Innovation and PR

When people hear the word innovation they most likely think about product innovation.  While that is a large facet of the term, idea innovation is equally as important.  This is something that is key in fields like entrepreneurship but that I think can tie nicely into public relations.

We are often involved in brainstorming sessions with clients and with coworkers.  This is the perfect time to be innovative.  Bringing new ideas to the table is crucial but it's also something that can be difficult. Innovation can be loosely defined with three terms:

1. New. There isn't a lot out there that hasn't been thought of, but if you can come up with a completely new idea, you're in the gold as far as innovation is concerned.

2. Different. We live in a society that's always changing and looking for the new cool thing.  If your innovation is different than what came before it, you'll have a good concept on your hands.

3. Better. This is probably the most reasonable quality of an innovation.  We are always looking for ways to improve and an innovation that makes things easier or better is always great.

The key to a good innovation, in addition to these three things is value. If you don't bring value to your client or the audience then your innovation isn't going to work.

Keep these things in mind next time you're attending a brainstorming session!