference material. British gaming large majority of employment in this
by the DCMS and the list of creative • Crafts firms have a reputation for innovation, sub-sector is based outside London.
industries derived from it soon became The DCMS includes textiles, ceramics, but many of the games they develop American multinationals tend to
influential. wood, metal, glass, graphic and leather are sold by foreign-owned software dominate in this field, but some British
The DCMS regards the creative crafts in this category. Businesses publishers. DMA Design, a Scottish firm companies do well in niche markets,
industries as: ‘those activities which in this field are mostly tiny: 75 per responsible for the initial development including Autonomy and Sage in
have their origin in individual creativity, cent are sole traders. The majority of of the Grand Theft Auto series of business software.
skill and talent and which have a craftworkers are women and, perhaps games, is now ultimately owned by • Television and radio
potential for wealth and job creation surprisingly, are mainly based in urban Take-Two, an American publisher. This sub-sector covers all public
through the generation and exploitation areas. • Music service, commercial, cable and satellite
of intellectual property1.’ • Design This includes both live and recorded TV and radio, including the production
In its first mapping document in This sub-sector is hard to assess music, music publishing and the and broadcasting of programmes. The
1998, the DCMS went on to define the as much of it is hidden within other administration of music copyright. BBC dominates the British market, but
following industries as creative: industries. The DCMS therefore looked Britain excels in most forms of music, many independent companies have
• Advertising at design consultancies and designers from rock and pop to classical, and its devised formats which have been
In Britain, employment in advertising, working in industry. It found that 70 per consumers spend more per head on successfully sold abroad. Who Wants
which includes marketing and some cent of British design companies were music than almost any other country. to Be A Millionaire?, which has been
public relations activities, is dominated active abroad. London in particular has EMI, one of the music industry’s ‘majors’, shown in more than 100 countries,
by multinational agencies, and is heavily a strong reputation in this field, based is based in London. was developed by the independent
centred on London: it and New York are on its excellent design schools. • Performing Arts company, Celador.
widely regarded as the capitals of the • Designer Fashion Theatre, dance, ballet, musicals and
advertising world. The London-based Fashion design is a relatively small opera performances all fall into this The DCMS’s definition and list of
communications group, WPP, is the sub-sector, but is highly integrated into category. These art forms usually the creative industries both provoked
world’s largest by revenue, employing the international market – even small depend on a mix of public subsidy and considerable debate. It has been
almost 140,000 people in more than fashion businesses look to export their private ticket sales and funding. Some argued, for example, that almost all new
100 countries. products. Britain’s fashion schools have parts of the sub-sector are nonetheless products have elements of creativity
• Architecture helped train numerous internationally big revenue earners: London’s West End and intellectual property embedded
Like many creative industries, the renowned designers, from John Galliano theatre, with its wide variety of musicals within them. Separating off a handful
architecture sub-sector is made up of to Stella McCartney. and plays, is a major tourist attraction. of industries and labelling them as
a handful of big firms and a very large • Film and video • Publishing ‘creative’ is, according to this view,
number of small ones. The sub-sector’s This sub-sector includes film The publishing of books, newspapers, rather arbitrary.
fortunes are closely linked to those of production, distribution and exhibition. magazines and electronic information More specific criticisms of the
the construction industry. A number Although the UK has a number of is one of the largest employers among list have also been made. The inclusion
of British architects have achieved successful home-grown producers, the creative industries. The widespread of the computer software sub-sector
international reputations, including such as Working Title, the Hollywood use of English internationally means has often been questioned. It is a large
Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and studios dominate the British market. that book publishing in particular is a employer in many parts of Britain, yet
David Chipperfield. The number of films produced in Britain, globally connected industry. much of it consists of conventional
• Art and antiques market and their box-office returns, fluctuates • Software and Computer Services business software and consultancy
This sub-sector includes dealers considerably from year to year. The biggest creative industry of all rather than the more creative elements
and auctioneers of antique jewellery, in the UK is software and computer such as computer games development
16 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 17or interactive media. The presence of ‘knowledge economy’ – that part of Key events in the evolution of the creative industries concept and policies
the antiques trade on the DCMS list has the economy which employs graduate
also been challenged, on the grounds talent
Creative Britain
that there is no fresh act of creation • contributing to the regeneration of Creative Industries
report 2008
involved, merely the retail of pre- towns and cities Economic Estimates first
published 2002
existing ones. • connecting and working with further
2nd DCMS Creative
Although some minor and higher education
Industries Mapping Creative Economy
adjustments have been made to the • bringing communities and people Document 2001 Programme 2005-07
list in response to these and other together through shared experiences.
