PR is Marketing, Right?…No
Have you always considered public relations as just another word for marketing? What if we told you they are similar, but not interchangeable. This month Epiphany Team Member and PR guru, Mary Anna Davis sat down to clear up the confusion.
As a public relations professional, my job is constantly being confused with marketing. What exactly differentiates public relations from marketing? Does it even matter? I am here to tell you it does. In order to have an effective functioning marketing department and PR department, businesses have to have a clear understanding of each specific role. What it comes down to is this:
PR focuses on relationships
Marketing focuses on products and services
The definition of public relations as defined by the Public Relations Society of America is:
“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”
or simply public relations is a communication process that thrives on effective relationships between an organization and the people important to it.
The definition of marketing as defined by the American Marketing Association is:
“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
or simply marketing is the activity of a company associated with buying and selling a product or service. This includes advertisements, selling and delivering products to customers.
Good public relations is essential to a company. If done correctly public relations will build a bond of trust between a company and the people it relies on most…its customers, employees, the media and the general public. It can also make or break you in a crisis.
A good PR professional knows the difference between PR and marketing and can land amazing media placements through the relationships they have built with local media. They can also be an valuable member of the team through the understanding they gain from forming relationships with the people your company relies on most.
Have a question? Email me at Maryanna@epiphanycreativeservices.com
– Mary Anna Davis, PR Specialist
Epiphany Creative Services
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