Written by Michael Feder
Reviewed byKathryn Uhles, MIS, MSP,Dean, College of Business and IT
Many people are unaware of the differences between marketing and public relations (PR). The confusion stems from the professions sharing some characteristics, in-house departments often lumping them together and people frequently using the terms interchangeably.
Marketing and PR are separate careers with different objectives, bringing distinct benefits to an organization. Marketing is driven by actively promoting and selling products and services. PR focuses on crafting and maintaining a positive image of an organization and brands within the media and public eye.
Learning about marketing and PR can help you decide which career may best suit your personality, skills, strengthsand goals.
Marketingis an umbrella term for developing, promoting and selling an organization’s products and services to itstarget clients and customers. Through research, advertisements, launches and campaigns, marketing intends to add value to what a client is trying to sell by telling a story to buyers.
For example, when a company develops a new product, its marketing department is often responsible for designing the launch strategy and determining how to stand out from the competition. Tactics may include placing the product with relevant influencers on social media or running giveaway campaigns. Marketing professionals must also liaise with other departments, such as sales and PR.
Marketing tends to be a broader sector than PR, providing a wide variety ofcareers. Industry evolves to keep pace with how people communicate and source entertainment, creating new opportunities. For instance, using social media as a marketing tool was still young back in 2010. But innovation remains necessary as users turn to fresh platforms, trends shift and new online tools emerge.
Marketing is built upon four pillars known as the 4Ps. These fundamentals have remained relevant even as communication, strategies and tactics have evolved along with society.
The pillars of marketing are:
Marketing professionals have strikingly different daily responsibilities from PR professionals. Marketing tasks aim to reach unique development, promotionand sales goals.
A marketing professional’smight include:
Marketing professionals create a marketing plan to provide a focus for objectives. It acts as an outline or road map, helping coordinate the tasks and roles of required parties.
Successful marketing plans :
Public relationsfocuses on crafting and maintaining an organization’s positive reputationin the public eye. PR professionals build positive relationships andcommunicatewith relevant audiences, such as the media, investors, partners, employees, customers/clients, influencersand the general public.
PR departments often work with marketing. For example, during a product launch, a PR department may be responsible for booking speaking events, sending press releases to relevant journalists and influencers, providing talking points to the sales teamand communicating with investors.
However, their primary role is often protecting an organization’s reputation, especially during a crisis.It is typically up to the PR department to take control of the narrative, curtail rumors, reassure stakeholders, provide transparency and rebuild trust.
PR consists of four crucial elements. However, these are strikingly different from marketing’s four pillars, as they serve separate objectives.
The four elements of PR are:
PR professionals share common daily tasks regardless of their industry. These focus on crafting an organization’s image and maintaining and building advantageous relationships.
A PR professional’smay include:
A PR plan outlines an organization’s strategy to achieve specific goals with a target audience within a set time frame. Underneath these individually tailored plans is a standard process.
Successful PR plans:
Marketing and PR are part of an organization’s toolbox. Like pliers and a wrench, they provide value in different ways. Understanding their differences allows an organization to know which one to use to achieve a goal or address a challenge.
To illustrate marketing’s and PR’s strengths, we’ve contrasted them in the following five aspects:
Marketing and PR activities differ in focus and objective.
Marketing and PR generally have different target audiences.
Marketing and PR communicate to target audiences differently. The methods are not necessarily perceived as equally credible in the public eye, which can affect the level of trust in messages received.
Marketing and PR give an organization or client a different return on investment (ROI). Both cost an organization or client money, but the metrics used to determine their value are not the same.
Still, some metrics are available to assess PR, such as the amount of positive press generated, industry awards, invitations to speak at events and organizations, the amount of online chatter and features on vlogs, blogs and reels, the quality of candidates applying for jobs, and partners and investors who want to work with the organization.
Marketing and PR use different resources and do not have the same impact on a budget.
Marketing and PR, contributing to why some people might confuse the two professions. The similarities are also why it isn’t uncommon to meet professionals with experience in both industries. Many have started in one career before discovering they were happier and better suited in the other.
Similarities in marketing and PR include:
Marketing and PR are exciting options for creative people passionate about communication and storytelling. These professions may appeal to those who excel at adapting, finding solutions and making backup plans. Neither industry stands still, which many curious people find attractive as there are always new things to learn and fresh opportunities.
Nor does either industry require you to be an extrovert,although many are found in these professions. Introverts also find their place, often able to build strong connections and use their listening skills to deliver what clients want.
If this sounds like you, your next challenge is assessing which career path will motivate you and be the best use of your skills and efforts.
Marketinguses storytelling to sell a product or service, but the messages often involve graphics in addition to words. Strong visual communicators often enjoy the advertising side of marketing.
Those motivated by hitting or exceeding hard targets may also prefer marketing. The sales and engagement figures and other data clearly show how close marketing professionals are to reaching their goal.
Researchers enjoy marketing because it allows them to use data to find opportunities, and the metrics provide solid feedback on performance and where adjustments need to be made.
PRuses storytelling to build and maintain a positive reputation for an organization or client. The messages and communication are heavily word based, appealing to those who enjoy writing.
Professionals in this field use networking to build lasting relationships. Consequently, PR sometimes favors those who take satisfaction from playing the long game, where a reputation is sculpted over time.
Results don’t always lend themselves to easily quantifiable results. Sometimes, the joy in PR comes from turning a potentially disastrous story into a positive situation.
PR may involve public speaking and answering direct questions from the press or key stakeholders. Some people who struggle with small talk excel in this role as they control the narrative, framing it to suit their client’s interests.
Does marketing appeal to you? ۴ýoffers aBachelor of Science in Business with a Marketing Certificatethat teachesskills such as communication, marketing analysis, operations and leadership.
This program also teaches how to integrate business concepts and principles to advance organizational goals, analyze market research used to make business decisions, develop marketing strategies based on reliable marketing data and concepts, and more.
If a career in PR appeals to you, consider aBachelor of Science in Communication,which teaches skills such as communication, writing, editing and leadership. This program also teaches how to integrate theories and best practices to determine communication strategies, develop communication plans for diverse purposes, evaluate communication effectiveness for a variety of contexts, and more.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and its Writing Seminars program and winner of the Stephen A. Dixon Literary Prize, Michael Feder brings an eye for detail and a passion for research to every article he writes. His academic and professional background includes experience in marketing, content development, script writing and SEO. Today, he works as a multimedia specialist at ۴ý where he covers a variety of topics ranging from healthcare to IT.
Currently Dean of the College of Business and Information Technology,Kathryn Uhles has served ۴ý in a variety of roles since 2006. Prior to joining ۴ý, Kathryn taught fifth grade to underprivileged youth in ۴ý.
This article has been vetted by ۴ý's editorial advisory committee.
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