criticisms, the 1998 definition is British Council’s Creative
still essentially the one used by the In 2006, the UK government Industries (now Economy) Creative London Digital Britain
DCMS today. It is often used by other formally adopted the term ‘creative Unit set up 1999 launched 2004 report 2009
countries as the basis for developing economy’ to capture this sense of
their own definition. the wider contribution of the creative
The idea of the creative industries to economic and social life. 1997 DCMS established 2001 2005
industries as set out in the DCMS This toolkit is concerned with mapping
mapping documents was quickly the creative industries themselves, so
embraced not just by Britain’s national many of these broader connections 1st DCMS Creative (London) Mayor’s
UN’s Creative Economy
government but also by its cities, and relationships fall outside its scope. Industries Mapping Commission on Creative
Report 2008
regions and local government, partly Nevertheless, these connections are Document 1998 Industries 2002
Establishment of
encouraged by the work of the DCMS’s significant, and might well be the ‘Creative economy’ term
Creative Industries Task
Regional Issues Working Group3 . A subject of further research once an Force 1998 formally adopted by UK
host of initiatives and programmes was initial mapping exercise is complete4 . WIPO establishes government 2006
launched by many public bodies, and The timeline on the right gives a DCMS Regional Issues Creative Industries
‘creative’ became a new economic sense of the way in which the creative Working Group set up Division 2005
development buzzword. At one time or industries concept has developed and 1999
other in the last decade, for instance, been translated into evidence and
the creative industries have been policy in the UK since 1997.
a priority sector for all of England’s
regions. This enthusiasm coincided The decision to produce the first
with sharp rises in employment in the Creative Industries Mapping Document Department for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (previously dcms)
creative industries in Britain in the late in 1998 turned out to be a momentous
1990s, which lent weight to the new one. It was the first systematic attempt Since the publication of the mapping documents in 1998 and 2001, the
model. anywhere to measure the creative Department for Culture has continued to carry out research into the creative
As time has gone on, however, it industries on a national scale. It drew industries. From 2002 onwards it has produced annual Creative Industries
has increasingly been recognised that attention to a sector which, with its mix Economic Estimates bulletins, which provide a detailed analysis of the creative
the creative industries cannot be seen of technology and a long and complex industries in Britain and are available online. The most recent figures show that
in isolation. They have a number of cultural heritage, is unlike any other the creative industries in Britain employed more than 1.1 million people (in
important, wider dimensions, including: sector of the economy. 2008), and accounted for £16.6bn of exports and 6.2% of GVA (in 2007). The
• adding value to other industries, Although the mapping document DCOMS has built up considerable expertise in mapping, and is happy to share
notably through design, advertising and focused just on the creative industries, its knowledge with other countries. It is particularly interested in encouraging
branding it was the trigger for a series of more accurate comparisons between countries. If you want to learn more about
• being major employers of highly developments which have rippled out the DCOMS’s work, or wish to explore the idea of collaborating on developing
skilled people, thus being part of the across the British economy, leading to comparative data, the British Council can help facilitate such discussions.
