Ah, public relations and marketing. Marketing and PR. Two brothers joined at the hip… yet sometimes kicking each other under the table.
But they need to play nicely together in the sandbox and support each other.
PR is an ideal strategy for creating a favorable environment for a business’ marketing and advertising. Think of it as setting the table before the meal is served.
I have some dear marketing friends who believe PR should be under the marketing umbrella. But I adamantly disagree. (At the same time, I acknowledge the lines are sometimes blurred between the two disciplines.)
For example, both:
- Need clearly defined points of differentiation.
- Conduct competitive analysis.
- Engage in social media strategy and content.
The research portion of any PR or marketing plan will often overlap. But shared tools do not mean shared goals.
The Proverbial “Seat at the Table”
The head of PR and the head of marketing at a company should both have a seat at the table and both should have a direct report to the CEO. Period. That’s not politics. It’s best practice.
Many don’t even know what PR is, let alone can define it. That’s why many will simply generically refer to PR as marketing, thus diluting its true value and strategic importance.
Let’s define the two terms/disciplines:
Public Relations – The practice of establishing mutually beneficial, two-way relationships between an organization and its stakeholders. It’s about building trust, credibility, and dialogue. It’s both a push and pull strategy. PR is proactive and reactive. Strategic and sensitive.
Marketing – Sometimes defined as the 4 P’s: Product, Price, Promotion, and Placement. Marketing is about identifying customer needs and delivering value through compelling offers, messages, and experiences. It’s primarily a push strategy, designed to drive awareness, engagement, and ultimately sales.
I love this summary: Marketing tells the world what you sell. PR helps the world believe you.\
The Dangers of Marketing-Directed PR
Here are three reasons why these should remain two distinct roles at an organization, with a specialist for each:
- Press interviews might be treated like an ad. Funny story: Years ago I handled PR for a company that provided home energy audits. I arranged for a local TV station to come to a home and do a segment on how such an audit is conducted. Upon learning of this upcoming press interview, all the marketing director could think of was how to make the brand prominent. The auditor already had a branded polo and cap (which was fine), but now the back of his clipboard was covered with a large sticker of the company’s name, and there was a giant company poster attached to the back of the homeowner’s door, positioned so the TV camera couldn’t miss it. Ugh. I had to explain to this marketing pro this blatant branding wasn’t appropriate (unless he wanted to pay for an infomercial).
- The power of PR is focused on press relations. PR (which, btw, ONLY stands for public relations — never press release) does A LOT more than press outreach. But when it’s viewed only through the lens of promotion and media coverage, it seems logical to tuck it under marketing. However, this drastically limits its power. What about:
- Crisis communications?
- Internal comms?
- Community and stakeholder engagement?
- Brand reputation management?
- Corporate storytelling?
- PR should act as the conscience of a company. Now I’m NOT saying marketing folks don’t have consciences, but constantly being on guard for the reputation of an organization isn’t always their top-of-mind concern. It’s the head of PR/corporate communications who needs to be tuned into what other departments are doing to help keep a company’s reputation safe. PR sees the whole board. Not just conversions.
The 3 Big Takeaways
So, what did we learn this week?
- Let ads be ads and PR be PR.
- Unleash and use the full power of PR.
- PR helps keep organizations safe.
Marketing builds momentum. PR builds trust. You need both. But don’t confuse them.
Want to chat further? Schedule a 1:1 here.
Stay authentic — and let PR be PR!
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR (seen here in a vintage photo circa 1983 serendipitously doing a Clash impersonation in a since-forgotten location) is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s the Chief Authentic Officer of the Johnson City, TN-based public relations firm, AuthenticityPR. He also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University (rise and shout!). He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, write songs, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
