Marketing and PR – what is the difference?

Do you know the difference between marketing and public relations? Do you think that they are the same thing? And do you need to do both? We answer these questions in the following article.

Marketing and PR – table of contents

At first glance, it may seem that marketing and PR are like two peas in a pod. After all, they both deal with a similar field – communication – to achieve a similar goal – promoting the brand and attracting customers. Despite these superficial similarities and overlapping goals, marketing and PR are quite different. So what are they, and do you need them both?

In this article, we look at the differences between marketing and public relations and answer the second question. But before we keep going, let’s start with some definitions.

Definitions of marketing and public relations

Both of these fields can be defined in various ways:

Marketing. Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller in their book “Marketing” write that “one of the shortest good definitions of marketing is as follows: satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit.” Analyzing this statement, we immediately see the complexity of marketing and that it is based on a wide range of activities. This includes market research and identifying target groups, brand strategy, and promotion, as well as analyzing results and optimizing taken actions.

Public relations. Public relations is a somewhat less comprehensive phenomenon than marketing. We can define PR as a set of communication activities aimed at creating a positive brand image, managing reputation, and building relationships with various stakeholders—such as customers and investors—through media contacts and sharing press information.

These definitions constitute the goals set for marketing and PR activities. To better understand the differences between the two, let’s examine a few selected goals.

Marketing and PR goals

Marketing goals

The most important goals of marketing include:

Creating value through products and services. One of the main tasks of marketing is to create and deliver value to customers by offering products or services that meet their needs.
Identifying the market and audience segment. Marketing researches the market and identifies audience segments to effectively reach specific customer groups with relevant offers and messages.
Promoting and building brand awareness. The purpose of marketing is to promote a brand and build brand awareness among customers through a variety of activities that are consistent with the brand’s strategy, such as advertising on the Internet.
Increasing sales and creating demand. The ultimate goal of marketing is to increase sales by generating demand for the company’s products or services. Marketing activities are designed to encourage customers to buy.

PR goals

The most important goals of PR include:

Building a positive brand image. PR focuses on building a positive brand image through effective communication with various stakeholder groups.
Reputation management. PR activities aim to shape public opinion by managing media coverage and responding to emerging events to maintain a positive brand image.
Communication with the media and stakeholders. PR engages in communication with the media, investors, customers, job candidates, and other stakeholder groups to build a relationship with them and engage them with a particular company.
Crisis management. PR is responsible for responding to crises and managing crisis communications to minimize damage to the company’s reputation and build trust.

Differences between marketing and PR

Although we can see similarities between the two activities, defining and setting goals for marketing and PR highlights the differences between the two.

First, marketing focuses primarily on creating value, generating demand, and increasing sales. PR, on the other hand, focuses on building a positive image of a particular company in a given environment.

Secondly, there are also differences in the target audiences between the two. While marketing mainly targets customers and potential buyers, PR engages in communication with various stakeholders—including potential customers, employees, job candidates, and the public—through media contacts and presence.

Finally, the results of marketing and PR activities are measured differently. In marketing, for example, we measure the conversion of social media advertising campaigns, the level of brand awareness among consumers, or the number of visits to a website in response to content marketing efforts. Meanwhile, measuring success in PR is more challenging because it can include factors such as brand exposure in industry media.

What to choose – marketing or PR?

Now, the question arises: “Should I be doing both marketing and PR to achieve tangible business results?” In our opinion, yes – we’ll explain why in a moment. But first, let us mention that the first step in crafting a communication strategy should be developing a brand strategy – this, among others, determines its identity and image, considering its mission, vision, and values, and taking into account the business goals of the company.

So, having both a brand strategy and a communication strategy will help you choose the right communication actions to achieve your business goals. If you haven’t developed either strategy yet, we recommend reading this article.

Go hybrid – 4 reasons

Getting back to the “why” question – why should you do both marketing and PR at the same time? In our opinion, there are at least four good reasons.

PR strengthens marketing

Let’s take a look at Coca-Cola. The maker of this sweet beverage perfectly integrates marketing and PR activities, effectively building a brand image based on strong emotions, tradition, and shared experiences.