18 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 192.2 The Creative Industries: Creative industries mapping
International Context exercises have now been carried out
The UK’s decision to produce the first in many parts of the world. The British
Creative Industry Mapping Document Council has been involved in such work
in 1998 turned out to be an important in Colombia, Estonia, Indonesia and
milestone internationally too. The South Africa, among others.
definition and list of industries it International agencies,
contained were soon noticed and taken too, have adopted the idea of the
up, particularly in East Asia. Hong Kong, creative industries or the creative
Singapore, Taiwan, Korea and China all economy. UNCTAD (the UN’s trade and
developed analyses of their creative development body) has led the way,
industries, based to a greater or lesser being the lead agency responsible
extent on the UK model. In most cases, for the UN’s Creative Economy Report
the model has been adapted to fit local 2008 7.
a greater recognition of the importance economic performance of the creative needs. Singapore, for instance, has UNCTAD notes in its report that
of creativity across the economy and industries. Between 2005 and 2007 produced a classification framework ‘the creative economy has become
society as a whole. It has led to a richer the DCMS launched a major research which groups the creative industries a topical issue of the international
understanding of the creative sector project, the Creative Economy under three broad headings: arts and economic and development agenda,
and has helped to shape policy both in Programme, which resulted in 2008 in culture, design, and media. calling for informed policy responses
the UK and internationally. Creative Britain 5, a report which set out Other parts of the world, notably in both developed and developing
The work of the Regional Issues a support programme for the creative Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia, countries 8’ . UNCTAD statistics reveal it
Working Group helped encourage sector that touched on education, skills, took up the notion too, though accounts for a significant and growing
lower-level tiers of government in innovation and intellectual property. A sometimes with significant differences slice of the world’s economy. The
Britain to take up the idea early on. further landmark was the publication of from the UK’s approach. Sweden, for Creative Economy Report 2008 quotes
In 2002 London’s then mayor, Ken Digital Britain 6 in 2009, which sets out example, talks about the ‘experience some impressive figures for the size of
Livingstone, established a Commission the country’s ambitions for the digital economy’ which, while including the the creative industries. It calculates they
on the creative industries, to assess age. One striking aspect of the Digital creative industries, also embraces the account for:
their value and potential contribution Britain report is its focus on the creative likes of the restaurant business. In India, • 3.4 per cent of world trade (in 2005)
to the city’s economy. As a world industries: it is evidence of the extent the definition includes lifestyle products • $424 billion of exports (in 2005),
city, London’s creative industries are to which the digital and creative sectors and services, like yoga and Ayurvedic growing at an average annual rate of
unusually strong; in 2001 they were are merging due to technological medicine. 8.7 per cent between 2000 and 2005.
found to be second only to the financial change. Indeed, many public bodies Source: UN Creative Economy Report 2008, p5
sector in importance to London’s in Britain now refer to these two as a
economy. The Commission led to the single economic grouping. Singapore’s classification framework for the creative industries
establishment of Creative London, Britain’s example, then, as the
which aimed both to promote the city’s first country to take up the idea of the Arts and culture Design Media
creative industries and to use them to creative industries, is a helpful one to
pursue the mayor’s broader ambitions explore. It has a wealth of experience • Photography • Software • Publishing
of regenerating some of the more run- on which to draw. However, it is by • Visual arts • Advertising • TV & radio
down parts of the city and enhancing no means the only country to have • Performing arts • Architecture • Digital media
London’s brand. adopted the concept. The following • Arts and antiques • Interior design • Film and video
More recently, government section discusses the creative industries trade, Crafts • Graphic design
strategies have increasingly been in their international context. • Industrial design
concerned with strengthening the • Fashion
20 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 21The creative industries are Foundation argues that for many of its Organisation (WIPO), which has devised
important both to developed nations smaller members in particular, which a ‘copyright’ model that divides the
and developing ones. They matter to lack the capacity to exploit economies creative industries up into three
richer countries because they depend of scale, the creative industries offer categories: core, interdependent and
for their success on the creativity of better prospects for growth than many partial copyright industries. This model
their workforces and, as such, their other sectors 9 . seeks to include all the industries
competitiveness relies less on price involved in the creation, manufacture,
than on the quality and imagination of production, broadcast and distribution
their work. In turn, this suggests that and consumption of copyrighted works,
they are less likely to lose out to the and thus results in a rather different list
price-led competition which has caused from the DCMS’s.
