Public relations professionals must move beyond generating big ideas and demonstrate how creativity contributes to solving business problems and delivering measurable outcomes, according to communications strategist and Regional Manager, East Africa at ID Africa, Njideka Akabogu Eke-Uche.
Speaking at the African Public Relations Association (APRA) x PR Fundi Masterclass on Creative Thinking in PR and Comms: Strategic Campaigns, Akabogu said communicators can no longer afford to treat creativity as separate from business objectives if they hope to earn a seat at the decision-making table.
“We need to be able to demonstrate that our creativity is a problem-solving tool,” she said, noting that practitioners must understand the industries they serve and tie communication strategies to organisational priorities.
According to her, anyone can come up with exciting ideas, but the real value of communications lies in understanding the problems businesses are trying to solve and developing campaigns that address them.
Akabogu also challenged the perception of PR as a short-term fix, stressing that reputation and trust are built over time.
“You can’t treat PR as a short-term function,” she said. “It can’t be a one-campaign thing and you expect all the magic to happen.”
She urged practitioners to think beyond campaign moments by creating stories, relationships and brand equity that endure long after activations end.
The virtual session, organised by APRA in partnership with PR Fundi, brought together communications professionals from across Africa to examine how creative thinking can strengthen business outcomes, build stakeholder trust and elevate PR from a support function to a strategic advisory role.
Joining the conversation, Oluwafemi Victor-Afolabi of Creato Urban encouraged practitioners to embrace difficult conversations around budgets, risk and value creation, noting that creativity must be backed by data, audience understanding and a clear appreciation of business realities.
For Akabogu, the takeaway was simple: communicators who want to remain relevant must position themselves as trusted advisors, continuously learn, and demonstrate how their work contributes to organisational success.