For example, it runs TV advertising campaigns, promotes its products as a symbol of joy, socializing, and time together, enters into partnerships with charitable organizations, sponsors cultural events, and promotes social actions. These activities strengthen Coca-Cola’s position in the market.

PR affects credibility

Speaking well of ourselves is not the same as letting others speak well of us. And the latter way greatly increases credibility in the eyes of the audience. Which way is that? PR, of course. This is useful at many points in the life of an organization, and especially in crisis communication, when we seek support from the outside, from the media.

There are many examples, but let’s take Uber. By responding to all controversies and challenges related to its activities, the company responsibly manages its public image. For example, in 2022, it released a report on sexual assaults during Uber rides. It showed that the number had gone down, which was supposed to confirm that the company’s safety measures were working.

PR builds reach

Usually, media have “reach” (access to audiences) that is unavailable to brands – especially small ones with modest marketing budgets. In such a case, engaging in PR activities can help a brand reach a wide audience.

Let’s take, for example, a startup that wants to raise venture capital funds for further development. To reach potential investors, such a startup could appear in industry media, presenting itself as a promising investment opportunity.

Would this startup achieve the same effect by only being present in its own channels? Perhaps, but it would certainly take much more time.

PR and marketing engage customers

Both marketing and PR are essential to building customer engagement and long-term relationships. Let’s take, for example, Nike, a shoe manufacturer. The company actively markets and promotes its products, inspiring people to be physically active.

At the same time, Nike engages in PR activities, such as sponsoring sports events, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and participating in social initiatives.

Combine PR and marketing in 5 steps

If those four points make sense to you, let’s now focus on integrating marketing with PR.

Define common goals

Marketing and PR departments should work together to set communication goals so that later their messages are consistent. Common goals may be building brand awareness, creating customer engagement, and boosting sales.

Actions to be taken:

start by building a brand strategy (we talked about this earlier),
set clear goals to make it easier to track progress,
hold regular strategy meetings for the marketing and PR teams.

Ensure collaboration between both teams

Keeping both teams in the loop through constant communication helps track progress, spot potential issues, and adapt to changes swiftly. This makes teamwork smoother and more effective.

Actions to be taken:

define a meeting schedule – daily, weekly, etc.
use online collaboration tools, for example, instant messengers,
create a common system for tracking progress. For example, use Firmbee.

Keep your communication coherent

Consistently sticking to certain values, tone, and brand image builds trust and loyalty among customers. All communication efforts should be aligned with the company’s main goals and values.

Actions to be taken:

create a brand book that outlines basic communication principles and brand image guidelines,
develop a content plan that addresses different objectives, channels, and communication methods,
make sure all employees understand the basic rules of communication and brand image to keep the message consistent throughout the organization.

Use various channels of communication

An effective integration of marketing and PR activities (based on a brand strategy) uses various tools and communication channels. It blends advertising, participation in press events, social media presence, and other forms of communication to reach diverse audiences.

Actions to be taken:

develop a multi-channel communication strategy, one that considers various channels and methods to reach customers,
test and optimize the communication methods outlined in the strategy to identify the most effective ways to reach the chosen target audience,
ensure that the brand message is consistent across all communication channels while maintaining flexibility and adjusting communication to the specifics of each medium (for example, to the algorithms used by social media).

Analyze results and optimize

Finally, when it comes to analyzing your marketing and PR efforts, it’s important to remember that if you can’t measure something, you can’t improve it. Therefore, for each objective, it is worth defining a measurable, quantified KPI (Key Performance Indicator) that will tell you if the plan you are implementing is bringing you closer to your objective. This will let you improve your communication and adjust your direction.

Actions to be taken:

establish a system for monitoring key performance indicators to determine progress toward communications goals,
analyze data in real time and respond quickly to changes to keep your efforts competitive and effective,
conduct regular reviews and retrospectives to assess the effectiveness of your efforts and identify areas for improvement.

Marketing and PR – summary

While marketing and PR have a lot in common, they are distinct fields. When deciding if we need both, it is important to consider the individual goals and needs of our company. It is also crucial to understand that marketing and PR can complement each other and bring different benefits to the organization.

And integrating the two is what we recommend.

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Author: Adam Sawicki
Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Rebiznes.pl, a website with news, interviews, and guides for solo entrepreneurs and online creators. In media since 2014.
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