many manufacturing and service jobs to Initiatives like these have helped
be outsourced to emerging economies. make governments more aware of
However, the creative industries the value of the creative industries
also offer potential benefits to emerging and intellectual property to the global
economies. These countries also often economy.
wish to move away from competing
solely on price, and are looking to UNESCO, the UN’s cultural arm, For more general information on the creative
industries and creative economy, please refer
identify new sources of competitive has taken a more cautious approach to to the British Council’s Creative and Cultural
advantage and cultural recognition. the idea of the creative industries, but Economy series/1 publication.
Creative businesses, driven as they the most recent revision of its cultural
are by ideas and creativity, do not statistics framework in 2009 has taken
necessarily need access to large more account of them10. Notes ⁄
2. DCMS (1998) Creative Industries Mapping Document
sums of capital or natural resources. Other organisations have put 1998, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, p3.
For countries with rich cultures and forward alternative models of the 3. DCMS (2000) Creative Industries: The Regional
a pool of local creative talent, the creative industries. Perhaps the most Dimension, The Report of the Regional Issues Working
Group, DCMS, London
creative economy offers a way to build interesting of these is one produced
4. For an interesting attempt at measuring the creative
economic value. The Commonwealth by the World Intellectual Property economy in Britain, see Higgs, P., Cunningham, S., and
Bakhshi, H. (2009) Beyond the creative industries:
mapping the creative economy in the United Kingdom,
NESTA, London.
WIPO’s copyright model of the creative industries
5. DCMS (2008), Creative Britain: New Talents for the
New Economy, DCMS/BERR/DIUS, London.
Core copyright Interdependent Partial copyright 6. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (2009),
Digital Britain, Norwich, TSO.
industries copyright industries industries
7. United Nations (2008) Creative Economy Report
• Advertising • Blank recording • Architecture 2008: The Challenge of Assessing the Creative Economy:
towards Informed Policy-making, United Nations, Geneva.
• Collecting societies material • Clothing, footwear
8. Ibid., p4.
• Film and video • Consumer electronics • Design
9. Commonwealth Foundation (2008) Putting Culture
• Music • Musical instruments • Fashion First: Commonwealth perspectives on culture and
• Performing arts • Paper • Household goods development
• Publishing • Photocopiers, • Toys 10. UNESCO Institute of Statistics (2009), 2009 UNESCO
Framework for Cultural Statistics, UNESCO Institute of
• Software photographic, Statistics, Montreal.
• TV and radio equipment
• Visual and graphic art
Source: UN Creative Economy Report 2008, p5
22 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 233 ⁄ The Mapping Toolkit
The creative industries, then, is a It should be made clear that
concept which is rising in prominence. ‘mapping’ extends well beyond
However, the fast-changing and cross- the production of actual maps. It is
cutting nature of the industries poses shorthand for a whole series of analytic
challenges both for private investors, methods for collecting and presenting
who may not fully grasp the ways in information on the range and scope of
which the industries are evolving, and the creative industries (or a particular
governments, which need to better part of them). This toolkit describes
understand the sector if they are to these techniques and assesses their
release the full potential of their creative strengths and limitations.
economies and develop appropriate However, the mapping research
policies. In many places, very little is itself cannot be considered in isolation.
known about the creative industries’ It lies at the centre of a series of other
location and size, or what their needs issues – political, managerial, practical
might be. Mapping is designed to be a – which shape the success or failure
first step in addressing this. of a project. We have identified seven
steps which have to be addressed if
the mapping is to achieve its desired
results.
