And Now for Something Completely Different: The Growing Need for Marketing Jobs in Leeds

As the second-largest home of business, legal and financial services outside of London, the growth in the number of marketing jobs in Leeds is hardly surprising. As the largest city in Yorkshire and a central city in the UK geographically-speaking, the need for all forms of publicising and promotion has always been important in this area.

Even on a local scale, Leeds represents so much potential for organisations that want to reach a wider audience with advertising. As the biggest player in the West Yorkshire Urban Area, it is also the main port of call for top companies aiming to reap the talent - and disposable income - of nearby places such as Huddersfield, Bradford, Wakefield, Morley and Dewsbury. These form the fourth-most populous market in the UK so any business that overlooks this area, or the creation of marketing jobs here, could really be depriving themselves of easily-earned income. Leeds, because it is so easily-accessible, is already a major employer for the region on the whole, with over 100,000 people commuting to work in the city from outside the district each and every day.

With direct train links to London and an airport on its back doorstep in the form of Leeds-Bradford International, many people could find it an enticing prospect to move to Leeds to chase their dreams. As a cheaper place to live than the capital but with the same benefits as any other metropolitan area, the city has close links to Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield, meaning marketing jobs could be filled by candidates from these areas too. Think of the market for jobs with the famous quote from Field of Dreams in mind: "If you build it, they will come."

Leeds, alongside Manchester, London and Birmingham, was named by the Cushman & Wakefield European Cities Monitor as a premier UK city to locate a business. Among the cities that Leeds was seen as more viable than for businesses are Moscow, Helsinki, Oslo, Vienna, Rome, Athens, Bucharest and Istanbul - all of which are national capitals.

This is far from surprising, really. The value of Leeds' economy is currently estimated at around £14.6 billion (2010 figures) and it is widely understood that the push in employment, from legal to financial to marketing jobs, will help the area grow by another quarter in the next decade. With over 420,000 people already working in Leeds, the city is also expected to generate growth in employment of over a quarter in West Yorkshire over the next decade.

On top of this, marketing jobs would go to a share of the 60,000 degree students at the city's two internationally-respected universities: The University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University. The campuses are central to its culture and architecture but still produce the second-largest base of talent outside of London. While in close competition with Manchester for this title, Leeds continues to race ahead. Leeds Met, for example, is a fast-growing centre of digital talent. It is centred around New Broadcasting House - an award-winning building concept - where budding digital marketers have access to the best technology available.

Of course, digital marketing is booming and while many may see Leeds as a shadow of the Greater London area, it is far from this; if anything, the capital is merely competition. With developments in pay-per-click, search engine optimisation, viral campaigns, direct advertising and email techniques, both start-up and long-established firms are looking to separate themselves in this distant haven for business, far away from the hustle and bustle of London.

However, the proud sporting city of Leeds is always in need of more marketing techniques in open spaces, away from the internet. The city is home to Leeds United - currently pushing for a place in the Premiership after several years in the wilderness of the lower leagues - while flagship rugby league team the Leeds Rhinos continue to be one of the most successful squads in the sport, winning the Challenge Cup three years in a row. Stadiums litter the landscape and each is a huge port of call for advertisers. Specialised marketing jobs will also target the likes of Headingley Stadium, where both Leeds Carnegie rugby union team and Yorkshire County Cricket Club play.

Still, billboards and display advertising continues to stay strong. Given that both the M1 and M62 motorways start and run through Leeds respectively, the sheer amount of road traffic passing through the area means that the urban area could really promote both local and national businesses; key talent is needed in this regard. In addition, the size of the conurbation itself lends itself to postal marketing too, and with the number of shops in the sprawling city centre - not to mention the out-of-town White Rose Centre - retail is always on the look out for new recruits in marketing jobs.

Leeds may not be London, but it's really not far off. A beautiful place with growth potential, it needs talented minds to sustain its push to become the UK's new second city.