Eleven countries will compete for gold between 13th and 18th October in the first ever ICCO Next Generation PR World Cup Final. We have a chat with some of the finalists to find out what creativity means to them, their favourite PR campaigns, and the best social media accounts to follow.
Team France
Agence Proches’ Maria da Silva and Omnicom PR Group France’s Vasileios Vrakas.
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
"A hard pill to swallow" for the Swedish pharma network APOTEK HJÄRTAT. The campaign raises awareness on water pollution by pharmaceutical factories in manufacturing countries such as India.
To highlight the problem, the designers of the campaign created a new kind of medicine (pill) made from the active substances extracted from the water polluted by the pharmaceutical factories.
The pills were sent to politicians together with a medication package insert that states what was found in the water, what the effects are on people’s health, and what needed to be done for better regulation of the industry.
The campaign was highlighted in Sweden’s and Europe’s biggest news outlets and won first place at Eurobest 2020 Awards.
What does being creative mean to you?
Creativity is getting people to see things with fresh new eyes. Just like an artist would do. It involves changing the way things are offered to the public’s eye, by altering their properties or dimensions, getting things out from their usual context or questioning social standards.
Favourite social media account to follow?
Creapills on twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram… Innovative ideas, original campaigns and art: everything we need to boost our creativity.
Team India
SPAG Asia’s Iknoor Kaur
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
A campaign close to my heart is Mission Medicine: Delivering Life – a campaign for Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance during the pandemic in June 2020. Amidst the ongoing COVID- 19 pandemic, the agency created a campaign that showcased technical expertise as well as the emotional drivers behind the pharmaceutical industry. It was an integrated (PR & Digital) campaign that celebrated unseen heroes, not only doctors but also those behind the scenes involved in the supply chain as they work tirelessly to ensure that medicines reach us all on time, in the toughest of times.
The 360-degree integrated nature of the campaign clicked with me. The campaign was driven through a series of videos entailing the stories that shed light on the challenges faced by the pharma employees – right from manufacturers to logisticians and pharmacists as a result of the lockdown. The messaging was supported by a systematic PR campaign which created an all-round impact.
I believe in this rapidly changing world of today, integrated communications plays a crucial role. Moreover, cause-related and purpose driven campaigns hold way more impact and connect with audiences at a much deeper level. For me, it’ll always be those campaigns that’ll leave a mark.
What does being creative mean to you?
Creativity is all about looking within and going with the flow. I don’t think creativity is something that can be learnt. It’s a soft skill that needs nurturing. It’s almost a mindset, in my opinion. An ability to constantly unlearn and learn, to be aware, mindful, open to change and ever evolving; where every new idea is an opening into a new possibility. A creative world is a world without limits.
Favourite social media account to follow?
It’s tough to pick only one, but I think I’ll go with Kunal Shah on Twitter.
SPAG Asia’s Neha Chandra
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
My favourite would be Medela’s Back to Workcampaign. Medela, a breast pump and nursing accessories manufacturer, had found that many Indian women either gave up breastfeeding when they went back to work or quit their jobs when they gave birth. They took to PR to solve this unique challenge. Medela conducted a survey to study trends on maternity leave, breastfeeding practices, and work-life balance for a new mother and the results showed that nearly 42% of working mothers quit breastfeeding due to the inability to manage work and motherhood. The survey results also showed that many women didn't know how to use breast pumps. An integrated communications campaign was designed to educate mothers on using Medela's products through a mix of on-ground activities, video storytelling, blogger engagement, print and broadcast outreach and social media in an engaging and relatable way. Encouraging the dialogue further were the Medela Experts and the Lactoclave – a series of webinars designed for experience sharing.
I have always been passionate about healthcare communication and the power PR holds in changing the narrative, and so when I came across this campaign I knew there was something so new and refreshing about it. In India, breastfeeding is still seen as an under the covers act and women often get ogled at for feeding their children in public. Breastfeeding in itself is such a taboo topic so when the conversation started on encouraging women to go back to work, once they feel fit and creating a suitable environment for them, it was bound to catch eyeballs. The campaign showed that while biologically, mothers are responsible for carrying and delivering the baby, taking care of the baby then on must be a shared responsibility. Women should not feel like they have to give up their passion professionally to take care of their baby. And that actually paved way for the next campaign I got to work on with Medela.
What does being creative mean to you?
Being creative means to let loose, to eliminate any bias/pre conceived notion you may hold, to not be afraid to question, and not be afraid to be questioned, to let your imagination run wild.
Favourite social media account to follow?
Tough one. At present I am immersed in healthcare content created by doctor influencers so I would say @dr_cuterus, who talks about everything we should have learnt in sex ed at school.
