Creativity in PR - Global Study 2015 / The Holmes Report

Creativity in pR
Global Study 2015
In association with H+K Strategies
Co-authored by Now Go Create
#CreativityInPR

holmesreport.com/focus/creativity | 2#CreativityInPR
agency and in-house, and from a
range of industries and sectors.
They answered a variety of
questions during the three months
the study ran during the summer
of 2015, encompassing attitudes
towards creativity; tools and skills;
opportunities and challenges;
and suggestions and advice.
We are very glad to bring you the
fourth edition of this landmark
study, particularly after the
remarkable support the first
three editions have received.
As always, we appreciate your
time, thoughts and feedback.
The fourth edition of the
Creativity in PR study
again provides the most
in-depth examination
of how creativity is
transforming the public
relations world.
Even as persistent
overuse and empty application
conspire to rob it of all meaning,
the transformative impact of
genuine business creativity has
never been more important. It is
the difference between cutting
edge campaigns and humdrum
marketing, between genuine
innovation and copycat mediocrity.
In short, it is the not-so-secret
ingredient behind every great public
relations and marketing initiative.
Three years ago the Holmes
Report and Now Go Create
set out to explore whether the
public relations industry is truly
creative enough to meet the
demands of the 21st century. Our
findings have demonstrated a
significant gap between rhetoric
and reality, between an industry
that often talks about creativity,
but has found it more difficult
to ensure that it is paying more
than lip service to the notion.
Encouragingly, this year’s Report —
conducted in conjunction with H+K
Strategies — suggests that things
are changing fast. In particular,
the Report indicates that creativity
is becoming viewed as a central
element in organisational culture,
rather than being viewed solely
in terms of creative output. More
resources are being devoted to
creativity. Creative confidence is
high. And clients are more likely
than ever to approach PR agencies
for big brand-building ideas.
Yet it would be remiss of us to
suggest that everything is rosy
in the garden of PR creativity.
Concerns still linger. Techniques for
generating and evaluating creative
ideas remain a work in progress
and, perhaps most importantly, the
creative talent challenge continues
to rank as the thorniest of all.
This Report polled 500 people
from more than 35 countries
across the world, helping us once
again uncover some fascinating
findings about the state of creativity
in PR. Respondents came from
introductionCreativity in PR | A Global Study
Arun Sudhaman
Partner and Editor-in-Chief

an increasingly relevant question
– if nothing else one you have
to answer if you want to hire or
target Millennials, who care about
this alongside getting a salary.
In terms of practice and processes
there seems to be a divide opening
up between those agencies who
genuinely are fostering creativity
and those who want to, or say
they do, but still need to get the
basic processes right. Crappy
group brainstorms and lack of
strategic thinking and planning
are still going on in a lot of
businesses (big and small).
I’m interested in exploring whether
women are being represented
as part of the rise of the Creative
Director in PR agencies, and
whilst we touched on this
subject in the study this year it’s
a topic we’ll be getting stuck
into in the next few months.
introductionCreativity in PR | A Global Study
A lot has changed
since we started the
study four years ago,
and a lot is still the
same. More resources
are being devoted to
creativity, with plenty
of businesses not
just talking about it
but training staff and paying
attention to developing a create
culture. Creative leadership
is on top team agendas and
creative confidence is high.
But there are still key areas
lacking rigour (like evaluating
ideas) and HR is seemingly
not really connected to
driving creative practices.
Measures around rewarding
creativity and talent, interview
practices and promotion
opportunities are actually
down on previous years.
In terms of the work – tapping
into culture and social good are
two key trends that are going to
continue. How to use creativity
to make something that matters
beyond profit is continuing to
gain traction – what Unilever’s
Keith Weed calls “connecting
purchase with purpose”. Many
of the people doing the best
work are taking this heart (and
taking awards home to boot).
The current Christmas campaigns
for John Lewis, Pret a Manger
and Sainsbury’s show that brands
can make a real contribution to
improving lives, whilst working to
enhance their own reputations
and delivering profit. Dove’s work
shows that it doesn’t always
have to be about the brand
saving the world, just making it
better. When I first started in PR
twenty years ago these would
have been CSR campaigns that
ran alongside the brand activity,
now they are the brand activity.
The agencies doing brilliantly well
creatively well right now have
their own purpose and reason for
existence and clients respond to
that. In ad-land it’s the rockstar-
creatives at Droga 5 who say
they’re ‘creatively-led and humanity
obsessed’ and closer to home Unity
PR have won 43 industry awards in
2015 alone. They say they exist ‘to
increase human happiness’. What
do you exist for? I think this will be
Claire Bridges
Founder, Creative Consultancy, Now Go Create

