It’s hard to imagine a situation where a brand doesn’t need to incorporate a PR strategy into their marketing efforts.
However, this dilemma has become more relevant in recent months, due to the new challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic has presented for communication and marketing in general, combined with the growing influence of digital media and platforms.
But as the French critic and journalist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr said more than two centuries ago: “The more things change, the more they stay the same” and this is a debate that has been ongoing for more than 50 years. For example, in 1978, an article published in The Journal of Marketing suggested that aligning the marketing and communication functions leads to better business results.
In a recent study, leaders of the marketing and public relations functions working in agencies and corporates were interviewed to understand if there is an opportunity for the integration of both functions. And yes, COVID-19 has been an important factor, but changes in the media, re-evaluation of brands and business performance are also factors.
Discussions about the integration of marketing and public relations are often abstract and contribute little in practice, because in many cases, they ignore the role of other interconnected functions within the organization, such as the relationship between sales and marketing, or the way in which that collaborate internal communication and human resources.
In itself, in large organizations, the composition of different public relations functions can be difficult to define. Each has its own set of audiences and goals. In addition, there are different priorities for corporate or financial public relations relative to consumer or community public relations.
The role of marketing and public relations within an organization is totally situational. It depends on a number of factors, such as the market, the capacity, the type of organization, and the size of the pie. Any discussion along these lines quickly becomes polarized and collapses. Conversations should start with the customer’s needs and business goals.
An organization must put its stakeholders first and build an operating model around their needs. When stakeholders and requirements overlap, it makes sense to integrate functions.
From a brand and agency perspective, the historical differences between the two disciplines mean that integration is not as simple as bringing two teams together. While the two disciplines are closer than in the past, primarily due to social and technological trends, each has its strengths to bring to any marketing campaign.
The reality is that today we see that all marketing services, including corporate communication, have naturally been divided into two parts. The first deals with the reputation of an organization, investors, crisis and risk; the second is aligned with sales and marketing.
As new markets and social media platforms expand, the two streams will almost certainly work together to ensure that a brand’s message is delivered in the most effective way possible. In the end, marketing and communications, like all operational functions of a company, must work together.