Following the wonderful news that our ‘Love is in the Aisles’ campaign for Asda won Consumer Campaign of the Year at the CIPR Excellence Awards, Influence asked our Creative Director, Will Holloway, to discuss a little more about what makes an award-winning PR campaign and where he finds his inspiration.
You can check out the full articles – featuring a number of the industry’s leading creative minds – here:
What makes an award-winning PR campaign or agency?
Where do PR professionals find their inspiration? (Member Exclusive)
Award-winning PR professionals share their best career advice (Member Exclusive)
Meanwhile, you can check out a summary of Will’s thoughts below – though don’t tell anyone he’s meant to be in a meeting with…
Influence: It’s been said that no one ever gets their best ideas at a desk – where do you get yours?
Will: Don’t tell anyone but my best ideas come to me while in internal status meetings when I’m definitely not meant to be coming up with ideas. The secret ingredient is (timesheet) crime. For some reason it’s the time when my brain instinctively wants to come up with as many ideas as possible. The trick is to do it at a time when you probably won’t be expected to contribute to the conversation to avoid embarrassment.
Influence: How do you know whether an idea is worth pursuing?
Will: The pretty simple test for me is: does the idea excite me? If it’s a thought that I can’t stop thinking or talking about, then that means it’s probably a good one.
Influence: Writers get ‘writer’s block’ … how do you unblock your creativity?
Will: I think the best way to deal with writer’s block is to accept that it’s inevitable and to embrace it when it does occur. It’s a normal part of the creative process and it happens to all creatives at some stage. If you accept that it’s going to happen then it’s easier to deal with when it does. Rather than feeling crap about it, I just accept that maybe for a few hours I’m not going to be productive and go for a walk, purchase a large pastry and a highly caffeinated beverage and then come back to the brief and start again with an open mind.
Influence: How can PR professionals prove their creativity when businesses are leaning towards AI to find the solutions?
Will: AI can do lots of things very well. What it can’t do well is… weird. Weirdness is a creative’s superpower in the AI age. So, be weird, and lean into the things that only you know that AI can’t comprehend: interesting cultural connections, obscure references and highly specific memes that algorithms can’t know.
Influence: How do you stay resilient when things don’t go to plan?
Will: I think the most important thing when things are going wrong at work is being able to step back a bit and take a break, rather than letting the negativity of the situation engulf you. Taking a bit of time away from your screen is a really good way of putting whatever minor inconvenience is happening into context. Being a parent has made this a lot easier because my toddler has no interest in my work dramas; he just wants biscuits and won’t take no for an answer. Having someone literally dragging you away from your laptop is very helpful in that situation!
Influence: What advice would you give someone at the start of their career in public relations?
Will: Bring your passions and interests to work with you. Your passions are what make you interesting and can be a real asset if you use them to drive your work. The best creatives I’ve ever worked with all have a hobby or passion that they pursued outside of work that helped make their client work better.