Creativity in PR consultancies: Perception and management

•Creativity is valued in PR consultancies but some unhelpful prejudices still exist.•Creativity is considered a PR professional skill.•The figure of creative director is not widespread in the Spain's market.•Creativity techniques used in the sector are basically limited to brainstorming.•Dare to take risks and shun hyper specialisation are suggested to encourage creativity.

Business in general, and advertising in particular, recognise creativity as a crucial component of success and competitive advantage, but it has received little research attention in Public Relations (PR). This study seeks to address that neglect in relation to the understanding of how creativity is perceived and managed in PR consultancies. It involves a total of 23 interviews that included international PR creative directors as well as senior managers of PR consultancies operating in Spain. The initial findings suggest that creativity is considered a skill required by PR professionals, is seen as something valuable for clients, and is acknowledged in PR industry awards. Nevertheless, the article argues that some unhelpful myths and prejudices still exist around the area of creativity and that creative processes common elsewhere are not widely used in PR consultancies. It concludes by identifying elements that could encourage creativity within the sector.