Public Relations and Marketing
Public relations is frequently confused with marketing. Various people think that public relations is a subset of marketing, however, they are wrong. On the other hand, the public relations practitioners also strive to reveal the distance that exists between public relations and marketing in the course of their duty discharge. The denial of the secure relationship between public relations and marketing which is a prerequisite in most organizations (inclusive of the public and not for profit organizations) fail to acknowledge the authenticity of the majority of public relations practice. This paper seeks to investigate the nature and form of the relationship that exists between marketing and public relations. This investigation would form the thesis of the paper. The apartheid view is the source of great misunderstanding between public relations practice and marketing.
In this perspective, the history of public relations is critical when derived from the context revolving around power conflicts. Generally, the power conflicts may arise due to economic, political, and social changes. Categorically, some developmental eras that capture this period includes that of the American enterprise (“public-be-damned”); arising after the American civil war. This period stretches on to a period reminiscent of businesses hiring journalists in the telling of their stories (“public-be-informed period”. This period goes on to encompass a period following the world war I; “mutual understanding” period. During this period, lessons learnt from behavioral sciences were incorporated into the public relations period. The end period can be termed as the ‘mutual adjustment’ period commencing with environmental activism, anti-war protests, the consumer movement and civil and equal rights movements.
Accordingly, the public relations and marketing industry covers a wide range of functions from technical factors of market research to enhance creative product and/or brand management, media relations, reputation management, public affairs, direct marketing and sponsorship. Marketing could be defined as the intermediate role between the sale of products and their development. It is the work of marketing experts to create, manage and improve branding. Many functions are in-house and indulge in exclusively one organization's marketing- generally incorporating advertising and in many cases public relations.
Categorically, public relation is developing in importance as a marketing manual and to date is considered a crucial factor of the marketing mix. Opportunities are present in-house or consulting agencies. Some consultants specialize in one field for instance, healthcare, consumer, information technology and sundry. Work activities include the management of reputation, with the aim of acquiring support and understanding, interacting with the writing , media, editing, and planning, evaluation research and event management.
Additionally, the management role of a public relations practitioner may be confused with marketing. Time and again, in professional articles and online magazines, the confusion depicted in handling public relations and marketing is rampant. It is quite easy to confuse these two terms because they both are complementary fields that share numerous similarities. They both exhibit public facing, need many of the same skills and share some techniques of public engagement and the media. Nevertheless, it is superlative to understand that their aims and processes for attaining the objectives are distinct. Marketing is aimed at determining the clients that a company should sell to and to come up with new strategies on how to reach them. Public relations involve creating an active dialogue, purpose-driven with the targeted audience, whether it is potential clients, stakeholders or employees, with the aim of developing a positive corporate image, reputation, and visibility by relating it to its interest groups.
In defining public relations and marketing, we should consider the fact that they are always evolving with the changing media landscape and an increase in demand from the clients. These clients are gradually becoming powerful and as social technology progresses and dilutes the authority of businesses. These shifts prove to be an obstacle in pinpointing definitions for each field. In simple terms, marketing is the business activity that aims to manage the relationships between the markets and an organization, between its services and products and its clients in order to satisfy all requirements profitably. On the other hand, public relations seeks to foster a shared understanding between an organization and its public by filling the consistent communication lines with publics and the media with the aim of spreading the organization’s good works .
As previously mentioned, marketing and public relations are complementary. When a shared understanding between a business and its public environment is enhanced by the public relations department, a marketer's task is made easier. The same applies for public relations officer when the market fit for a service or a product is clearly tacit in the marketing team. Numerous professionals regard public relations as a subset of marketing. However, one could agree or disagree counting on the same viewpoint. Both public relations and marketing professionals require a similar cluster of skills to carry out their tasks successfully. The skills of writing are essential to both fields. Tenets like; why spelling and grammar count, the advantage in coming up with persuasive and clear mission statements, the frustrating, delightful and fulfilling struggle that all comprise the art of writing. All of these highlights and double-score the importance of great writing skills to both public relations and marketing professionals. Moreover, both fields require great interpersonal and communication values as they require one to engage with all sorts of [publics including clients, stakeholders, customers, bloggers, journalists, pessimists and enthusiasts. Both professionals should also be technologically sound. Teamwork. Creativity and persistence also highly ranked among the necessary skills that are required for each field.
Thus, when it comes to the methods, both professionals have similar tool kits to advance their cause. For instance, public relations and marketing professionals both invent and carry out strategies for media relations with the fundamental goal being covered that is cumulative in the long-run. Press releases, new media and Newswire services, email, media kits and good old fashioned telephone are all employed to pass their messages across the media. Both are also administered the reputation of their clients by monitoring the internet and media for negative and positive mentions and often construct responses on their behalf. The responses are drafted in case of potential damaging remarks as a way of reputation management. Clearly, these just scrapes the upper surface of the numerous strategies that are employed by the marketing and public relation officers.
In a nutshell, what creates the distinction between marketing and public relations is that marketing entails more than just out reach. It also embraces a proportion of higher roles that determine the very direction of a company. While they are both concerned with reaching the target audience for their mutual clients, marketers are tasked with identifying these groups and their main needs that the organization’s products could address. They are also tasked with distinguishing their products from their rivals and for advising on matters relating to the development of products. They decide on the markets that would optimize the company’s profits and offer counsel on product pricing as determined by a perceived value. Just like public relations, marketing requires ample communication skills. Nevertheless, it demands more analytical and strategic skills. Marketing and public relations work best when they are handled as distinct management functions. The two functions could pull together as equals on a cluster, and this works to integrate the process of business.
Reference
Daymon, C., & Holloway, I. (2011). Qualitative Research Methods in Public Relations and Marketing communication. London: Oxford.
Meerman, D. S. (2010). The new rules of marketing and PR : how to use social media, blogs, news releases, online video, & viral marketing to reach buyers directly. Hoboken: N.J. : John Wiley & Sons.
Moi, A. (2009). Practical marketing and public relations for the small business. London: Kogan page.