contentsCreativity in PR | A Global Study
Business Value
05
Ideas & Quality
13
Barriers
19
Drivers &
Influences
21
Talent
24

Business valueBusiness places a premium
on creativity in PR…
This year’s study provides compelling
evidence of the premium that
businesses now place on creativity
when they perceive PR value.
In-house respondents were asked how
important creativity is to their decisions to
hire and retain an agency. Almost two in five
(39%) rated it ‘fundamental’ at 10 out of 10,
compared to 21% last year, while 45% scored
it at nine or more compared to 43% last year.
10.1 %
<5 6 7 8 9 10
12.4 % 13.5 % 19.1 % 5.6 % 39.3 %
2014
If you are in-house, how important is creativity in
your decision to hire & retain an agency? 10 being
fundamental and 1 being unimportant

Business value…and clients are increasingly turning to PR firms for creative ideas
Despite the obvious importance of creativity,
PR firms continue to underwhelm when clients
actually rate their creative capabilities. Just 14%
are consistently happy with PR agency creativity.
Almost half (49%) are sporadically satisfied, while
more than a quarter (29%, the same as last
year), believe it is a constant challenge. There is
some good news though: only 7% of clients are
not happy with their firm’s creativity capabilities,
a major decrease on last year’s 32%.
Also encouraging, 73% of clients are more
likely to approach their PR agencies for
big creative ideas today than they were 12
months ago, compared to 43% last year,
suggesting that PR firms are starting to ‘walk
the walk’ when it comes to creative delivery.
Yes, consistently
Yes, sporadically
No, it’s a constant challenge
Not at all
14.2 %
49.3 %
29.3 %
7.3 %
2014
If you work with an agency, how happy are you
with the creative capabilities of your agency?
Yes
No
26.9%
73.1%
Compared with 12 months ago, are you more or
less likely to approach your PR agency for big
creative ideas?

Business valuePR vs the world
Respondents were asked to rank the creative
quality of their various agencies, with PR firms
again ranking close behind advertising and
digital agencies, but ahead of experiential,
content and media agencies. The results
suggest that the creative gap between the PR
world and adland may not be quite as big as
people sometimes think, although it should
be noted that the survey was undertaken by
more comms directors than senior marketers.
2. Digital Agency (4.4)
7. Other type of agency (3.2)
1. Advertising Agency (4.5)
4. Experimental Agency (4.1)
3. PR Agency (4.3)
5. Content Agency (4.0)
6. media agency (3.5)
If you are a client, please rank the creative quality
of your various agencies. (1 is highest, 7 is lowest)

Business valuePR vs the world
Respondents were also asked to compare
the quality of creativity in the PR industry with
other disciplines. Among agency respondents,
more than 60% describe it as worse than
advertising agencies, although they are more
circumspect when it comes to comparing it
with digital, experiential and content agencies.
Interestingly, clients appear more bullish than
agencies when it comes to benchmarking PR
creativity versus other disciplines. More than
30% think it’s better than advertising agencies,
with similarly positive results also recorded
against digital, media, experiential and content
agencies. The results suggest that agency
folk might be a little too self-critical about their
creative capabilities vs other types of agencies.
Slightly worse than Advertising agencies (41.0 %)
Slightly worse than Digital agencies (31.1 %)
The same as Experiential agencies (34.3 %)
The same as Content agencies (44.1 %)
Slightly better than Media agencies (32.4 %)
How would you describe the quality of creativity of
the PR industry compared to...? (Agency)
Slightly worse than Advertising agencies (42.9 %)
The same as Digital agencies (31.5 %)
The same as Experiential agencies (36.6 %)
The same as Content agencies (46.5 %)
Slightly better than Media agencies (33.5 %)
How would you describe the quality of creativity of
the PR industry compared to...? (In-house)

