Last year, we mapped the global PR industry for the first time, producing an interactive map that that plotted where major PR agency offices are located around the world. We've updated that effort based on our 2012 Global Rankings, to produce a new interactive industry map. I've included a screenshot below; to get the full interactive effect, including specific city lists, you should click through to the dedicated Global Agency Rankings microsite.

The dots on the map represent the cities in which our Top 250 Agencies are located. (It also includes affiliates, which explains the string of dots across Africa and Latin America.) The size of those dots correlate to the number of offices within a given city. Major cities - those that include more than 30 of the Top 250 firms - are highlighted and can be clicked to reveal which firms are based there (listed according to their Top 250 ranking). Last year seven cities – London, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore – qualified for 'major city' status, with London taking top spot. This year, remarkably, a further six cities make the cut — Beijng, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Los Angeles, Munich. This probably reflects two things. First, we've had more new submissions from firms in those cities and, second, geographic industry expansion is no longer limited to the big networks, but is as much a priority for midsize and smaller players. So, which city comes out on top? It's still London, growing from 80 to 92 agencies, but New York has narrowed the gap by posting 90 firms, compared to 76 in 2011. If anything, perhaps this map reveals that the whole idea of a 'PR capital of the world' is becoming redundant as different cities emerge as viable industry hubs. NOTE:  These are based on our 2012 rankings, which are in turn based on results from 2011. We are currently processing the 2013 rankings and will update this map once the new report is released.