Creativity in Public Relations P R I N P R A C T I C E S E R I E S Creativity in Public Relations Fourth Edition Andy Green London and Philadelphia Dedicated to Amanda Marsh, a dear friend; to my mum; and to Judith, Charlotte and Lizzie for putting up with their husband and dad being a pain while writing this book. Publisher’s note Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept responsi- bility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author. First published in Great Britain and the United States in 1999 by Kogan Page Limited Second edition 2001 Third edition 2007 Fourth edition 2010 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accor- dance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses: 120 Pentonville Road 525 South 4th Street, #241 London N1 9JN Philadelphia PA 19147 United Kingdom USA www.koganpage.com © Andy Green, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2010 The right of Andy Green to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN 978 0 7494 5650 4 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Green, Andy, 1958- Creativity in public relations / Andy Green. -- 4th ed. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-7494-5650-4 1. Public relations. 2. Creative thinking. 3. Creative ability in business. I. Title. HD59.G683 2009 659.2--dc22 2009025963 Typeset by Jean Cussons Typesetting, Diss, Norfolk Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt Ltd Contents Foreword x Acknowledgements xii Introduction 1 1. A definition of ‘creativity’ 3 Some possible definitions 4; A time and a place 6; A definition for public relations practitioners 7; Creativity, the nemesis of stupidity 7; Added value 8; The context for creativity 11; Creativity versus innovation 13; Creative thinking versus non-creative thinking 13; Big ‘C’ or little ‘c’? 14; Summary 15; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 15 2. Creativity: some myths debunked 16 The myth of the instant ‘Big Idea’ 16; The myth of left-brain/right-brain theory 21; The myth of ‘lateral thinking equals creativity’ 23; Summary 24; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 24 v Contents 3. How you think in ‘boxes’ 25 Same Box, Smaller Box and Bigger Box thinking, 25; Why there is no such thing as ‘outside-the-box’ thinking 28; Examples of Bigger Box thinking 28; Examples of Smaller Box thinking 29; Being flexible in the different boxes you use 31; Your ‘creative thinking spectacles’ 31; Using ‘creative thinking spectacles’ to progress your creative idea 34; Questions are a creative practitioner’s best friend 34; Summary 35; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 35 4. The creative process 36 The five ‘I’s 36; Information 38; Incubation 43; Illumination 45; Integration 48; Illustration 49; Summary 58; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 59 5. Green Light thinking: creative techniques 60 Suggested techniques for stimulating ideas 61; Creating new angles for your story 73; Structuring for information gathering, idea creation and evaluation of ideas 76; Techniques for encouraging a creative state of mind 81; Summary 84; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 84 6. Green Light thinking: brainstorming 85 General principles 86; A new way ahead: structured brainstorming 89; Nominal Group Technique (NGT) 96; Summary 98; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 98 7. Creativity –the consultation tool 99 Identify different audiences to be consulted 101; Engage hard-to-reach audiences 101; Overcome initial objections 102; Obtain political buy-in from key targets 103; Express and make a statement about your own creativity 103; Generate new ideas and alternatives from those being consulted 105; Obtain valuable market intelligence and insight 105; Create super-advocates for your cause 106; vi Contents Key lessons for successful creative consultation 107; Challenges with consultation 108; Feedback 108; The consultation quandary 109; Overview 109; Summary 109; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 110 8. Red Light thinking: the evaluation of ideas 111 Formal evaluation methods 112; Benjamin Franklin’s ‘prudential algebra’ technique 114; External evaluation 115; You decide 117; Summary 117; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 117 9. Creativity is not just for photocalls 118 Creativity as a strategic tool 118; Creativity as a tactical tool: 24 practical examples 121; Summary 132; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 132 10. Creativity and social media 133 New opportunities and challenges for the creative practitioner 134; The age of pull strategies 135; Telling a good story – in a shared way 138; The end of the stunt as we know it? 139; Using your fan base 139; Don’t be creative with the technology 141; The qualities of the creative social media champion 141; The inevitable brickbats, whatever way you turn 142; New thinking heads required? 143; Summary 144; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 144 11. The creative meme master 145 Is public relations an art? 145; What is a meme? 146; Developing meme-sensitive creative thinking 148; Meme judo 148; Some examples of memes in action 148; The growing significance of understanding memes in communications 152; Creating your next meme: the meme triangle 153; Meme strategies 154; The creative practitioner: a master of memes 155; Summary 156; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 156 vii Contents 12. Obstacles to creativity 157 The nature of the problem 158; Poor Green Light/ Red Light thinking in the creative process 159; Poor management of the creative process 162; Cultural/ socialization problems 162; Overcoming the obstacles 164; Summary 166; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 166 13. You are never more than 12 feet from an opportunity 167 The Millennium Bridge 168; Be principled 171; Believe there are opportunities –prime yourself 172; Try more, little and often 173; See a bigger picture 173; Use every connection 174; Flip the negative 175; Be persistent 175; Do more 175; Overview 176; Summary 176; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 176 14. The ‘creative diamond’ 177 The four Qs 178; The four Qs overview in creativity – getting the balance right 181; The rigid, inflexible mind 181; Summary 183; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 183 15. The creative individual 184 Be uncomfortable 184; Be a pig, a mule and a Zebedee 188; Have a positive anchor and be Robert Davy 190; Overflow your jug 191; Take your hunches to lunch 195; Work, work –and work 196; Be a professor of public relations and parlezPR 196; Is your escalator a stairway? 197; Speak the language of the positive 200; Reach for the stars 203; Break the rules, be happy and have fun 204; Summary 205; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 206 16. Creating a creative culture 207 The ‘Creative Challenge’ 207; Managing creative individuals 209; The characteristics of a creative organization 211; The creative director –to have or have not? 219; Summary 221; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 221 viii Contents 17. The ethics of creativity: lies, damned lies and 222 impropaganda Dealing with ‘impropaganda’ 222; The creative use of ‘impropaganda’ 227; Final thoughts on ‘impropaganda’ 232; Summary 233; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 234 18. The future of creativity 235 The Creative Range 235; The Information stage transformed 236; The Incubation stage transformed 238; The Illumination stage transformed 239; The Integration stage transformed 240; The Illustration stage transformed 242; And finally: greater study of creativity 243; Key words for your creativity vocabulary 243 19. Award ceremony 244 20. Interested in finding out more? 246 Other books by the author 246; Favourite books on creativity and developing your mind’s creative skills 247; Books on creativity in marketing 248; Books on creativity in organizations 248; Books on self-development 249; Biographies and memoirs 249; Neuro Linguistic Programming 249; Internet sites 250; Training courses 250; Organizations 250 Index 251 ix