5 ways to foster creativity in your PR and marketing team

If you look at the majority of job specs for roles in PR and marketing, you’ll see creativity listed as one of the desired character traits. And that’s no surprise – creativity wins pitches, it gives you the edge over the competition, it wins awards and it can make all the difference between an average campaign and a viral one.

While some naturally possess a more creative flair, creativity is a mindset above everything else and in my experience it is something you can instill in your team. Here’s how:

Encourage your team to read case studies, to follow smart and creative people on social media and to read the newspapers daily and share best practice with each other. The Cannes Lions Awards website is a great resource that offers a whole host of great content from previous winners.

Often the best ideas are not just plucked from mid-air. They are based on a pre-existing campaign that can be adapted to a different sector or market.

Curiosity breeds creativity. Encourage your team to always ask what could make a campaign better and examine things from difference perspectives. American inventor Henry Ford once said, “If I had asked them what they wanted; they would have said faster horses.” His curiosity about other modes of transportation made him one of the world’s most famous inventors.