Does PR need more creative creative directors?

Welcome to this week's The PRmoment Podcast.On the show, this week is James Beveridge, founder of Made by Giants. James is one of PR's most experienced creative directors. He moved from the creative agency Further into PR in 2014 to work for Fishburn. He started Made by Giants back in 2020 and it's now a £700K B2B tech PR firm.On the show today we're going to talk about some research that James has been doing on creative directors in PR, the skill sets of good creative directors in PR and also the theme of James' 30-year PR career - the intersection between design and communication.Do take a look at the homepage of PRmoment for details on all our latest webinars and thanks so much to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors The PRCA.James welcome to the show.2 mins James talks us through his research into how many creative directors there are in PR.6 mins James' hypothesis is that most Creative Directors in PR come from a PR background - this means that they are likely to be more tuned into the news agenda and good with words but they may miss the visual dimension of creativity.“They lack the qualifications, skills and experience in conceptual visual and design skills that make creativity”6.30 mins How often do PR creative directors miss out because they didn’t go to art school?8.30 mins According to James’ research 38% of creative directors in PR have no creative qualifications and 21% of PR agencies have creative directors with a design background.9 mins Is James saying PR has got the creative director role wrong? Or does a creative director in PR just have a different skill set than that in advertising?12.30 mins James talks about why he places such an emphasis on the craft between creativity and design.14 mins James talks about how different types of businesses need creativity in different ways - from a category creator, to a disruptor, an evolutionary or a refresher business strategy.15.30 mins Why does B2B creative still lack the aura of consumer creativity?18 mins James talks us through what his experience of starting a business previously taught him when it came to starting Made By Giants. 19 mins What was the catalyst that led to James and Made By Giants co-founder Grace Keeling to set up a business together?20 mins Made By Giants doesn't have an office but hires out a hotel lobby once a week where they all spend a day together!