Team Hungary
Opencom’s Gerda Scheirlich
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
My favorite campaign I worked on is ”rEGGelem* campaign” (*reggelem means 'My Morning' or in a creative way: 'BrEGGfast'). The Hungarian Egg Association's CSR campaign, rEGGelem, that is a school program launched in 2019, emphasizes the importance of having breakfast for young people. But it could not continue within the usual school framework due to the pandemic. Therefore, we proposed that the program should move to social media platforms, including TikTok, which is the most dynamically developing platform in Hungary and globally.
What does being creative mean to you?
For me, being creative means being able to solve a problem in a unique way. And as a result, creating something valuable that has a positive impact on others: making them laugh, think, take action or “simply” making their life better.
Favourite social media account to follow?
Gulyás Lídia and Formula 1 official Instagram page.
Opencom’s Csenge Miller
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
One of my favorite campaigns is related to support premature babies. It included among others expert interviews, media and influencer collaborations, and also a strong online presence. This theme always warms my heart.
What does being creative mean to you?
For me, being creative means to create something unique that grabs attention and leaves a lasting mark in people.
Favourite social media account to follow?
Neubeller Réka. I'm impressed by her thoughts, style and perspective on life.
Team Nigeria
Modion Comms’ Onyeka Iyoha
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
For me PR is essentially a storytelling and image-shaping tool and the best campaign I have had the opportunity to be a part of is the disruptive #Gokada2.0 campaign by Modion Communications. Our team successfully reshaped the image of the Gokada brand and re-instated public goodwill. The campaign also elevated and repositioned the brand as safe for commute, tech led and customer first. #Godaka2.0 was not only impactful but clenched a Diamond Sabre Award as best Crisis Comms Campaign in 2020.
What does being creative mean to you?
Being creative means executing a concept that has never been done or developing a campaign in a different approach from the norm.
Favourite social media account to follow?
Food Network on Instagram
Modion Comms’ Hameed Olanrewaju
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
I love the very talked about See Finish teaser campaign for Leadway Assurance, but my all-time favourite campaign is #DeterminedDele also by Modion Communications. The determination of Dele Fathia a schoolgirl who was pictured doing her homework at night with the illumination from an ATM facility exemplifies the Nigerian can do spirit and is worthy of reward. It is pure genius by Modion Communications to have conceptualised an award-winning PR strategy for Lumos Nigeria to improve Dele’s living conditions by installing a free solar power system in her home in less than 48 hours. The campaign is very touching, highly relatable and depicts the power of using one person's story to illuminate a broader social issue.
What does being creative mean to you?
Creativity for me is an idea or concept that improves the way we live our lives. One of the core reasons I find #DeterminedDele campaign creative and alluring.
Favourite social media account to follow?
Mercedes-Benz on Instagram
Team Mexico
Porter Novelli Mexico’s Jessica Openheim
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
The first campaign that I worked for in a PR Agency made me fall in love with PR, it was about bringing the first chapter of ILTM Americas (International Luxury Travel Market) to Mexico’s Riviera Maya. It was an amazing experience to host media from all over the world, having the same interests as me, while showcasing the beauties of my country.
What does being creative mean to you?
Being creative is to have the ability to see beyond a brief or requirement and, instead of doing it the traditional-lineal way, it is taking it to another level of inspiration, turning it into something unexpected, surprising, and intelligent.
Favourite social media account to follow?
@prgirlmanifesto, @herve_in_paris, @allaboutwanderlust_, @dudewithsign, @mrwonderful_, @pictoline, @ocean_obsessions_
Porter Novelli Mexico’s Leticia Villegas
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
What I enjoy the most of my work in PR is to create connections and strategies for brands to be and show their best version and have a positive impact on their communities, with results being seen through the engaged response shown by people. A memorable instance where I was able to participate was Batman’s 80th anniversary celebration, where the Batsignal was shone on different buildings across the world, an iconic symbol which brings good memories across generations.
What does being creative mean to you?
Being creative is to give shape to ideas in order to take risks, create the unexpected and always retain the ability to improve and adapt as needed.
Favourite social media account to follow?
@natgeo, @magnumphotos, @humansofny, @seregalandudas, @rp_latam
Team UAE
Golin MENA’s Sweta Fernandes
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
I think my favorite PR campaign is a fictional one. Mad Men is one of my all-time favorite shows and I watched it as a young advertising student and learnt more about advertising from watching the show than in my classes. In one of the episodes aptly titled, “Public Relations” Peggy Olson comes up with an idea to regain the Sugarberry Ham account. She hires two actresses to fight over ham in a grocery store. The plan goes awry when the fight turns real and one of the women pressed charges against the other for assault, and Peggy has to ask Don for bail and hush money. Don disapproves of the stunt (which was carried out behind his back), but Peggy points out that they did retain the account. Of course, public relations is so much bigger than just a stunt but it always stuck with me when I think “PR Campaign”
What does being creative mean to you?
Being creative to me means thinking like the quirky side characters who are cooler than the protagonists. Think Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld, think Phoebe from Friends and of course Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter
Favourite social media account to follow?
