Creativity in Public Relations Planning

Public relations and creativity have certain characteristics in common. One is that both have eluded definition since their inceptions. Neither one has a single, authoritative perspective or definition. Research has identified more than 500 different definitions of public relations. As for creativity, the ways in which societies have perceived the concept have changed throughout history, as has the term itself. Despite the ambiguity and multi-dimensional nature of public relations and creativity, the two concepts are inextricably associated and, together, act as a powerful force in influencing human behavior. Another common characteristic of public relations and creativity is that they are mental and social processes involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts. Both are fueled by the process of either conscious or unconscious insight. An alternative characteristic is that both are appreciated for the simple act of making something new or simply spawning something that had not been considered. Intuitively, public relations and creativity would seem to be quite simple phenomena; however, both in fact, are complex and deliver quantifiable but never absolutely predictable outcomes. So how does creativity manifest itself in the practice of public relations? This is such a sweeping question that books could be devoted to answering it. Let’s narrow the focus to the application of creativity in the public relations planning process. Specifically, we can look at creativity as it applies to writing the 10 components of a public relations plan or proposal. Introductory Statement The introductory statement or summary of a plan is the plan developer’s first opportunity to instill in plan reviewers confidence that the developer or the planning team has a solid grasp of the problem, challenge, opportunity or situation as a designer, a skilled agent of making things happen. Did you catch the key word “designer?” To be regarded at the start of a plan with the stature of a designer would be a high compliment to a plan developer because it would recognize the developer as a professional. Such confidence derives from introductory statements written in clear, concise, simple, coherent language. Errors in accuracy, omissions of facts, and abuses of plain English immediately undermine impressions of a plan developer’s competence. It would not be an exaggeration to say that reviewers await plans with high expectations of right brain activity, genius or divine inspiration. Consider the introductory statement a handshake, first impression, connection of mutual respect. The introductory statement should cause a plan reviewer to think with confidence, “I know the task at hand and so do you.” Situation Analysis What role does creativity play in a plan’s situation analysis? The analysis is best presented in story form, right from the beginning, the way a situation has unfolded and led to the need for public relations action. What could be more creative than telling a story? You know what it means to embellish a story. Well, that’s what needs to be done here. Describe the situation in detail and embellish the story with information that provides overall context, with research or recommendations for research that validates what is known or needs to be known, and a thoughtful analysis that provides a foundation for the other components of a plan. In-depth information here signals plan reviewers that you have full understanding of, strong interest in, and unquestionable commitment to the job at hand. Goal What about a plan’s goal? How does creativity figure into developing a goal? At this point you go from analyzing to synthesizing---bringing all the pieces of the situation analysis together into a single, declarative statement. You have investigated. You have thought about the situation from every angle, and now you create a single goal. The study of creative thought underlying this synthesizing process belongs to the domains of psychology and cognitive science. Call it critical thinking, because an error in determining an appropriate goal would invalidate an entire plan or proposal. The goal is the rallying point for every component of a plan and can be assessed, ultimately, by asking, Did we achieve this state of being or condition or not? Focus Public relations plans focus on people. To determine the focal points or target audiences or publics of a plan requires a selection process. However, the process needs to be more than logical selection by association with the problem, opportunity, challenge or situation. The process can be made most effective by thinking intuitively about individuals, groups, and organizations and how they might be related to the subject of a particular plan. Using one’s intuition in this way is a dimension of creativity. To adequately identify and describe a target of a plan requires the ability to place oneself in the positions of others, to see what others see, to feel the way others feel. Empathizing, which is what is being described, is the amazing human maneuver of mentally walking in someone else’s shoes. To plan to influence the behavior of others you must know the subjects from the inside out. Objectives The objectives of a plan describe what must be done with the plan’s target audiences or publics to accomplish the plan’s goal. Another aspect of creativity comes into play in the writing of objectives. Creativity is an "assumptions-breaking process." Creative ideas are often generated when one discards preconceived assumptions and attempts a new approach or method that might even seem unthinkable to others. An objective has three components: 1) an action; 2) receiver of the action; 3) and a desired behavior of the receiver as a result of the action. The first component is one of a plan’s most overlooked places for creativity. Typical of many objectives, the first component so often is an ordinary action, such as To inform, To convince, To provide, To educate. There are, of course, many creative ways to grab people’s attention. Actions could be To surprise, To raise curiosity, To violate expectations, To disrupt a pattern, To create a gap of knowledge, To subvert a traditional schema, To tap into, To present consequences, To simulate, To inspire, To provoke. Think of it this way. What do you have to do to get your target audience to drop its ear buds and pay attention? Strategies and Activities or Tactics The strategy component of a plan is a creative platform. Strategies describe how objectives are to be accomplished; activities or tactics explain how the strategies are to be carried out. There are many different ways to develop strategies. One might be to learn from the successful lessons of others. Another might be to uncover, through research, ideas not thought of by others. Another might be to derive ideas from brainstorming sessions. In public relations, human behavior is influenced by strategic communication. Keep in mind; however, that what influences society’s behavior has evolved over the years. People today are in search of meaning and purpose. To be effective, strategies must be more than a simple nudge from Point A to Point B. Strategies must have meaning to people in order to be influential. So when you are developing strategies, you must describe what must be done to make them influential. If your strategy is to entertain individuals with a dinner party, for example, it is essential to describe how you will make the dinner experience meaningful enough to influence your guests to react according to your strategy. Meaning and purpose are motivators and both can be leveraged with creativity. This discussion of creativity in public relations planning will be in the second edition of my book, Writing Winning Proposals, which currently is "under construction." We can say that creativity is an individual character trait, but can we also say that some individuals can learn to be creative when they are shown where creativity can be applied?