Business valueRoom for improvement
There is considerable flux where client demand
for creativity is concerned, across numerous
areas such as content (19%), integrated
ideas (17%), insight/planning (16%), and
storytelling (15%). Last year’s results revealed
a concentration on content and integration,
suggesting that clients are now looking for
creativity from their PR firms in many more
areas. The onus, accordingly, is on PR firms to
up their game across a range of skills, such as
those listed above but also including creative
personnel, media relations and experiential.
“The balance of the results seems right and
reflects my own belief that creativity is im-
portant to every part of the process; from
conceiving the ideas to creating beautifully
crafted content. I think of it as ‘applied cre-
ativity’, in that creativity does not sit with a
single person or in a single department but is
part of our culture and the way we work.” ClairE
Holden, creative director, publishing, H+K London.

Business valueRising demands
A new question this year asked agencies
whether clients are demanding greater levels of
creativity from them. Unsurprisingly, perhaps,
70% agree with this statement. Drilling down
into their responses, it appears that these
demands are clear across the board, with many
of those polled noting that consumer brands
typically place the highest priority on creativity.
“What client wouldn’t want more creative
ideas? There are great case studies that show
that more creative ideas are more effective;
the Volvo Trucks ‘Epic Split’ campaign win-
ning the Grand Prix for Effectiveness at the
Cannes Lions evidences what brave creative
campaigns can do even in the most unlike-
ly categories. I think clients have always demand-
ed creativity; we have to become much better at
is showing how our ideas are going to be effective
and the data and insights that support to them.
We will then be able to realize this demand.”
Simon Shaw, Chief Creative Officer, H+K
Center of Creative Strategy.
70.2%
Yes
No
19.4%
Agencies: are clients demanding greater levels of
creativity from you?

Business valuePriority
Good news for clients – almost two thirds
of agencies acknowledge that you want
and expect creativity. 20% of agencies
say their clients consider innovation to be
fundamental, while a further 44% think it is
a high client priority. Less than 5% said they
thought clients felt it was unimportant.
“We agree. Creativity is fundamental to our
agency not just in terms of our clients business
but also in terms of an ever-evolving culture.
By developing the culture of a creative move-
ment within our agency we are attracting new
and different talent to our business which in
turn is feeding the culture and changing the
type of work we are producing for our clients.”
Richard Millar, Global Chair, H+K Center of Creative Strategy.
Fundamental High Average Low
19.7 % 44.1 % 26.3 % 4.1 %
Agencies: how high a priority is creativity for
your clients?

Business valueGetting paid
This year’s survey again addresses one
of the fundamental issues that affects
creativity. How exactly should agencies be
reimbursed for their ideas? This question was
put to both clients and agency people.
Interestingly, both agencies and clients
select ‘set fees for ideas’ as their top
choice, suggesting that a more innovative
approach to funding would help encourage
idea development and overall creativity.
Agencies, however, continue to favour billable
hours (34%) far more than clients (9%).
The latter group prefer ‘sales results tied
to ideas’ (28%). Interestingly, there is not a
huge appetite for IP/licensing of ideas.
34.3 %
9.4 %
38.6 %
37.5 %
13.4 %
15.6 %
7.9 %
28.1 %
In-houseagency
Billiable Hours
Set Fees for Ideas
Intellectual property & licensing of ideas
Sales results tied to ideas
In terms of developing ideas would you prefer to
pay or be paid according to:

ideas & qualityConfidence
An encouraging set of results, with two-
thirds of respondents having no qualms
about blowing their own creative trumpet
at work. Of these an impressive 14% think
their creativity is ‘inspirational’ while 52%
describe it as ‘good’. Not a single respondent
chose ‘non existent’ as an option.
“I would argue that this not only shows how se-
riously people now take creativity and how they
set about trying to get great results, but how
much confidence is on the rise, too. In a similar-
ly-worded question last year, only 6.5% of peo-
ple thought creativity in PR was ‘inspirational’.”
CLAIRE BRIDGES, FOUNDER, NOW GO CREATE.
Good
Ordinary
Inspirational
Unsatisfactory
Poor
52.4 %
25.1 %
14.0 %
5.4 %
3.2 %
How would you rate the quality of creative thinking
and personnel within your business?

ideas & qualityTop priority
People in PR consider creativity a top priority.
88% of respondents say that it is either
fundamental to what they do or a high priority.
A mere 2.5% don’t see it as a priority at all.
“Proof, if any were needed, that people
who work within PR want, need and expect
a daily workload that challenges them at a
creative level. Interesting that the majority
of respondents this year work in corporate
rather than consumer PR and the response
to this question is still this high. That speaks
volumes about how the industry is embrac-
ing creativity regardless of the challenge..”
CLAIRE BRIDGES, FOUNDER, NOW GO CREATE.
“Great creativity is no longer a nice to have, but it is a
must-have. The challenge for PR agencies is how to
get it. Some agencies may decide to build it. Others
will need to think in new ways how to get it. The old
question that’s always asked — did the PR agency
develop the creative? -- no longer matters. What
matters more is what kind of value does the work
deliver for the client. The great agencies of the future
will create new structures that enable the combination
of great creative resources with other more PR-spe-
cific skills to deliver great work.” SURVEY RESPONDENT.
Fundamental High Average Low
43.5 % 44.1 % 9.8 % 2.5 %
2014
How high a priority is creativity for you in your
current business?

ideas & qualityQuality
The survey finds a modest increase in
terms of the industry’s creative quality.
50% describe it as ‘good’ or ‘inspirational’,
compared to 47% last year.
Clients continue to rate creative quality
at a lower level than their agency
brethren. Just 38% describe it as
inspirational or good, with more than
60% seeing it as ordinary or worse.
“Our experience is that if we create bigger,
more compelling ideas built on solid audience
insights and informed by data our clients are
more engaged than they have ever been. The
ability to buy (or sell) great creative ideas is
sometimes curtailed by existing client agen-
cy relationships or commitments to existing
campaigns and this can be especially true for con-
sumer facing clients. We are seeing great success in
our ability to realize truly creative ideas with our B2B
clients. In the next few years you are going to see many
more award winning creative ideas in that space; ideas
that are not just creative for a PR agency but ideas
that are leading the whole communications industry.”
Richard Millar, Global Chair, H+K Center of Creative Strategy
How would you describe the quality of creativity in
the PR industry?
In-houseagency
non-existent
Poor
Good
Ordinary
Unsatisfactory
9.4 %
0 %
3.1 %
34.4 %
50.0 %
3.1 %
2.8 %
0.4 %
7.1 %
44.1 %
34.6 %
9.8 % Unsatisfactory
Inspirational

ideas & qualityTrending upwards
There is clear evidence that the PR industry is
moving in the right direction where creativity
is concerned. Almost two-thirds of agencies
(62.9%) think that the quality of creativity
in PR campaigns has improved over the
past year, compared to 49% last year.
Encouragingly, clients also agree that creative
quality is improving in PR campaigns. 56% agree
with that statement, a clear increase on last year.
No
37.1 %
43.8 %
Yes
62.9 %
56.3 %
In-houseagency2014
Over the past 12 months, do you feel the quality of
creativity in PR campaigns has improved?

