The Role of Public Relations in Marketing
In a complex and hugely competitive market place, marketing and the disciplines within it must work seamlessly together. Marketing and public relations need one another--a good reputation makes marketing something easier, while effective marketing means the PR function has a real "hook" on which to base itself--but they work differently. Specific target markets and goals drive marketing, while PR focuses on creating a "buzz" or positive feeling around a specific entity or product.
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PR Defined
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PR, whether proactive or reactive, boosts an organization’s profile in a positive way. Proactive PR might involve placing editorials in industry publications, arranging for a key figure to deliver a press conference on a new development or finding a celebrity to endorse a product. Reactive PR includes coordinating a response to a negative press story (also known as damage control), providing editorials to journalists and media evaluation.
Marketing Defined
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Marketing usually serves as the umbrella under which the other communications disciplines sit. Marketing targets specific audiences, aiming to make them purchase a product, click through an email to visit a website or use a coupon. It serves as a means to retain customers by regular contact that builds and maintains a relationship, such as by personalized emails or direct mail.
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Effects
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PR creates a context in which marketing activity can work more effectively, and conveys messages not normally addressed through conventional marketing or advertising, such as good news about a business or a new service or product. It also sets the scene for other marketing activity and drives people to a product or service, boosting the bottom line. For example, a consumer who sees a positive review of a product in a magazine or hears someone talking about on the radio, then receives a direct mail, likely will respond to it positively.
Example
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When Papa John’s pioneered text message pizza-ordering in 2008, Fleishman-Hillard's PR approach helped it increase traffic to its website by more than 2,000 percent, reports the Public Relations Society of America. It did this by securing an exclusive story in the Wall Street Journal and an Associated Press story picked up by numerous print publications around the country. An event at the high-traffic Mall of America capitalized on people's interest by getting the World’s Fastest Talker and the World’s Fastest Texter to determine the quickest way of ordering--the old-fashioned way via phone or ordering via text message. The vivid visuals provided to broadcast media made the story relevant to the broadest possible audience.
Considerations
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Some smaller organizations feel that they don’t need or cannot afford an in-house PR team, choosing instead to bring in experts to raise awareness of a new service or piece of news, for example. They might commission an individual on a freelance basis, for example, or put a PR agency on a retainer. For optimal results, they should facilitate integration of the PR expertise and the marketing team, by making sure they understand the wider business and marketing objectives, ensuring there’s a rapport between the people involved, and finding out how to support and measure creative approaches.
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References
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Comments
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I really agree perfectly.
