We hear a lot of people talk about creativity – “we need to be more creative”, “how do build creativity into our everyday approach”, “let’s think of a creative solution”. What is less frequently discussed is how creativity can deliver value to clients and their business.
The best ideas are often not the ones which are the most left-field, flamboyant or the outrageous. While ideas which are a bit quirky or different can hit the mark, the most important filter for ideas has to be whether it helps a client achieve their objectives.
Is the struggle with the awareness of a brand? In that case, a PR stunt or high profile event may well be the best approach.
Are you having difficultly gaining traction in strategic discussions? Perhaps a comprehensive thought leadership campaign is the right creative solution.
There is no clear benefit in creativity for creativity’s sake. You can spend money building a slide in your office, buying bean bags and painting rooms different colours, but what is the result of this activity? In the PR industry, it must be that we can generate ideas which help clients achieve outcomes.
So, take a few minutes to have a long hard think about what you do to ‘think outside the square’ – while remaining strategic and relevant. Below is the creative process we use:
- Evaluate the situation. Often the problem you think you have is not the real issue you are trying to solve. So clearly define and examine the issue or challenge at hand
- Clearly define the outcome required. What does success look like?
- Develop your creative idea. Often ideas flow better with some creative stimulus. We use a creative box loaded full of random items for ideas generation. Others like a change of environment so go for a ‘walking meeting/brainstorm’. Others get their ideas from research (hello Google)
- Test and refine the idea. Actively discuss your ideas with other people to expand or further develop it
- Check your idea against the challenge outlined in point 1 & 2
What creative process works for you? Where do you get your best ideas from?
