Think outside the city: why Canberra is a smart move for your marketing career

Marketing is a career that many people love as it’s a chance to work in an environment that provides a combination of creativity, flexibility, impact, and growth.

From new graduates to seasoned professionals, finding a role that ticks all these boxes can seem tricky, particularly if you’re only willing to set your sights on the big cities.

Jobs in Sydney and Melbourne may appear at first glance to be clear cut favourites for a marketing career. After all, they’re busy and vibrant cities – so wouldn’t a marketing gig be the same? Sadly, the reality is that they’re often not. Intense competition, long hours, relatively low wages, and long commutes are enough to make even the most passionate marketing professional question whether it’s all really worth it.

The good news is there are an abundance of options that lay just outside the bright city lights, and they may hold the key to the type of marketing career you have been searching for.

Why Canberra shines for marketing roles

I hear you thinking, “Canberra! Nooo…it’s too quiet. How can I have a big marketing career in a little city?”. But hear me out.

Canberra is often overlooked for its potential to build or grow a marketing career, usually due to assumptions about the city itself rather than the opportunities on offer here.

Don’t believe me? Here are 5 reasons why it’s worth staying in (or moving to) Canberra for your next marketing role:

1. A goldmine of possibilities

With one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, you can be assured that Canberra has no shortage of job opportunities. The competition for organisations to secure quality people is strong, meaning more favourable conditions for employees than they may find elsewhere.

When it comes to the possibilities, they are really only limited by your imagination. If you’re passionate about a social issue – be it the defence of this country, climate change, domestic violence, homelessness, aged care, farming and rural support, or anything else – the public sector offers an array of opportunities, and you really can’t get much bigger than helping to change the lives of fellow Australians at a national level.

Canberra is also home to many non-profits and charities that either operate locally or have national reach in areas such as education, disadvantaged communities, animal welfare, environmental protection, and more.

In addition, there are plenty of consulting firms with marketing divisions, a burgeoning tourism sector, top-rated universities, and lots of industry peak bodies to choose from.

If an agency environment is more your style, you’ll find everything from smaller creative studios to established award-winning firms in Canberra that have delivered outstanding work for high profile global brands.

2. Big campaigns, big reach

Depending on the type of marketing role you go for, you could be working on massive campaigns that span all forms of media and seek to reach a huge portion of the Australian population.

It’s not just fast food brands and tech companies that design and produce marketing content for social media, radio, television, and outdoor billboards. In fact, some of the biggest campaigns in the country are public awareness initiatives that originate in Canberra.

If more local marketing is what you’re after, it’s worth keeping in mind that Canberra’s connected community offers a unique advantage when you are trying to create impactful campaigns for fundraising initiatives, local businesses, events, and more. 

3. Rich rewards

Canberra consistently ranks well above the rest of Australia in terms of average weekly income, and you’ll often find that roles here offer substantially more than comparable roles elsewhere.  

The public sector is renowned for its attractive renumeration, superannuation, leave benefits, and job flexibility. Because they need to compete for talent, private companies in Canberra also typically offer salary packages beyond what you will find in other states.

4. Speedy travel times

Forget hour-long train rides or sitting in stand still traffic every day, the clever and purposeful layout of Canberra ensures that almost anywhere you go takes no more than 30 minutes, and the bus and light rail network can sometimes get you there even faster.

Most roles also provide the option to work from home for part of the week, and for the rest you can have confidence that you’re never too far from the office which means more time in the evening to enjoy life.  

5. Peaceful surroundings

If you love nature, or even just fresh air, you really can’t get much better than Canberra. It’s easy to duck out for lunch and find a peaceful spot with a scenic outlook – be it beautiful mountains, tree-lined streets, or Lake Burley Griffin.  

The soothing surroundings often come up as an unexpected but very welcome advantage of living in Canberra, as people who move here for work quickly discover.

There’s no place quite like Canberra that combines such an abundance of opportunity with idyllic scenery and a friendly community.

Final thoughts

If you have not considered Canberra as a choice for the next step in your marketing career, at least give it a thought. It could be the best career and lifestyle decision you ever make!