ideas & qualityContinuous reinvention
At the 2015 Cannes Lions Festival, WPP
CEO Sir Martin Sorrell told us that he believes
in ‘continuous reinvention’. But do our
respondents believe that the PR industry can
deliver and lead creativity across key areas?
The results on this score are broadly positive.
56% think the PR industry will hire and train a
more diverse creative workforce, and around the
same believe it will deliver in terms of innovation.
Slightly lower percentages think that the PR
industry will deliver in terms of creative leadership
(49%) and their agency business models (43%).
Breaking down the results, it becomes apparent
that clients are more bullish on certain areas.
Two-thirds think that the PR industry will deliver
in terms of innovation, versus 58% of agency
respondents. Clients also hold a more positive
view of the PR industry’s prospects regarding
creative talent and leadership, but are more
negative on the agency business model (34%).
“We have to continually evolve. Everything is
changing in our world and our client’s world and
we have to avoid the ‘being fat, lazy and happy’
trap. This trap represents safety, not only corpo-
rate safety but in some cases personal safety;
a safety that paralyses our ability to change.
We have to make change part of our culture.
Without that, we will simply be obsolete.”
Richard Millar, Global Chair,
H+K Center of Creative Strategy
yes
(55.9 %)
yes
(58.4%)
yes
(42.5%)
yes
(48.9%)
no
(33.3%)
no
(38.7%)
no
(31.4%)
no
(31.1%)
don’t know
(13.0%)
don’t know
(10.2%)
don’t know
(18.7%)
don’t know
(17.8%)
Innovation
Agency business model
Leadership
Talent - hiring, training, diversity of workforce for creativity
Do you think that the PR industry is set fair to deliver and lead creativity
in the next 5 years, in terms of?

ideas & qualityTrending upwards
Respondents were also asked how their
business has changed in terms of creativity
since this survey began three years. Around half
(51%) noted it is more of a priority, with 47% of
agencies also stating that clients expect more in
terms of creativity. On the client side, 34% point
to a better understanding of how to use data
and insight, but 38% say nothing has changed. (53.5 %)
(47.2%)
(38.6 %)
(17.7 %)
(20.9 %)
(18.1 %)
(15.0 %)
(28.1 %)
(12.5%)
(34.4 %)
(35.7 %)
(3.1 %)
(0 %)
(6.3 %)
In-houseagency
It is more of a priority
clients expect more in terms of creativity
We understand how to better use data and insight
Nothing has changed
We have had training in how to generate creative ideas
We have appointed a Creative Director
We have applied a clear process
What, if anything, has changed in your business
in terms of creativity since this survey
began 3 years ago?

barriers
Several new options on the list found some
backers: ‘lack of bravery’ (14%) and ‘lack
of process or skills’ (12%). Interestingly, this
time only 2% blamed the economy for their
lack of creativity (it was 6% in 2014). But the
number one barrier to being creative by a
country mile is ‘lack of budget’ (58%). Last
year the top answer was ‘client feedback or
risk aversion’, which came second this year
with 51%. Do clients need to dig deeper
– or do PRs need to think differently?
“Confidence is high. It’s those niggling prob-
lems of second-guessing the clients and,
perhaps, their play-it-safe attitudes – as well
as omnipresent budgetary constraints – that
most rankle. Clients might be less risk-averse
if the ideas were tested more. The PR indus-
try could learn a lot from the world of design
thinking and lean start-ups – prototyping, iterating
and developing ideas rather than budget all-in
or nothing.” CLAIRE BRIDGES, FOUNDER, NOW GO CREATE.

Top answer once again, ‘improve use of insight’
pulls in 40% – up from 33% last year. Almost
as important is ‘ability to take more risks’ (38%
– up from 31%). ‘More budget’ and ‘educate
clients’ equal third place on 30% Clearer client
briefs is the 4th most important factor with 25%.
“Creativity has always been a key element in an agency’s
offering. Too often the clients just doesn’t know what
they really want in terms of creativity – it’s sort of, ‘I’m
not sure what creativity is on this project, but I’ll know
it when I see it.’ Hard to zero in with that type of brief!”
“Creativity is a learnt muscle – we have to exercise it.”
“Clients need to give PR agencies a fair seat at the
table. They claim to be idea agnostic – that they will
take the best ideas wherever they come from. In
reality, they assign the Ad agencies as lead and the
great ideas from PR rarely see the light of day.”
“Creativity is the topic that keeps me awake at night!”
“We spend countless hours in this industry na-
vel-gazing and working out how we can get better
at doing concepts. We completely ignore the fact
that 99% of producing good work is the knowl-
edge and craftsmanship that comes with exe-
cuting something.” SURVEY RESPONDENTS 2015
barriers

