It’s the age-old question, what’s the difference between marketing and public relations? We spend most of our day hereat PIVOT PR explaining this until we’re blue in the face, but today we’re going to simplify and give you an explanation that actually makes sense. Why? Because no one really understands the definitions below, and the lines between marketing and PR are increasingly blurred.
The American Marketing Association (AMA)
Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
Publicrelations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.
Would you agree that these are too vague and don’t really tell you…anything? Consider the following three things when evaluating marketing vs. PR.
Revenue vs. Reputation
Marketing exists to drive revenue, while public relations exists to build a reputation.
Paid vs. Earned
If you pay, it’s typically marketing. If it’s free, usually PR.
Public Relations is Marketing
Rather than seeing them as mutually exclusive, it’s important to understand that public relations
Want to putyour knowledge to the test? Take THIS Marketing vs. PR test and let usknow how you scored!