Strategic Communication Program Considers Creativity in the Age of AI

The M.S. in Strategic Communication (SCOM) program’s third annual Winter Symposium, titled “Strategic Communication and The Quest for Creativity,” brought together 300 professionals, students, and academics to investigate how to think creatively, what it means to develop an idea, and how to effectively communicate our biggest thoughts. The symposium included two panels: a discussion with leading experts in the industry about their creative processes, and an agency spotlight featuring communicators from FleishmanHillard––an event sponsor––focusing on the use of AI in the field, alongside agency spotlights, a talent showcase, and sessions focused on leadership and creativity.  

SCOM Deputy Program Director Jesse Scinto (’12SPS, SCOM) and Program Director Kristine Billmyer kicked off the conference by introducing the guiding themes of the day— how creative ideas are generated, how leading communicators think about creativity, and how industry pioneers are using AI to shape the creative process. In her remarks, Billmyer examined the concept of creativity as it has been considered across the arts, sciences, and humanities, emphasizing that psychologists view creativity as not just problem-solving but “finding the right problems to begin with."

Speakers in the “Creativity in Communication” panel were Adrianna Bevilaqua (’09SPS, SCOM), chief creative officer and managing director at M Booth; Craig Minassian, chief content, communications, and marketing officer at the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative; Jimmie Stone, vice president and global head of creative shop at Meta; and Teresa Yoo, vice president of brand and content strategy at IBM. The discussion was moderated by Ethan McCarty, CEO of Integral and advisory board member and lecturer in the SCOM program. Panelists discussed the relationship between creativity and culture; innovative methods in content, messaging, and strategy; and the benefits of constraints. Exploring those factors can inspire more creativity and ensure that creative impulses within a team don’t clash.

Industry Panel - Creativity in Communication

The agency spotlight offered valuable case studies from a globally successful company and homed in on how AI tools are being used to help innovation. “AI is not here to replace us,” emphasized Jacob Porpossian, global executive creative director and partner at FleishmanHillard New York. “It’s an opportunity to really reimagine the ways we can be creative as humans, reimagine the way the tools that are provided to us can help make the world a better place.” 

Porpossian was joined on the panel by his FleishmanHillard colleagues Rachel Catanach, general manager; Ephraim Cohen, global lead for data and digital (GenAI); Paul Dalessio, senior vice president and partner; and Colin Hart, senior vice president and partner, to present on crisis communication strategies. The panelists offered insights from their work, including examples of how the agency applies creative strategies in everything from content creation to coming up with quick alternatives in crisis situations. 

“Creative will be automated, but creativity never will be,” said Meta VP and global head of creative shop Jimmie Stone. But as artificial intelligence becomes the norm, he said, it’s more important than ever for communicators to approach their work with emotional intelligence and learn “how to tell the story, put words to the vision, and understand and empathize with the problem.” 

Agency Spotlight - AI Powered Creative at FleishmanHillard

According to Dr. Sheena Iyengar, S.T. Lee Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and author of Think Bigger: How to Innovate, coming up with our best ideas all starts with identifying the right questions to ask. In her keynote address, Iyengar outlined strategies to find inventive solutions and refuted the notion that creativity is a spark of divine intervention. She illustrated her argument with historical examples: Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s conception of the Statue of Liberty, Pablo Picasso’s abstract cubism, the invention of the ice cream maker, and the production of Ford’s Model T car. Breakthroughs arise from identifying a need and seeking inspiration from both conventional and unconventional sources. “We all know the imperative ‘Think outside the box,’” she said. “In order to think outside the box, you just have to go to other boxes.”

Growing up blind, Iyengar said, she developed an aversion to hearing people say, “It’s not possible.” She finished her keynote address with a response to that sentiment: “I think it’s time for us to stop taking on that attitude that it’s all hopeless,” she said. “It’s time to get our hands dirty and actually start thinking about the different ways in which we can create solutions to whatever problems we might be facing in our personal or our professional lives.”