Written By: Olivia Anselment
Naomi (Public Relations, ’25) – “Public relations is about building relationships with the public and handling the public’s image of a business.”
Michael Kysylyczyn (Communication, ’26) – “Public Relations is how you construct your company’s brand or personal image for the public.”
We’ve seen what some UNW students say what PR is, but PR can be a lot more things than two definitions. What distinguishes it from Marketing and Communications? Isn’t it all just talking, writing and promoting brands? Let’s dive in.
Marketing vs PR vs Communications: Who’s really doing the talking?
So, what’s the difference between Marketing, Public Relations and Communications? Aren’t they all just the same thing with slight differences? The short answer is yes and no. Yes, they all share a similar basis for what they do, but they also all have differences in how they target markets and audiences. These three areas often work together, especially in politics, media/entertainment and PR crisis.
Marketing uses strategies to target a specific market with specific actions. It studies trends and decides how to best approach markets and how to interest that target market with a product, service or program. Marketing acts as a behind the scenes agent and has strategies on how to work the markets and promote their brands.
Public Relations often comes after marketing. Like marketing, it uses strategies and tactics to influence the public’s view of a company, business or brand. Public Relations works with Marketing to allow targeting efforts to succeed. The main difference is that Public Relations has to do with a company’s image, rather than its reach.
Communications is specifically focused on the messages you are sending to audiences. How messages are delivered, received, what channels they take and receiving feedback. Communications must remain deliberate and consistent in order to properly send the right messages. Communications is the message that’s being presented, or in this case, communicated.
PR Crisis, Entertainment and Politics…Oh My!
Now that we have narrowed down what public relations is and is not, we can explore some of the subsects of PR. PR Crisis is especially big for large brands, media, or celebrities. It bleeds into entertainment, sports, politics, and many more. PR Crisis deals with issues that are a threat to a brand or company’s image. For example, a scandal, a leak of sensitive information, a CEO making an inappropriate comment; there are many examples of a crisis that PR crisis teams handle. There are some important questions to consider to determine if there is a PR Crisis situation at hand. Will this damage a brand’s reputation? Could this lead to a loss of trust in a company? Is there a risk to a team or their clients? PR Crisis handles all of these situations.
PR with Entertainment has some similar qualities to PR Crisis, just without the immediate Crisis. Though problems are always on the rise, PR in entertainment focuses on things like movie promotions, the images of a Hollywood star, sports start, celebrity or musician. Everything you’ve seen about any of the previously mentioned famous individuals online or in the media is often curated by PR teams to display a particular image of that star. Photo ops of stars in certain places, doing certain things and being around certain people. All to build an image of what PR wants the viewer or audience to see.
Political PR often follows the same lines as PR Crisis does in the sense that they are ready to spring into action. Political PR will speak on behalf of their political clients, releasing statements and conveying information on campaigns and their client’s initiatives. The reputation of a politician is very important; therefore, political PR is of the same importance and can often make or break an election.
Marketing, PR and communications all share some similarities but they each play unique roles in shaping public perception. Marketing focuses on driving sales through targeted campaigns, PR focuses on managing reputation and relationships, and Communications ensures that messages are delivered clearly, the reach of a brand and ensures that a company or brand maintains a positive image with its audiences.
PR is most important to protecting a brand’s reputation and navigating sensitive situations. Whether in the world of politics, entertainment, or corporate enterprises, PR professionals are the ones who help shape public perception and manage complex communications. PR continully shows its constant importance to our current global culture where image is everything.
Citations
Pushkin, J. (2022, February 1). What is a PR Crisis? Denver Public Relations Firm. https://www.pushkinpr.com/blog/what-pr-crisis-denver-colorado-public-relations-firm/
Edwards, K. (2024, May 31). Everything you Need to Know About Political PR. Determ. https://determ.com/blog/political-pr/
Bischoff, S. (2015, March 27). Marketing, Public Relations, Communications: What’s the Difference? Conservation Impact | Nonprofit Impact. https://conservationimpact-nonprofitimpact.com/marketing-public-relations-communications-whats-the-difference/
