Marketing & PR Compared
There’s a tug of war going on between marketing and PR over who owns which functions in today’s ever expanding media marketplace.
The expansion of social media and content marketing in the overall marketing and communications mix has blurred the distinctions between marketing and PR further. As a result, the way these functions are handled can depend on the manager’s skillset.
Marketing as defined by Philip Kotler encompasses the entire process of creating value to satisfy a need. It covers the entire purchase process from product idea to post-purchase customer advocacy. Marketing, by its nature, is both strategic and tactical. By contrast, PR is focused on communications and crafting strategic messages. Since both marketing and PR are strategic in outlook, there’s potential for overlap and conflict over responsibilities. (Here’s what 11 professionals say about the differences between marketing and PR.)
Let’s look at the differences between marketing and PR when you put them into action in your organization.
Marketing & PR Compared
Attributes | Marketing | PR |
Business goal | Build brands, Acquire customers, Drive sales, Support purchasing, Embrace fans. |
Build brands, Attract customers, Establish corporate &/or executive positioning. |
Target market | Prospects, Customers, Past customers & Public. |
Prospects, Customers, Journalists, Investors, Employees & Public. |
Branding | Defines brand, Ensures all communications & marketing embody core brand elements. |
Creates recognition via company name & media association. |
Offer/ promotions | Creates promotional calendar across product, brand & media, Determines pricing policy. |
Doesn’t apply. |
Media platforms | Leverages internal platforms (email, website, blog, letters, catalogs, etc.,) Uses third party media to spread marketing message via advertising & content creation, Engages with target audience & public on social media. |
Supports organizational engagement on social media, Places messages with journalists on third party media. |
Content marketing | Creates content marketing on company, products, and employees. | Communicates organizational messages on third party media, Supports social media engagement. |
Purchase process | Provides marketing at every step of the process across media, Ensures marketing is findable (SEO) |
Helps build awareness. |
Search optimization | Determines SEO strategy, Creates content marketing where appropriate to support SEO. |
Indirectly helps search optimization via press mentions. |
Social media | Creates appropriate content to share engages with prospects, customers & public. |
Creates appropriate communications, Supports public engagement. |
Metrics | Branding metrics, Number of prospects & customers, Engagement, Sales, Costs, Social shares. |
Mentions, Reputation, Engagement, Sales, Costs. |
Crisis management | Provides established internal media platforms, Has social media followings to respond as media entity, Supports crisis management with advertising & appropriate content marketing. |
Implements crisis management plan. |
© 2012 Heidi Cohen – Riverside Marketing Strategies – All rights reserved
With the rise of social media, PR’s role in an organization’s communications has expanded. When PR is used effectively it can help generate sales, but it’s marketing that creates, manages and executes the organization’s plans to develop products and persuade customers to buy them.
Is there anything else that you’d add to this chart in terms of categories or points? If so, what are they?
Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen
Here are some related articles to help you.
- Social Media vs Content Marketing [Chart]
- 12 Real-time PR and communications checklist
- Where does PR fit in your company?
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anythingbutstill/6515995071/
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