The role of public relations in the marketing mix

Stated simply, the discipline of marketing is getting the right products (goods or services) in the right quantity at the right place at the right time – and making a profit out of the operation. So, what role does public relations play in the marketing operation? Separating out the marketing mix into its various components, a generally accepted definition is ‘the four Ps’ – product, price, place and promotion.

The role of public relations in the marketing mix is simple: communicate key messages to defined target audiences within the marketing chain to influence purchasing decisions. The same could be said of all marketing communications disciplines. The difference is one of third party endorsement. For example, if advertising is what a company says about itself, then public relations is what others say about the company. The difference between advertising and public relations lies between paying for media space versus the use of editorial with implied third party endorsement to inform and persuade. Of course public relations is much more than media relations and has a broader role than marketing communications.

Public relations can also be described as the management of reputation. A useful short summary of public relations which is recognized by the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) underlines this notion:

Public relations is about reputation – the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you… Public relations practice is the discipline which looks after reputation with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour.

A more specific explanation of public relations in a broader context is provided in a report developed for the Department of Trade and Industry:

Inasmuch as reputation affects marketing, public relations has a key part to play in the marketing mix. It also can have a crucial role in communicating an organization’s corporate objectives to key audiences and may form an integral part of the management function, enhancing internal (employee) and external relationships. Good PR thus can make a significant contribution to a company’s competitiveness and overall market position.

According to the Henley Centre^*, word-of-mouth constitutes one of the top three most common client concerns, with the power of retailer and own label brands, and customer loyalty and retention, coming first and second respectively.

Word-of-mouth can make or break a brand as evidenced by the marketing crises of recent history – Hoover^* is an obvious example. Public relations can assist in such cases by helping to shape the messages to be carried by word-of-mouth.

Gaining credibility through third party endorsement, public relations can:

• create a market environment;

• increase visibility and/or share of voice;

• inform/educate the consumer;

• influence the trade;

• support a salesforce;

• harness influentials/opinion formers;

• extend promotions;

• hype advertising;

• exploit sponsorship;

• manage issues;

• contain crises.

Any combination of these aims can be tackled through marketing communications public relations, but one must first understand the objectives of the organization marketing the product.