Joe Lipscombe, Partner, The Romans.To be considered creative in PR is to be considered reckless. To be considered reckless is to be considered risky. It comes with a warning label. You need exceptional circumstances to turn to creativity. It’s calling upon Achilles over Odysseus. And that’s where the misconception lies. Not to mention the missed opportunity.
Odysseus taught us that the greatest victories don’t come from strength, but from ingenuity and original thinking. From creativity.
Being labeled as too creative is a common challenge for PR professionals trying to drive the industry forward in the Middle East. And it’s the most bizarre criticism I’ve heard in my time.
I’ve never called my finance partners too analytical. You wouldn’t call an architect too imaginative. An artist too expressive.
Over the years, I think ad creatives have caused a bit of a PR problem for creativity. It comes with a set of connotations. Self-involved, award-chasing, void of strategy, lack of interest in the bigger picture. It’s a single piece of something. A once-off. In my opinion, the creatives need to be shepherded. Right place, right time. Approach with caution.
In the context of PR, this is usually an unwelcome distraction. Considered, collected, dependable sameness is often the order of the day. Creativity sparks images of Cannes Lions, flashy stunts, and things floating down the Creek. Expensive, time-consuming, and again, risky.
But Odysseus reminds us that creativity has never truly been about spectacle (Nolan’s IMAX genius aside), but about solving problems in ways others cannot. Those solutions can often look, feel, and sound different to the standard. But that’s a byproduct of something disproportionately effective. We’d do well as an industry to understand that.
Odysseus is remembered not as the fiercest warrior or the bravest, but because he saw something others did not. And solved a seemingly impossible problem with something out of left field. It’s a great lesson that’s endured.
All elements of modern PR need high level creativity. While tools, data, insight, and AI are becoming grand equalisers, original thinking and creative problem solving could be considered the last great competitive differentiators.
At least, that’s what we’ve believed at The Romans since our inception. A timeless advantage.
Prediction: In the AI age, taste will become even more important. When anyone can make anything, the big differentiator is what you choose to make.https://t.co/3GQUlfH58t
— Paul Graham (@paulg) February 14, 2026
“When anyone can make anything, the big differentiator is what you choose to make,” the technologist Paul Graham said recently in a tweet.
So, how come we’ve allowed our industry to position it as a rebellious actor that needs controlling? To the point where brands are often apologising to agencies that they’re just not culturally fit for a creative partner. Worse still, suggesting that PR agencies positioning themselves as creative aren’t capable of the basics. A market that encourages its agencies to dial down its creative ambition isn’t going to go very far. That’s not representative of the region I know. Certainly not of the Gulf. But I’ve heard it. On repeat.
But creativity is like the sriracha of the culinary world. It makes everything better. And if you’re anything like me, you know it should be found in absolutely everything. A creative corporate strategy beats a standard one. A creative media pitch outperforms a traditional one. A creative strategy solves more problems than a ChatGPT one.
Odysseus knew it thousands of years ago. And as Nolan brings him back into the cultural spotlight, it serves as a timely reminder for us in the PR industry.
By Joe Lipscombe, Partner, The Romans.