24 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 25STEP 1 ⁄ Why do mapping? Beyond simply raising their profile, agendas, such as urban regeneration, If such people are to be
mapping can give insights into the rural development or social cohesion. persuaded, though, the project
To begin at the beginning: why do a structure of the creative industries. Making the creative industries’ needs to be credible. The sponsor
mapping exercise at all? They are a varied and fast-changing contribution more visible through therefore needs to give some thought
A mapping exercise seeks to assess group. Evidence from Britain and other mapping can help policymakers see to the feasibility of the project,
the value of the creative industries countries suggests that they sometimes how the industries could play a role and in particular the availability
to the wider economy. This might be cluster together in certain places, in these other areas. In turn, this may of information. All countries have
demonstrated through measures such and each industry faces its own set of allow some of the creative industries’ national statistics agencies, either as
as employment, the number and size issues. Mapping projects can reveal needs to be addressed as part of wider part of their governmental structures
of creative businesses, exports, gross some of these patterns and how they initiatives. or sometimes as semi-independent
value added, or the composition of the are changing. This in turn is important bodies. In some places, there are also
workforce (by gender or ethnicity, for for the third consideration – planning Who is it for? regional or city-based ‘observatories’
instance). for future growth. The idea for a mapping project that collect information on labour
There are five main reasons why 3 ⁄ To plan for future growth. may arise from any of a number of markets, businesses and employment.
someone might want to carry out such Understanding where you are now is sources: a senior civil servant or a If a mapping exercise can adapt such
an exercise. essential to being able to plan sensibly. creative entrepreneur, for instance. statistics to reflect the circumstances
The creative industries often face However, if a project proposal is to and character of the creative industries,
1 ⁄ To raise the profile of the creative particular challenges, such as finding be taken forward, a sponsor has to it is likely to help the credibility of the
industries. affordable workspace, getting access be found – someone who can secure mapping project considerably. It is
A mapping project is first and foremost to high-speed broadband services, and financial and political backing for the therefore important to check if these
an exercise in getting the creative access to skilled labour. Mapping can project. British (and international) agencies have reasonably reliable
industries noticed and recognised. The help identify the needs of the creative experience suggests this person is figures, and effective methods for
sector is an unusual one, cutting across industries and suggest ways in which likely to be a politician. He or she collecting and analysing the data.
traditional industrial classifications and they might be addressed. will have become interested in the It is worth noting that, even
changing rapidly as technology evolves. 4 ⁄ To engage leaders in the policy creative industries and wants to raise in countries which have generally
As such, it often has a comparatively issues affecting creative industries. the industries’ profile by getting their good statistical services, certain
low profile compared with, say, financial By raising the profile of the creative economic value recognised and individual surveys may be less reliable
services, manufacturing, or industries industries and providing an evidence understood. than others. Factors that have to be
based around the exploitation of natural base on their size and location, The sponsor needs to start considered are the size of the sample,
resources. A mapping project can raise mapping provides a platform on which thinking early on about who the project the geography at which the data
awareness of the economic value of the to build policy arguments. It encourages is ultimately for – who is he or she was collected, and the availability of
industries, which is often substantial. It politicians to take the sector seriously hoping to influence? Is the ambition comparator years. There is inevitably
can also help create common frames and to develop policies to push the to get officials in government or also a time lag in compiling statistics,
of reference for talking about the creative industries agenda forward. national statistics agencies to pay more which can be a problem in the fast-
creative industries. This in turn can be Mapping can also help persuade other attention to the quality of data on the changing environment of the creative
useful in increasing their political clout, potentially influential groups, such as creative industries? Is it to persuade sector.
