What is the role of public relations?

Almost all large organizations either have a public relations department or outsource their public relations needs to a company.Public relations is seen as a vital part of maintaining the organization's image and of communicating its message to its customers, investors and the general public. A positive perception of a company or non-profit can increase its sales and improve its bottom line. The functions and key tasks of a public relations specialist can be varied.

Public Image Strategy

Public relations strategists will work with top executives in the organization to craft an overview of how the company wants to be perceived, and how it is going to project a positive image. This can involve focusing in on exactly the right message, and then deciding on the broad outlines of a campaign to disseminate that message.

Outreach Events

Public relations professionals often arrange events to raise the profile of the organization or lend its brand and name to a charitable event that represents the philosophy of the company. Think of a corporation sponsoring a Special Olympics event, or a hospital organizing a health outreach day in its town.

Media Relations

Talking with the media is a core function of public relations departments. Public relations professionals field questions from reporters, arrange for interviews with key individuals in the organization and write press releases to make the media aware of company events or achievements.

Social Media

One emerging function of public relations is to maximize an organization's positive use of social media to build its image. Managing a Twitter feed, a Facebook page and a YouTube channel are all vital ways to connect with possible new customers or stakeholders. Monitoring public comment about the organization on the Internet can also give PR professional's early warning of any emerging trends or problems.

Handling Emergencies

Sometimes a company or organization is struck by a disastrous event that ruins its public image. This might be an oil company that has to deal with a high profile spill, or a food company that has a contamination event. Public relations professionals decide how the organization will repair the damage to its image, communicate how it is dealing with the problem and regain control of its message.

When it comes to differentiating between marketing, advertising and public relations, its quite challenging to delineate the exact differences between the three.

Unless, of course, you know someone who’s an expert at all three. Luckily you’re at TOP’s Blog, so you’re in safe hands! 🙂

After all, public relations to publicity to sales, there are different terms that are used interchangeably to describe the activities that all contribute to the broader company goal.

So, before we dive into the differences between the three lets define what is marketing and advertising so that it’s easy to differentiate them from public relations.

What is Marketing?

The formal definition of Marketing is, “An aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer.”

When you think of marketing you need to have a holistic view point rather than a tunnel vision. Marketing is basically the whole puzzle, as opposed to a single piece.

It’s for this exact reason that many companies have marketing departments which are performing a whole multitude of activities including public relations and advertising.

Marketing is the overall activity that represents the steps taken by a company to get more eye balls for their product or services.

What is Advertising?

The formal definition of Advertising: “The action of calling something to the attention of public especially by paid advertisements.”

In contrast, you can think of advertising more like a singular activity – as opposed to a strategy.

Advertising is a marketing communication that deploys an openly non personal, sponsored message to promote a product or service.

Advertisements come in many different formats, form interactive video to copy, and have evolved to become a crucial feature of the overall promotion framework.

The major differences between PR, Marketing & Advertising

Their Structure

Like we’ve mentioned earlier, the structure between the three is a key differentiator between the three.

We really liked how Laura Lake in a post for The Balance summed up the difference.

“Think of marketing as a pie. Inside that pie you have slices of advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement.

When we talk about the structure, this practically means that public relations and advertising are pretty much the same – they are both part of the bigger marketing pie.

Their Goals

Marketing, Public Relations and Advertising have the same goal: Increasing Sales of a service or product.

However, within that larger goal, all three have individual goals as well:

• Goal of Marketing:  To acquire new customers while fostering and maintaining a great relationship with them well into the future.
• Goal of Public Relations: To create, maintain and protect the companies reputation, enhance its prestige, and present a favorable image.
• Goal of Advertising: To inform, persuade, or remind your clients about your service or product.

Their Efforts

Different efforts and activities help differentiate between these often confused labels.

As a brief example, answer a simple question (consider it as a quiz). Which of the following is not an aspect of advertising?

• Purchasing a half-page in a local newspaper to promote your new service.
• Placing ads on LinkedIn to target your target market.
• Putting a Press Release about your new service.

If you guessed “C”, you’re correct. For recall, advertising involves paying for a specific promotion.

What are the four roles of public relations?

What role does public relations play in society?