Communication is a reflection of human development, and this requires continuous effort to build effective communication strategies that mimic this development. However, the challenge lies in the difference in beliefs about communication strategies, their importance, and the impact they have on organizations and companies.

With the rapid development of the communication environment in the Kingdom, many practitioners resorted to abbreviation and focus on implementing intensive communication activities. Practitioners quickly discovered that they needed to organize their work through a communication strategy. After building it - over several months - they discovered that this strategy was difficult to implement, either because it required a budget and a work team that they did not have, or because it was rigid and impractical, and as some say, "constructive talk." Others succeeded in building communication strategies that had a tangible impact inside and outside the organization. Hence, people were divided into two groups in their belief in communication strategies. Some see them as futile and their existence does not add anything - ink on paper - and some believe in them and see that any communication work without a strategy is incomplete. In my opinion, both of them have experiences that prove their point.

Hisham Gabra
CEO of Honak Company

To accurately determine the importance, let us define communication strategies as the ability to build a clear communication path that contributes to building a correct mental image of the entity and to preparing and dealing properly with communication challenges and crises. Here lies the role of creativity and innovation, as if the communication strategy is not characterized by a minimum level of creativity and innovation, it will not achieve its goals in terms of reaching and influencing the target audience due to the large number of communication messages and the rapid rise in the taste of the recipient. The communication strategy achieves two goals: 1- An administrative goal in terms of setting goals, performance indicators, budget, etc. 2- And a communication goal in terms of clarifying the roadmap for all communication processes to ensure the consistency of the communication narrative and reduce the continuous effort within the organization. In my opinion, all entities need a communication strategy, as the unsuccessful experiences of some of us do not cancel its importance, and all challenges can be avoided by building a strategy correctly. Creativity is embodied in all stages of strategy building. In the beginning, when studying the current situation, creativity lies in taking the audience's impression in an innovative, unconventional way that motivates them to participate and in extracting the best communication practices. When building, creativity lies in building communication messages that focus on the beneficiary and the audience. When implementing, creativity lies in achieving a high communication impact with limited resources. Creativity also lies in aligning internal stakeholders while building the strategy to involve them and adopt it because communication is a participatory process between all sectors and departments in the organization.

Creativity in the communication strategy must achieve three items to be effective:

• Renewable and reflect the aspirations of the entity
• Consistent with the target audience and emulates them
• Its level is higher than that prevailing in the market

Any defect in one of the three points will make the impact of creativity limited. One of the most important tools we need is to build a creative mindset in communication, get out of the comfort zone, and take calculated risks. Recent examples of creativity in communication include the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority’s “Our Ghee in Our Flour” campaign, which contributed to raising awareness about the entity and clarifying its role in a creative way that touched people. There is also the appearance of His Excellency Eng. Abdullah Al-Sawaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, on social media platforms and his live talk on topics of leadership and influence, and the distinguished appearance of the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts “Warth” after changing its name and identity and its distinguished presence in forums and presenting gifts designed by the institute’s students that embody our heritage and culture. Finally, creativity in communication is the core of the communication process and the need for creativity will increase with the increase in communication messages and the rise in the taste of the public and beneficiaries. Therefore, mastering creativity in building communication strategies will be a valuable addition to individuals practicing communication and the entities they work for.