so allowing them to get their needs journalists or civil servants, of the need politicians to make policy changes? Or If reliable data is not available, as
taken more seriously. It can also help to support the creative sector. is it to get the creative sector itself to is the case in some emerging (and even
creative businesspeople in the different 5 ⁄ To support wider political or think more deeply about its strengths developed) economies, the suitability
industries to see what they have in economic objectives. and weaknesses? This decision has of non-governmental statistics needs
common. Sometimes the interest in the creative implications for the conduct of the to be explored. This might be data
2 ⁄ To learn more about the sector – industries lies not so much in the mapping exercise, as the later steps in collected by trade associations or
what is happening and where is it taking industries themselves but in their the process will show. industry bodies, by trade publications
place? potential contribution to other pressing or online networks, or by NGOs, private
26 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 27businesses or universities. By patching Case study: Vietnam – Binh Duong Province
such data together it may be possible
to create workable datasets for a Vietnam’s economy has grown very quickly in recent years, and creative
mapping exercise. businesses are being established, especially in the largest city, Ho Chi Minh City
If even these are not available, (HCMC). National networks are beginning to develop, too, notably Viet Craft,
the project researchers are going to which has 450 members. As wage costs rise in the wake of economic growth,
have to compile their own data. The Vietnam is starting to think about ways of encouraging businesses to move up
project sponsor needs to think through the value chain.
the feasibility of this – how much might Vietnam has just begun to explore the concept of the creative industries. The
it cost, and what level of coverage British Council recently undertook an exploratory visit to Binh Duong Province,
might be achieved. a district just to the north of HCMC. The provincial government sees the creative
It may be that there is too industries as a potential source of growth. Binh Duong Province already has
little data from any source to run a a number of firms making good-quality ‘creative’ goods – principally crafts –
mapping project. If the sponsor still for export, but these tend to use imported designs. It also has several media
wants to raise the profile of the creative companies.
industries, there are other strategies
that can be adopted. One alternative is The consultant representing the British Council sought to assess the strengths
to hold a series of events or seminars and weaknesses of the province’s creative industries, especially in the design
designed to encourage understanding and crafts sub-sectors, and to examine the possibilities of a mapping project. She
and debate. These might involve the spoke to businesspeople, creative entrepreneurs, higher education institutions
creative sector itself, wider interests in and government officials. A seminar was also held in Ho Chi Minh City, to
the business world, and government encourage debate about the creative industries.
officials in departments such as trade
The conclusions stemming from the visit were mixed. There is some local
and investment, culture, education,
enthusiasm for the creative industries on which to build, but doubts were
exports and economics. The British
expressed by officials about the quality of available statistics and there was little
Council supports a number of such
evidence of relevant expertise in the local universities.
programmes (see appendix 1).
In a case like this, therefore, a full-scale mapping project at this stage would
be premature. Instead, the reliability of local and national statistics needs to be
further investigated, sources of creative industry expertise have to be identified,
and an assessment has to be made of which industries it would be useful to
map. It might make more sense in this case to provide a broad overview of the
creative sector followed by detailed work on a handful of industries: design,
crafts and media. In the meantime, awareness could be raised by holding
seminars on topics of interest to local firms, such as branding and innovation,
and strengthening creative networks.
28 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 29STEP 2 ⁄ Which policy questions Areas of policy interest Urban regeneration in the UK
can mapping address?
Creative industries mapping or In a number of British cities clusters of creative industries have contributed
Mapping projects are rarely undertaken evidence-gathering exercises have to urban economic revival. Sometimes this has been unplanned: artists and
simply out of intellectual curiosity. Most shaped the UK’s policy approach in creative people have moved to certain city neighbourhoods and have built a
project organisers have ambitions to all three of these policy areas. The new economy there. In other cases, local government has made a conscious
influence the future development of the following case studies look at examples effort to strengthen the creative industries in a locality by providing assistance,
creative industries. To do this, though, from across the country sometimes by designating the district a creative or cultural ‘quarter’.
they need to understand which policy An example of the first is Shoreditch, a neighbourhood in east-central London,
areas mapping projects can realistically Local (place-based) economic which has been transformed by the creative industries over the last 15 years.
