PR and Marketing Simply put Public Relations, as compared to marketing or advertising is a strategy to develop and promote oneself that helps to earn reputation and understanding among the public. Everything thereon, said, written, implied, express, direct or indirect becomes public relations. As the world shrunk, conversation spaces expanded the conversations collided. It is good and bad, depending on how we wish to see it. The more you say the more it spreads and the more it is interpreted. How you say it, slashes the possibility of opposition in half. Companies have been known to invest magnanimously in advertising and marketing campaigns. Breaking down the difference, in a before and after scenario, few things: 1. Consumer awareness. Initially the campaigns were first to educate, create a need and then release new products. Now, the consumer already knows. They compare and educate themselves on the services and products available and weigh their choices accordingly. 2. Means of communication. Increase in consumption is for both, products and services, including means of communication. Mobile phones, social media, texting and then word of mouth. Information is accessible and deliverable at negligible costs. 3. Most importantly, public interest peaked due to easy accessibility of everything from inquiry to purchase. Consumers started focusing on their associations with producers, with an emotional and social stake in their investments. It doesn’t take much to realise how comprehensive a marketing strategy is. The realm of ad agencies is a league apart comprising of some of the most creative minds, with an ability to sell just about anything. The 21st century however is more than just sales. It includes engagement. The distance between supplier and consumer does not exist. Moreover, a marketing scheme once developed serves the company for a good period of time before being replaced and what with public memory is soon forgotten. Most times it pays off since the returns during the infancy and maturity of the ad scheme are proportional or high. However, it dwindles at the same rate due to competition and new products. This is the thumb rule. Enter PR. Public Relations promotes these ad campaigns and boosts market strategies. It is simple human interaction in the consumer’s language and instead of persuasion uses honest interaction, which creates a network of influencers that independently channel your communication through their word of mouth. In all, the old ways work timeless wonders. So one must not compare, since the two spheres are not just professional specializations. You cannot teach creativity. You cannot teach how to interact, in gestures and anticipate thoughts. These are intrinsic characteristics. They are overlapping spheres of chosen specializations. However, PR now is more effective owing to the cascading effect of several factors that now work to promote, educate and entertain at the same time. While marketing is continuous in intervals, PR never hits a comma or a full stop.