drivers & influences
As with each of our polls to date, the
trend that knows no sign of wavering
is ‘storytelling’ (84%) with ‘social good’
(49%) and ‘brand transparency’ (53%)
continuing to inform PR campaigns.
‘Real-time marketing’ makes a strong
appearance this year (29%) – along with
‘culture’ popular with 31% - the first time we’ve
included both as options. ‘Co-creation’ (32%)
and visual/image-led communication
(52%) also continue to drive work.
Technology has certainly played its part
in the development of PR over the past
few years – though that clearly isn’t to say
that ‘wearable tech’ (8%) or advances in
‘3D tech’ (5%) are shaping the everyday
life of PR practitioners (yet?).
“For us, the ability to be great visual storytell-
ers has never been more important. The brain
processes images 60,000 times faster than
text. We all know the power of an iconic news
photo to entice you in; visual storytelling for
brands works in that same way. It enables us
to cut through the content fog and engage our
audiences in faster, more emotional ways.”
Candace Kuss, Director of Social Strategy,
H+K Strategies, London.

drivers & influencesCreativity is...
When asked which factors drive great creative
work, respondents again ranked ‘great
storytelling’ first (71%), but down on last
year (78%). Insight/planning as a creative
driver (57%) is also down, while emotional
resonance again ranks third (47%), followed
by content creation (38%). There is a notable
increase for purpose (21%) and results (14%)
“For us everything has to start with the cli-
ent’s purpose – it is the primary driver for us
to create ideas that build the client’s brand,
not just create spikes of awareness. We would
always rank insights (plus data) at the top of the
list of drivers from that point on to ensure that
our ideas are resonant and relevant for today.
Using the right insights will make the work a balance
of the rational and emotional. Content and storytell-
ing then become the way we bring the ideas to life.”
Simon Shaw, Chief Creative Officer, H+K

drivers & influencesAssessment
‘Risk-assessment’ (11%) is down
from 17% last year; down too are
‘SWOT’ (22.2% compared to 32%
last year) and most other methods.
In fact, ‘we don’t use any particular
process’ is the only big change in
the other direction – up to 35%
this year from 25% in 2014. 43%
are using personal experience to
assess ideas. Is this the sign of
a more confident industry less
obsessed about analysing creativity
and just getting on with it?
“The balance of risk sits with
the client – it’s their budget,
reputation and potentially job
on the line if money spent
doesn’t translate into results.
So it’s unsurprising that if
there’s no critical assessment
of the idea it won’t fly.” CLAIRE
BRIDGES, FOUNDER, NOW GO CREATE
“Data + insights then more
data + insights… this ensures
that ideas are built on a sol-
id foundation… only then can
we build the idea and ask is it
beautiful, does it delight you…
and does it make you smile.”
Simon Shaw, Chief Creative Officer,
H+K Center of Creative Strategy.