hope to influence. A research report development The decline in manufacturing in London throughout the twentieth century
commissioned as part of the DCMS’s Regions and cities are often most saw Shoreditch’s traditional industries, notably furniture and textiles, virtually
Creative Economy Programme11 interested in the contribution of the disappear, leaving the area poor and economically depressed. However, it also
suggested there were three that are creative industries to local economic left warehouse space behind. London as a whole has a large population of art
particularly important (see table below). development. The creative industries and design students and working artists, who are always looking for cheap,
have a tendency to cluster together, flexible workspace in the inner city. In the 1990s Shoreditch thus began to be
often in city districts that have been colonised by artists, a trend which was symbolised by the establishment of the
abandoned by traditional manufacturing White Cube gallery in Hoxton Square, the spiritual home of the Young British
industries. Creative businesses are Artists (YBAs), such as Damien Hirst.
also often very small in size, strongly
rooted in their local communities, and As more and more artists moved to the area Shoreditch acquired a more
employers of highly skilled people. As fashionable image. This attracted more mainstream creative businesses, in fields
such, they can help to regenerate run- such as advertising, architecture, photography and, especially, design. This wave
down areas, help a place to diversify of affluent professionals in turn attracted bars, restaurants and clubs to the area,
its local economy and allow an area to leading to it becoming one of the centres of London nightlife with a reputation
‘rebrand’ itself. for being on the cutting edge of London style. Shoreditch has become a classic
example of inner-city gentrification. More recent developments have included
an upmarket hotel and a major new gallery for multicultural art, Rivington Place.
The rising rents and a tendency for warehouses to be converted into residential
space have started to push out the artists responsible for the area’s revival; they
Areas of policy interest have begun to move further east.
The Shoreditch cluster was largely unplanned, but it was soon noticed by
Local (place-based) National local and city-wide government bodies. A number of mapping exercises were
Cultural policy
economic development industrial policy undertaken, and policies devised to support the growth of creative industries
• City or regional growth • Innovation • Architecture in the area. There were also some unexpected knock-on effects: Westminster,
• Regeneration • International • Cultural co-operation the traditional centre of creative industries in London, commissioned a mapping
• Local and regional competitiveness • Cultural diversity study to help it understand why some of its businesses were moving to
cluster development • Cultural exchange Shoreditch.
• Regional economic • Cultural identity The creative industries are a large and dynamic sector in London. In other
diversification • New cultural forms places in Britain the creative industries make up a relatively smaller share of the
• Place-making/ city and economy. Local government in such areas have often made more systematic
regional branding attempts to encourage Shoreditch-style creative clusters.
Source: BOP Consulting, 2006
30 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 31In Manchester, for instance, the city has built on the growth of the creative industries in the Northern Quarter district of the city centre. As in Shoreditch, its traditional industries had declined, leaving cheap space behind that proved attractive to creative industries, especially in fashion, galleries, and music. Affleck’s Palace, an indoor market that is something of a Manchester institution, embodies the bohemian culture which has taken root in the area with its many small creative retailers. When it became clear that the city centre was attracting creative industries the city council took an active role in supporting and promoting them. As a result of a mapping and research study, it set up CIDS (the Creative Industries Development Service), an organisation based in the Northern Quarter that provided support and information to creative businesses across the city. The growth of the creative industries has been credited in part with reversing the longstanding decline in the residential population of the city centre. Birmingham is attempting to do something similar in Digbeth, which lies just south of its city centre. The district has been identified by the city council as a potential hub for the creative industries in that city. Like Shoreditch and the Northern Quarter, Digbeth has largely been abandoned by manufacturing and wholesaling businesses, leaving potentially usable space behind. Private developers have taken note and have converted a number of buildings in the area for use by creative industries. The first of these was the Custard Factory, a former food-processing facility, which is now home to 250 small creative businesses. Its success has been repeated nearby at Fazeley Studios, a former chapel, and at The Bond, a converted Victorian warehouse. Birmingham City Council is looking to build on these successes to establish a creative cluster. It has plans to upgrade broadband connections in the area to create a digital hub and has supported a new campus of the South Birmingham College in the area, which offers a number of courses related to the creative industries. Together with public realm improvements, and the area’s strong reputation for live music, it is hoped that a ‘buzz’ can be created in Digbeth to attract new businesses and residents. 32 Creative and Cultural Economy series ⁄ 2 – Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit 33
National industrial policy Cultural policy allowing them to re-invent themselves
in new forms.
