February 2, 2023

When Public Relations Meets Marketing

Public relations and marketing are like peanut butter and jelly; they mix well as long as you don’t over-add one and under-add the other. Many people aren’t clear on where one ends and the other begins, as their crossover is very common in terms of public perception. A main difference between the two is that marketing is more clearly promotional, whereas public relations is meant to come off as more genuine, at least in comparison. In a nutshell: Public relations should be a part of any organization’s overall marketing mix.

Paid Media vs Earned Media

What’s the difference between the segments on Good Morning America and the commercials in between? You pay for the commercial, you earn your chance at getting on Good Morning America. This is an example of the difference between marketing and public relations. One dedicates a lot of time and resources to trying to earn media opportunities, the other avoids the trial and error and pays for the media opportunities. Neither is better than the other, each has its own strengths, and both are often utilized in organizations.

Utilizing paid media (commercials, sponsorships, web ads) is a great way to guarantee that eyeballs will see your message, and having that allows you to then focus more time and energy on the creative aspects, messaging, and offers. This is marketing. PR, on the other hand, refers to earned media (quotes in publications, being featured in broadcast media, reviews, or other forms of word of mouth) and cannot be bought (or at least should not be). You will reach out to various outlets and publications, but you won’t know what opportunities will emerge, thus you can’t prepare for them as easily as you can with paid media.

Brand Awareness

It doesn’t matter if you’re McDonald’s, a local law firm, or a small backpack zipper manufacturer, the right people need to be aware of your business’s existence or else you won’t exist for very long. That doesn’t mean every company needs to launch big general marketing campaigns, but identifying the people or groups that are most important to your organization and sharing your message with them is crucial to your success.

Marketing and public relations both have a profound impact on an organization’s brand awareness. Through the various forms of marketing, you can generate brand awareness generally with traditional and newer forms of advertising. You can use digital marketing tools to create and target a campaign to groups you believe would be more receptive to your message and more positively impactful for your business. Conversely, public relations may not use the same type of tools, but it can be used to naturally insert your brand or message into a mainstream conversation, ultimately leading to positive sentiment and increased brand awareness.

Consistent Messaging

A consistent message doesn’t have to mean that you’re just copying and pasting the same language for both your marketing and public relations efforts, but consistent messaging does require regular communication and understanding of the business and how it’s to be presented. Just imagine your elementary school teacher reminding your entire class that you’re representing the school on your field trip to the zoo, so make sure you’re on your best behavior. If someone isn’t in sync with the communication, then they can make a mistake that can reflect poorly on the organization and cause confusion to potential customers.

Contact Horowitz Agency to Improve Your PR and Marketing

Horowitz Agency is one of the top marketing and PR agencies in New York and the country. Our talented and seasoned team can produce and deliver high-level marketing and public relations strategies and campaigns based on your organization’s specific needs. Reach out to us if you’re looking for a seamless public relations and marketing plan.