Ketchum's director of strategic & creative planning in New York says public relations is stronger when all of its assets work together. Could this approach lead to more success at the Cannes Lions Festival in 2017?

At the risk of being unduly topical, set against the backdrop of Brexit, it’s clear that we are better together. Stronger when we are unified in our commitment to do great work, grounded in timeless human truth. It’s the alchemical marriage of insight into our target with the creative spark that leads to truly campaign-leading ideas that capture hearts and change minds.
 
So at the end of a frenetic and emotional week where we saw the PR industry lose the majority of its Lions to advertising agencies, there are many lessons, but one was crystal clear. As a profession, we must think bigger, deeper and broader. To fulfill our ambition to deliver and lead the ideas that drive the work, we must unite, or we will fail.
 
Thus, it was with some interest that I approached the session at the Cannes Lions Festival, ‘Planners & Creatives: A Peace Treaty.’ The session sought to settle the eternal battle between the thinkers and the dreamers. To solve the question of why the marriage of the two – something that should be delivering for clients – is often riven by internal conflict and thus fails to summon the magic it should invoke.
 
Research had been conducted, qual for the creatives, quant for the planners. The fascinating takeaway was that the planners wanted an ongoing relationship; a marriage built on communication and back-and-forth dialogue. In stark and somewhat surprising contrast, the creatives wanted nothing more than a great (and brief) insight and to be left to work their magic.
 
A debate ensued, during which assumptions were challenged and scores settled. It was a blood-letting which led to the same conclusion: all sides love the work and the process of creation. The result was a #creativepeacetreaty. A document that enshrined a common set of principles that would lead to lasting harmony and better, bigger thinking. At its core, was the belief that strategy and creative were separate but symbiotic. A relationship of equals, founded on each delivering their thinking, which when in harmony could transform the everyday into the extraordinary.
 
The question remains: Can we learn from this and fight on the same side, united in our conviction that clients deserve better, bigger work? Often times, the tension in PR lies between creative and accounts; throw in strategy and it can be hard for the sides to find common ground. Process is part of the answer, but people are the key.  

As the PR industry continues to evolve, hiring ever more diverse talent, with different skill sets, it’s a timely reminder that we must avoid repeating the mistakes of those who have come before us. Strategy, in the absence of creative, is dull. Creative in the absence of insight, is a lightning strike that is often random and unfocused. Add in account leadership – whose role is to bring the perspective of the client – and the ensuing tangle is a recipe for work that Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer of P&G, called out as ‘crap’ as opposed to ‘craft.’ Not an inspiring proposition.
 
I’m waiting with interest to see the final #creativepeacetreaty published, to help us all enshrine the principle that collaboration is not compromise but connecting the dots to deliver better creative. If we as an industry want to win more accolades next year, we’d do well to remember that we are more powerful when we collaborate. When we allow strategists, creative and account stand together but apart, we weave a narrative that spellbinds not only the client but the consumer too.
 
We can win, but collaboration, not compromise, will be the gate through which we must pass.
 
Here’s to a peaceful – and successful - Cannes 2017.