Team Singapore
Mutant Communications’ Victoria Brown
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
My favourite PR campaign that I’ve worked on recently has to be Pavilion KL’s Christmas campaign in 2020. Pavilion KL is Malaysia’s premier shopping destination and known for their stunning festive decorations. However, because we were in the middle of a pandemic, we could not organise a big media launch to unveil the mall’s Christmas decor. So, to engage the media, we organised the delivery of festive media drops filled with Christmas goodies to select media and KOLs to invite them for a specially curated Christmas experience at Pavilion KL. Media and KOLs were treated to a personal one-on-one tour of the mall’s festive decorations, a pampering session, a festive dinner, followed by an overnight stay at Pavilion Hotel.
This personalised and fun-filled media engagement not only built media relationships with key editors, journalists, and KOLs, but we also garnered quality coverage and social media posts on the mall’s festive decorations and pitched listicles on Christmas gifting and Christmas activities at Pavilion KL.
On top of that, we pitched and secured regional coverage on Pavilion KL’s exclusive Dior Holiday Tree from the likes of Bazaar Vietnam and LionhearTV (Philippines). We also secured an exclusive interview in Malaysia’s largest English daily The Star, where shoppers shared their favourite Christmas memory at Pavilion KL and reminisced about their favourite Christmas decorations over the years.
Despite the restrictions and challenges faced due to the pandemic, we managed to secure 88 pieces of media coverage (a 214% increase from the year before) that helped to boost awareness and drive footfall to the mall. It was overall such a fun campaign to work on, I loved coming up with creative ways to engage the media and different angles to pitch to different publications to garner maximum PR mileage for the client.
What does being creative mean to you?
Coming up with fresh, bold, engaging, out-of-the-box ideas!
Favourite social media account to follow?
There’s so many! I love Ryan Reynolds’ digital marketing agency Maximum Effort’s Instagram page (@maximumeffort) – I like their approach to video ads. I am also a fan of Nike’s and Heineken’s social pages. They have great campaigns, videos, and social content!
Mutant Communications’ Heather Seet:
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
I remember coming across the IKEA ThisAbles Project via its award-winning campaign. The project was conceived to allow people with special needs to easily use and access IKEA products within their homes. It had all the right elements: compelling storytelling, meaningful purpose, targeted partnerships, and scalable outcomes that really make a difference. My favourite part is that the campaign continues to expand and impact - new blueprints have been created, including developments for children. That's how you know an idea really moves people - when it goes beyond the campaign to become its very own movement.
What does being creative mean to you?
Creativity goes beyond big, bold ideas - it needs to present vibrant solutions to existing challenges. So creativity at its best is a collaborative process, a constant refinement that blends different perspectives and opinions to deliver holistic results.
Favourite social media account to follow?
Ketnipz - I love how the artist uses Instagram Stories in compelling, engaging ways. Even ads on the account don't seem like it, because they blend with creative storytelling to deliver the most satisfying and engaging content!
Team UK
Boldspace’s Sophie Webster and Elliot Payne
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
Our favourite campaign we've most recently worked on at Boldspace is for Fridays called Celebrate the Game. We really enjoyed this as it challenged the stigma surrounding women’s football in an engaging way, by taking hate from behind a screen, and turning it into respect on the pitch. It really said a lot about attitudes to women's football, attitudes which we want to change.
What does being creative mean to you?
For us, being creative means not only seeing a problem from one angle but flipping it around and looking at it from every point possible. It's about letting your mind wander but knowing when it’s time to start heading back.
Favourite social media account to follow?
We are both massive fans of Aldi’s Twitter account. They are pros at reacting creatively and show how a brand’s voice can be fun and engaging – even if it’s just where you go for your weekly shop.
Team Russia
Elefante Porter Novelli’s Julia Kurbatova
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
I feel an unconditional love to my profession. I treat each project like my own child, so every project is special to me in their own way, because a piece of my soul is inside each of my campaigns.
What does being creative mean to you?
For me, being creative means seeing the world from your own angle, filling everything with your own meanings, and being able to translate your vision and meanings to everyone.
Favourite social media account to follow?
I really love popular now accounts in Telegram (Telegram is a popular messenger in Russia with it being about news from various spheres) like Русский маркетинг.
Elefante Porter Novelli’s Valeriya Yudina
What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?
I am proud of all my projects and campaign. We offer and execute a various tools and decisions for our clients. Of course, each campaign is unique. Nevertheless, there is something special about each of them.
What does being creative mean to you?
Creative is unexpected insight for me
Favourite social media account to follow?
I follow many social media accounts. The most interesting is Ruthless PR specialist in Telegram (Telegram is a popular messenger in Russia. The audience of Telegram is more than 600 million people around the world. After the global bug with WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram early this week, the audience has grown by 70 million people). This account is about PR sphere, interesting cases, and marketing news.