MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DISTINGUISHED

 

As this semester commences at Makerere University and specifically for bachelor of Journalism and Communication second year students, I would say so because this week is when we started course-works and tests. On Monday for example, we had to sit for two tests. One for International Organisations and another for Public Relations

It was ridiculous that, we who pursuing PR as a course unit found other students already doing PR test. That was hectic.

After these tests we had two course works for News Reporting, Writing and Production II which we handed in yesterday. Then we have two extensive assignments for PR and Media Ethics.

These assignments/ course works prompted one of my comrades to post on his Facebook timeline “uuuuuuh, this stress is driving me crazy! Can someone get me something better to do because I am about to quit studies...”

However, I learnt how PR can be distinguished from propaganda, Marketing, Sales promotion, spin, Journalism, etc. Many illiterately think that PR is same as marketing or propaganda which is not the case.

   Never confuse PR with Marketing

Public Relations Society (PRS) of America define Public Relations (PR) as the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual between an organisation and its publics

Marketing is the process of promoting, selling or distributing a product or service. It aims at catalysing movement of goods from producer to purchaser.

Marketing is paid for while PR is can be for free. Marketing efforts typically require financial investment, whether to purchase advertising space or enact a campaign, hence the need for allocated funds and resources. PR, on the other hand, can in fact be cost-free, as it is most focused on getting newsworthy information picked up by other outlets, such as social media or journalists, effectively promoting your brand

They differ in their main objectives. While both marketing and PR are communication efforts designed to boost business and promote a brand, their chief objectives are not the same. Marketing focuses on the market and building sales; PR focuses on relationships and building trust. Marketing is analytical and sales oriented and its job is to generate leads, sell stuff, and influence the buy.  Marketing aim at pushing the product or service a company provides, particularly in a way that appeals to the audience. In contrast PR is about building positive relationships with the public primarily through exposure and coverage in the media, for example, newspaper, radio, and TV newscast interviews, social networks, etc.

Difference in terms of content; When it comes to content, marketing is all about spin aimed at finding the right creative angle to package products or services in a way that draws the audience. PR, on the other hand, is more no-nonsense, traditional, with the tone of a press release or a news story. Content is what does the work in marketing, communicating and informing the customer; but content is just the beginning with PR, where the goal is to create something newsworthy and attention-grabbing that can be grown. 

Difference in terms of control; with marketing, a business can enjoy full authority over promotional materials, from branding, contests, messaging, etc. With PR, companies often do not have control over how the media presents information, if they use a company’s information at all. The PR department can pitch any story, emphasizing areas they want the media to mention and focus on, but the media can edit these stories or even changing stories at large and publishing stories much different from what PR department wanted.

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