Francesca Concina is one of the leaders of the PRSA Certificate Program, “Harness Outside-the-Box Thinking to Drive Results,” beginning on Nov. 6. Visit the PRSA website for more details on the program.
Creativity and innovation are often considered abstract concepts, at best, complementary to structured study programs. When, during my MBA at Bentley, I delved into design thinking, prototyping, hackathons, creative writing and lateral thinking, I thought it was all wonderful but that it wouldn’t have much impact on my everyday work.
After all, they seemed to be theories and practices typical of those working in physical product production rather than in communication or public relations.
Until, one day, I was in one of my recurring meetings with a client, a Tuscan winery. At one point, the CEO, with great pride, introduced a new wine resulting from a selection — a so-called reserve that, for the first time, was about to be launched on the market. “It’s a renowned and expensive wine, we should aim at a high-end target,” he said.
I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to taste it, while already thinking about working with the marketing and design teams to define the name, label, and packaging when he said, “I have a surprise,” and pulled out a bottle and a bright red box with a cacophonous and unreadable name in Italian (let alone for foreigners).
He had done everything on his own. A disaster.
But all the bottles had already been produced like that, with a label that even a mediocre house wine wouldn’t deserve. “Now it needs to be presented to the press, influencers and the best Italian restaurants.”
The beginning of a nightmare
As good as the product was, its presentation was inadequate; it didn’t communicate the positioning or the intrinsic quality of the product. I forced a smile and took some time to figure out how to proceed.
“Sauntering in nature,” and the Tuscan countryside was there to help me — freeing the mind from everything, letting nature guide me by walking aimlessly, simply seeking serenity. This was the first step towards what would turn into one of the most successful launches of my life.
After gathering inspiration, I decided to take the most critical point (the bright red label and name) and turn it into the positive pillar around which the entire creative campaign would revolve, aiming for elegance and refinement. Presenting it to my team wasn’t easy, as everyone — from the designer to the copywriter to the photographer — was critical and disheartened.
So, I decided to use reverse brainstorming, flipping the problem to find new creative solutions. I chose to step back and use imagination to see the big picture, employing lateral thinking in the most radical way possible, asking myself: “Who embodies elegance and refinement in Italy and around the world, and how can they be linked to my product?” One name came to mind: Giorgio Armani and his restaurant in Milan. “It’s unreachable.” No, challenge assumptions.
From the collaboration with Armani’s restaurant in Milan, a black-and-white campaign was born, where the central theme was the red label, journeying from Tuscany to the fashion capital. The wine was presented during Milan’s Wine Week, with Armani’s restaurant reserved for journalists, influencers and the owners of the city’s top restaurants. Images from the campaign were projected on screens, surrounding the guests who savored a menu curated around the star wine.
How was all this possible? “We cannot solve problems with the same kind of thinking we used when we created them,” said Albert Einstein.
This is how creativity and innovation became fundamental in my journey.
