How is a great campaign like a great murder mystery?

Originally written for the comms blog for Social & Local and published in PR Week.

(3 minute read)

People who work with me in communications are often surprised I also write novels (well, ok, just one complete novel so far).

But it makes perfect sense when you think about it.

There is a lot to compare between developing the plot of a mystery and designing a great communications campaign. Here’s just a few for starters…

The problem

All mysteries have a problem to solve, whether it’s where the jewels are hidden, why the husband lied, or who left the body. The problem is laid out to the reader as a question that begs to be answered. It’s why you buy the book, right? Same with a campaign. Whether it’s how to do your part to save the planet, or finding our why your whites aren’t really white; a campaign begins by surfacing a problem and hinting at an answer to come.

The suspense

From page one, a good murder mystery has to grab you, and leave you wanting - no needing - to find out more. Just the same for a great campaign. Whether it’s the lead image or the fantastic tag line, it must draw you in, leaving you craning back as the train leaves the platform, or clicking on the ‘find out more’ link when you wouldn’t usually.

The twist

Here’s the fun bit. This is the chapter where your mouth falls open. The narrator is exposed as a liar, or the butler is revealed to be the long-lost brother. It’s not always possible to find the twist in a campaign, but when you can, phew! The wording that flips a phrase on its head, the image that blends into another, the typeface that recalls a past era. The great twist is often what makes a good campaign into a great one.

The solution

Following the twist comes the solution. when all the suspects are in the room and 380 pages culminates in the big pay-off. It’s when all you’ve seen is tied in a bow. The best solution for me means that as well as discovering finally how the woman was killed and why, you get to learn something about yourself too. And whether it’s a change in behaviour to save energy, or finding a new washing tablet that makes your shirts gleam, the final solution offered to you in a campaign needs to give you that warm, positive ending too. It needs to be clear, believable, satisfying.

I know what you are thinking, how does the detective fit into all this?

The closest I can get…? The detective is the communications strategist themselves, the role I take on in my day to day work. Unpicking the clues – from audience profiles to complex objectives or engagement data – to discover and retell that compelling story that fits all the evidence and creates the campaign that makes the difference.

You can find out more about my novel and creative writing on my author website: www.hollygreenlandconsulting.com