How To Brainstorm a Marketing or PR Solution

Generating Bright Ideas, Creativity and Innovation From a Group

Jul 4, 2009

Creative business communications should drive ideas for strategic communication and marketing by driving brainstorming meetings where the brightest ideas hatch and grow.

A PR executive can be the catalyst for much-needed creativity in organizations. This creativity gap is illustrated in a study by NFI research when senior executives were asked “Where do you do your thinking?” Respondents could choose more than one option and said:

Half of those executives feel that their workplaces are not places where they can think. However, PR executives play a large role in creating meetings where creative and innovating thinking are unleashed and flourish.

Marketing, PR Solutions as Bright Ideas Through Brainstorming

PR professionals set the stage for meetings, conversations and bright ideas by using brainstorming sessions as a communications strategy for public relations and marketing solutions.

For example, visual brainstorming uses objects as tools for teams to solve problems. Colored construction paper, string, pens, and tape move a brainstorming beyond a session of people just shouting out ideas or recording thoughts on sticky notes or flipcharts.

Instead, a public relations executive from a manufacturing company, for example, could use a visual brainstorming activity by first framing a creative challenge such as “what features might we add to our product?”

Creativity and Innovation Unleash Using Visual Tools During Brainstorming

In this example, bring together about a dozen people from across the organization. Provide the group with a large pile of Lego building bricks as a visual tool and ask them to build the product with the new features imagined. Allow smaller groups to form and request that talking be kept to a minimum to encourage creative expression through Lego-building.

Each participant should be encouraged to stretch his or her thinking and criticism discouraged. The building process, when minds are unleashed and creativity is bursting in the group, is critical.

When the building is complete, ask the group or groups to explain the ideas. Each group should describe the features and logic. All of these ideas can then be compiled by the communications professional or executive for consideration by the company’s leaders.

Or, use visual brainstorming to improve processes, services and activities. Use dolls or figures, building blocks and lollipop sticks to imagine work flow or customers accessing service elements of the organization.

PR Executives Build a Communications Strategy From Bright Ideas, Creativity

To visually brainstorm ideas to improve internal communication, building blocks could represent divisions or natural work groups or communications tools and string can show the flow of information. Participants can be encouraged to use these visual tools to build the best internal communications program imaginable.

A clear advantage to visual brainstorming is the democracy of the process. Individual participation is highly encouraged, and the focus is on the task of building or creating to express ideas. This type of visual session injects fun into the workplace and the format is not conducive to criticism as is a traditional, verbal brainstorming meeting.

Another approach to brainstorming is to pose thought-provoking questions. After identifying the central problem, perhaps surrounding the need to improve employee communications, ask the group to record responses to three questions:

Give the group 10 minutes to brainstorm. Provide two final minutes for each group to think of one giant solution that considers responses to the three questions. This brainstorming exercise often results in solutions focused on the human element of an organization’s services or products.

Public relations professionals can play a large role in unleashing the power of bright ideas, creativity and innovation in workplaces. With good brainstorming skills, professionals can use these ideas to develop highly effective communications strategies.

The copyright of the article How To Brainstorm a Marketing or PR Solution in Marketing Plans is owned by Shelley Aylesworth-Spink. Permission to republish How To Brainstorm a Marketing or PR Solution in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.