The Similarities and Differences and
Why They Matter
By: Emma Trump
Published: February 21, 2023
Welcome in Communicators and Gatherers!
I hope you all learned a lot about the idea of connection and its role throughout the fields of Public Relations, Marketing, and Hospitality & Tourism in the latest blog post. If you are a new reader, make sure to go back and check out this post, as it gives you a thorough overview of each of these industries. Now that we have garnered a bird’s eye view of each of these disciplines, we will turn out attention to comparing Public Relations and Marketing. It is vital that, as professionals, we learn how these fields overlap and differentiate from one another. This knowledge is beneficial in understanding and optimizing the characteristics of these disciplines when looking for more work experience.
Blurred Lines
Public Relations and Marketing are closely related industries. Organizations tend to use these fields in conjunction with one another to deliver an organization’s message and build relationships with its publics. Thus, the correlations between these disciplines make it easier for people to mix them up or use them interchangeably.
Many Pathways
Going into college, I was still deciding what major I wanted to pursue, as I had spent time exploring a couple of fields of study throughout high school. I had determined interests in specific careers but needed to figure out what path to take there. I knew I wanted to further my skills and knowledge toward jobs in the event management and hospitality industry, but there were many options to make that a reality.
After deciding on the Public Relations major, my eyes were opened to various communication styles, strategies, and tools. I realized that PR often intersects with other fields of study, such as Marketing and Advertising. Upon further exploration and research, I determined that my college education and overall skillsets could be enhanced by taking up a Marketing minor to examine these disciplines closely. Throughout my various courses, I have been able to unpack the similarities and differences between PR and Marketing and how I can apply this knowledge to my future career.
Unique End Goals
Although organizations have shown that PR and Marketing pair nicely together, a Forbes article explains how “They each have a unique differentiator when it comes to the end goal” (Samson, 2022, para. 2). These fields may work in tandem to deliver content and cultivate brand loyalty, but one should not use the terms interchangeably. Samson (2022) in Forbes determines that the difference between PR and Marketing comes down to “what part of the sales funnel they directly engage with and the areas of your business they support” (para. 2).
Marketing Goals
These industries each have a unique end goal their strategies, content, and communication techniques are working toward and supporting within an organization. Samson (2022) expresses how for Marketing, “The end goal is typically to generate leads. A great marketing campaign can send sales opportunities right to the bottom of the funnel and drive conversions” (para. 3).
Marketers tend to focus on goals that generate the most leads and conversions through various calls to action (CTAs) (para. 4). They desire to get people to take action toward a particular message, idea, product, or service in an industry. Professionals in marketing are continuously developing new messages and content across different media platforms in hopes of making a powerful impact on their target audiences.
Public Relations Goals
While Marketing can help brands differentiate and position themselves from the competition, Samson (2022) conveys how Public Relations can amplify one’s marketing efforts and create a robust communications strategy (para. 5).
This statement is in no way meant to belittle the tools and skills of Marketing, as this field is crucial to creating a consistent brand image and brand loyalty. One should note not to expect the same results from one PR campaign versus one Marketing campaign (para. 9).
Playing the Long Game
Marketing is often the collective work of many interrelated media pieces that come out in spurts. Public Relations takes more of a marathon or long-game approach to communicating messages. It “drives the credibility of your company and the visibility of your executives” (para. 4) through a long and sometimes even multi-layered PR campaign.
Creating Brand Equity & Building Relationships
Unlike Marketing, PR tactics can create brand equity that “affects not just the entire funnel from top to bottom but also all other areas of your business, from executive visibility to recruitment to funding to customer retention” (para. 6).
Brand equity helps more people recognize your brand as a company’s messaging appears frequently and is positioned appropriately.
Although PR is often seen as a marketing function working alongside other media pieces, it works best when “given time to build relationships between the media and your brand” (para. 9). The PR industry revolves around building connections to provide the support and exposure to all aspects of one’s business.
After learning some of the primary distinctions between Public Relations and Marketing, check out the lists of skillsets below to examine how these disciplines work together and independently!
Top Recommended PR and Marketing Professional Skills!
Essential Marketing Skills from Hubspot:
- Digital Media and Design
- Content Creation
- Analytics
- Project Management
- Creativity/Collaboration
- Persuasion
Essential Public Relations Skills from Indeed
- Communication: Active Listening, Written Communication, Public Speaking
- Social Media Usage/Knowledgeability
- Research
- Time Management
- Creative Thinking
- International Perspective
- Brand Management
Hopefully, these lists help you quickly distinguish the characteristics of the two fields as we prepare to unpack them more in future blog posts.
Whether you are in the field of Public Relations or Marketing, I hope this post helped you draw some connections between them and differentiate the skillsets featured in these two industries. Over the next few blog posts, I plan to outline other comparisons between PR, Marketing, and Hospitality & Tourism. These posts will provide the foundation we need to explore the wide variety of career paths that stem from these industries and how you can find the one best suited for your skills and interests. Check back soon for future posts that build upon the knowledge gained in this initial comparison!
The Art of Gathering and Communicating 
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