At a national level, policymakers are The third area of interest is cultural
often more interested in the creative policy. The creative industries have
industries as a source of international their roots in longstanding cultural
competitiveness and as a key part of traditions. Indeed, for many creative
the debate on national industrial policy businesspeople the cultural value of
in the fields of innovation, technology their work is at least as important as
and intellectual property. The digital its economic value. In a globalised,
revolution (or ‘digital shift’ as it is connected world many places are
sometimes known) has put creative wrestling with the question of how to
businesses, especially in media, on maintain their cultural identity without
the front line of these issues. Their becoming ‘living museums’. Commercial
experience has lessons for other parts culture can be a way of ensuring the
of the economy which are facing similar survival of cultural traditions by giving
challenges. them a new value and importance or by
Digital Britain The European Capital of Culture programme
British government ministers have for some years now identified the creative The European Capital (or City) of Culture programme (ECoC) is an example of
industries as a particular strength of Britain’s economy, and have declared an the way in which culture can be used to change the image of a place and spur
ambition to see the UK become the world’s creative hub. This is reflected in the the development of the creative sector. ECoC was the brainchild of the Greek
focus of government bodies; both the Technology Strategy Board and UK Trade actress turned politician, Melina Mercouri, who wanted to raise culture’s profile
and Investment (UKTI) have identified the creative industries as a priority area for in the European Union. Although it was launched in 1986, it wasn’t until 1990,
their activities. This thinking has also helped shape recent policy and legislation. when Glasgow was the host city, that the idea really began to have an impact.
As a study of the ECoC hosts observed, ‘Glasgow was a turning point … in that
The Digital Britain report, published by the government in 2009, was Britain’s the city set multiple aims with specific reference to cultural, economic and social
most serious attempt to date to come to grips with the new digital age12. goals. Almost all cities that followed have taken a similar approach’13. These goals
Stephen Carter, the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting included boosting tourism, improving the city’s image, revitalising the city and
at the time (the report’s author), described it as ‘an overdue recognition of increasing the number of creative industries and jobs.
the industrial importance of the creative industries’. The report frequently
mentions the challenge posed by other nations’ plans for digital technology Glasgow’s year as ECoC was part of a 25 year-long effort to use culture to build
and infrastructure, in particular the high levels of public and private investment up its identity. Although Glasgow had been one of the great trading centres of
in broadband infrastructure in countries such as the United States, Japan and the Victorian era ¬– it was known as the second city of the British Empire – by
Australia. the 1970s and ‘80s it had lost much of its manufacturing base and had acquired
a reputation for poverty and violence. In the words of a city official, it was
The report had three broad themes: increasing digital participation; building perceived as ‘the worst corner of Britain’14 . In the ‘80s, the city council decided
a new communications infrastructure; and modernising the relevant legal and to give culture and creativity a prominent role in its regeneration efforts.
regulatory frameworks. Many of the proposals in it deal with the production and
trade of creative goods and services, the role of intellectual property, and the These began with the Glasgow’s Miles Better publicity campaign, which stressed
relationship between the public and private sectors. In particular, the report the city’s cultural assets, including the then recently opened Burrell Collection,
saw piracy as a major threat to the future health of the creative industries and and the city’s hosting of a Garden Festival in 1988. Things took a big step
put forward proposals for dealing with it. A number of these policy proposals forward in 1990, when the city’s year as European Capital of Culture helped it
became law with the passing of the Digital Economy Bill in April 2010. become a presence on the international stage. It improved the image of the city
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