“Agencies have to stop paying lip ser-
vice to the subject. For real change,
organisational structure, new talent
and new ways of working have to be
introduced at an institutional level for
winds of change to set in. Hiring one
person and expecting miracles seems
to be the mantra of even the more
forward-looking firms. The entire value
chain has to be realigned to incor-
porate creative thinking and execu-
tion, which includes as your survey
points out the journey from recruit-
ment, to reward and recognition.”
“Our CD’s role is to a) improve the
creative process and thinking within
the agency, b) make it fundamen-
tal to the pitch and new biz process,
c) look for organic growth oppor-
tunities with current clients, d) look
for the new, the next, the shiny.”
“The CD is there to insist on insights, set
the bar and the tone, provide oversight,
and occasionally create the central
idea.”
“The role of our CD is not really clear
– creative resource to tap into?”
“The CD is there to make it pret-
ty.” SURVEY RESPONDENTS 2015
Recognising the importance of
a CD, 39% of respondents say
they have one. That’s almost no
change from last year – slightly
down from 42%. Just like last
year, 22% of companies either
want a CD but can’t afford it
or they are considering it.
“There’s a schism here – 39%
in both camps as to whether a
CD is needed. I notice a shift
in thinking about the role of the
CD and whether one person can
truly be held responsible for the
creative output of a business. It’s
more a question of creative leadership,
which comes from the whole leader-
ship team or board in terms of whether
creativity is genuinely important. This
leads to a culture where creativity is
fostered and nurtured and a CD is part
of that but not the sole answer. Too
often in PR agencies the CDs I speak
to are lumbered with managing every
new business pitch, every difficult client
issue and day-to-day client responsi-
bilities with the role as creative leader
frequently sidelined. But when the CD is
given the room to breathe they need it
can be transformational to a business.”
CLAIRE BRIDGES, FOUNDER, NOW GO CREATE
talent & investmentCreative director
Yes (39.4 %)
no, not necessary, it’s part of everyone’s job (38.7 %)
no, but we’re considering it (12.4 %)
we’d like to but we can’t afford it (9.5 %)
2014
Do you have a Creative Director?

25% of creative directors in PR are female
according to the Creativity in PR study. This
is considerably higher than the proportion
recorded in the advertising industry, but
must still be a cause for concern.
“We haven’t asked this question before and
with only 124 people responding, the sub-
ject definitely needs more digging and re-
search. We asked it because although there
are clearly increased creative resources in
agencies, we wanted to see whether the
PR industry is putting more women in cre-
ative roles than our ad-land counterparts. A first
assessment of the top UK agencies CDs would
suggest not. The 3% conference and movement
was set up to champion female creatives in ad-
vertising due to the appallingly low representation
of women.” CLAIRE BRIDGES, FOUNDER, NOW GO CREATE
talent & investmentCreative director
75%
male
female
25%
Is your creative director male or female?

A broadly similar set of results to last year,
though ‘specific interview questions’ (33%) and
‘specific interview tests’ (15%) are both slightly
down. The main way to land a new job remains
having a proven track record: 41.9% say that
your ‘previous work’ counts for a lot, while a
‘recommendation’ (35.9%) goes a long way, too.
“By seeking out and selecting only those
who show the highest levels of curi-
osity in the world around them”
Richard Millar, Global Chair, H+K
talent & investmentRecruitment

The results this year show a workforce being
rewarded less and less for their creativity. Across
the board the numbers are down: ‘internal
awards’ has fallen to 30% from 43%; ‘annual
performance review’ has dropped to 46%
from 53%; even ‘promotion opportunities’ is
down, too (21% compared to 33% last year).
“The only response on the rise this year was
‘we don’t reward for behaviour’, which jumped
from 26% to 33.3%. This, and the other an-
swers, perhaps point to the rising expectation
levels in the industry when it comes to cre-
ativity. Like arriving for work on time and not
insulting the boss, creativity is being woven
into the very fabric of what we do and rewards for it
are falling. People who enjoy being creative do it in
large part for intrinsic motivation – because they like
it for its own sake - which is lucky for their employers
who don’t seem to want to reward it. However this
result and the recruitment results demonstrate to me
a major disconnect between HR practices and crea-
tivity. Who wants to leave something so fundamental
down to luck?” CLAIRE BRIDGES, FOUNDER, NOW GO CREATE
“We don’t (reward it) because it is expected.
If anything, the reward comes when the cli-
ent gives feedback. A good practitioner loves
good feedback.” SURVEY RESPONDENTS 2015
talent & investmentRewards

Creativity in PR - Global Study 2015 / The Holmes Report

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

Destacado

Destacado (17)

Más de PRORP México

Más de PRORP México (20)

Último

Último (20)

Creativity in PR - Global Study 2015 / The Holmes Report