The economic importance of the cultural and creative industries has greatly increased in recent years. Beyond this however, it has a strong impact on other sectors of the economy as well, such as tourism and all sectors whose retention of skilled workers is significantly improved by a culturally attractive location. Further economic potential can also be unleashed via “cross-innovations”. This sector therefore receives special attention not only in Germany, but also in many countries around the world.
To promote economic development in this area, a system of indicators is required to identify the sometimes very different challenges and opportunities in the various submarkets and develops solutions. House of Research was therefore commissioned by the states of Berlin and Brandenburg as well as the Chambers of Industry and Commerce of Berlin and Potsdam to prepare the Culture and Creative Industries Index (KKI). The aim of the KKI is to draw a representative atmopsheric picture in the creative industries in order to identify signals at an early stage – even before they can be reflected in official statistics. Via periodic repetitions, the effectiveness of political measures can be determined in the short term.
In the years 2011 to 2015 we examined all submarkets of the cultural and creative industries: design / fashion, architecture, games / software / multimedia, advertising / PR / market research, press, music, books, film, radio, visual arts and performing arts. The analysis included data from official sales tax and employment statistics as well as an economically very influential set of “soft factors” that we collected in surveys with companies. This includes an assessment of the current and future economic situation of the company and its willingness to invest. The study also examined and evaluated various location factors with high relevance for the settlement and establishment of companies.
The KKI can be adapted to different locations and individual requirements. It offers concrete recommendations for action to promote the cultural and creative industries for policy advice. Other markets such as information and communication technology or individual clusters such as IoT, Smart Home, E-Mobility and many more can also be examined. The published version of the KKI Berlin-Brandenburg is available as a free download.