Hey fellow interns
Well i have about 2 weeks left in my placement at LUCT so i thought that i could use this time to reflect on my first post's aim which was to see how working in a marketing department but on PR terms was going to be like. I had hoped that i would see the benefits or disadvantages of both ( if any). Well all i can say overall is that it has been an insightful experience.
I have then come to the realization of the importance of PR in marketing and that PR is responsible for how an organization looks in the marketplace. Yes, you can have all the information and your products and services might be good but if there is no proper channel to disseminate and manage that information (PR) an organizations success rate will be limited.
I have learned that an organization needs an effective PR group because without one certain situations especially those of a crisis will not be handled properly and it could have disastrous results. Working at LUCT has shown me that the PR team works hand i hand with the marketing team more so how the PR team will be in charge of facing the media during good and bad situations.
Marketing uses PR because of the various methods that they use to get their messages across such as press releases, news articles , flyers and brochures(which we use a lot in LUCT for dissemination of information to current and prospective students). So the PR team is responsible for making sure that the information that is let out is appropriate and suites the objectives of the marketing department.
PR is an effective way of reaching out to different markets which is exactly what the department is seeking for the university to maintain its image of being a multi- national global community.
I did however discover that the way you write for purely PR and for Marketing PR differs. This became evident to me when i was assigned to work with a supervisor at the Pr department while also working in marketing. I found that when i was writing articles for marketing they would sound more like sales pitches while the ones for PR would be more subtle because my supervisor had told me to "keep it real" while still maintaining that we are the best. I felt as though i was being caught in between but it was an educational experience for me and made me realize that there are many sides to PR,
Finally, I can say that it has been a great experience( minus getting up at dawn each morning) and that i wouldn't mind working in the marketing industry but doing PR , I believe that they call that marketing -PR. I feel that the two go hand in hand and they need each other . An important thing i learned is that good communication is essential between the two teams in order to keep everyone on the same page which works overall for the good of the organization.
well, that's all from me, not too sure if this is my last post( coz this is a very unpredictable industry) but for now i hope that the next 14 days go by fast ( i miss going to class.lol)
cheers
Sadie
4 comments:
I really liked your post - it is interesting to hear about the subtle differences in PR writing. Thanks!
Hi Sadie,
I found your post really interesting. Specially your quote,
“Yes, you can have all the information and your products and services might be good but if there is no proper channel to disseminate and manage that information (PR) an organizations success rate will be limited.”
I totally agree with you on this matter. However, people still tend to think PR is a division of marketing. The value of PR is somehow underappreciated because of the fact that we too are advocators of what we stand for, whether it is a client, a product, service or a belief. It is very different from marketing because it brings relationships together through successful communication which is usually beyond the 4P’s of marketing (product, price, place and promotion).
According to American Marketing Association “Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals,” while according to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations “Public relations is a strategic management function that adds value to an organisation by helping it to manage its reputation”. Hence, when we break down these big words, it comes actually to what you are saying “PR is an effective way of reaching out to different markets which is exactly what the department is seeking for the university to maintain its image of being a multi- national global community.”
Here are some information I found from the internet. This particular piece by Ms. P Satawedin which I think would be interesting to everyone, identifies some differences between marketing pr and pure PR.
“DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING PUBLIC RELATIONS
Because of the development from pure PR to MPR, there are slight differences in terms of tool, techniques, and concepts. More explanations can give better understanding. “Public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends” (Cutlip et al., 2000: p.6). In other words, PR officers have to seek a way how to establish and maintain relationships between an organization and the publics according to the organization-driven concept. MPR, on the contrary, PR follows the marketing function, i.e. it brings the concept of consumer-orientation. Corporate performance is up to the consumer’s thinking and attitude. Furthermore, the previous PR mostly focused on the internal such as officers and employees. At present, it is not only internal, but also external, as customers, suppliers, and distributors are being developed. In the same time, PR publicity used old techniques containing bulletins, newsletters, and annual reports. However, techniques are new more up-to-date and sophisticated. Now, on the other hand, there is a mixture of varied media as mentioned above. Finally, only the PR strategy had been used to achieve its own goal, without the consideration of the public needs and wants. As with the concept of the marketing strategy, the newer PR socially responds to our physical and social needs, which are beneficial to the adjustment and maintenance of the social system (Goldman, 1984).”
Excerpt from http://www.bu.ac.th/knowledgecenter/epaper/july_dec2005/patama.pdf. I would suggest everyone to read this. It is very informative.
Thank you Sadie, for a very insightful post. Would love to hear more about your experiences working in Marketing PR.
Best regards,
Imaan
Hi Sadie,
I'm quite keen to work in Marketing-PR. I think the combination of developing a product or service (marketing), then developing a strong brand to go with it (PR) is really exciting.
I like your insight into the subtle difference in writing between the two disciplines.
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