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Media Relations · Published August 8, 2021

Ronn Torossian
By Ronn Torossian
Founder & Chairman, 5W

Marketing Versus Public Relations

marketing vs pr comparison chart showing key differences
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There was a time when PR was associated with free publicity and marketing with paid advertising. That distinction has blurred since the popularity of the internet, especially social media. On the other hand, it depends upon whom you ask. For companies selling products or services, marketing, and public relations have the same goal of producing positive returns that result in increased business and profits. That has never changed but social media has drawn the lines closer together in what’s called relationship management. It’s also called relationship marketing. How so? Paying for an ad on Google would normally be labeled marketing while paying for materials to nurture a potential customer would generally be considered PR. It was kind of a one-two punch. PR set up the potential customer and generated goodwill and interest wile marketing followed up with a deal that the customer couldn’t refuse and acted on.

Marketing vs PR Strategies

PR and marketing, although they have similar strategies, are two completely different promotional efforts for companies. Plenty of people tend to mistake the two industries as the same thing with very different names and the same goals and results. Unfortunately, this way of thinking is harmful to attaining the goals of both of these different efforts.  Although both PR and marketing have plenty of similarities, there are some crucial ways in which these two efforts differ from each other. In fact, when marketers and PR professionals think that either effort is an extension of the other one, it can lead to a loss in the company’s brand awareness or its reputation with the target audience.  Although both PR and marketing have plenty of similar strategies and processes, they have plenty of unique things that differentiate them from each other, especially when it comes to the end goals of each effort. The main thing that it comes down to is which part of the sales funnel consumers are directly engaging with, as well as the areas that each effort supports inside the company itself. 

Marketing

When it comes to marketing, the main goal is to generate leads. With the help of a great marketing campaign, companies can receive plenty of sales opportunities and drive conversions. The reason behind this is because if a company has a clear message that gets the attention of consumers, more consumers will be inclined to buy that product. Most of the time, marketing goals tend to be based on generating high-quality leads and giving the sales teams what they need to close deals.

Public Relations

On the other hand, PR is a long-term process which has the goal of increasing the credibility of a company, the visibility of its executives, and of building trust between the company and its target audience. While public relations can help amplify a company’s marketing efforts, it's only a small element of the true potential of PR. Additionally, while a single piece of media coverage can lead to more brand awareness, it's not going to lead to more sales. On the other hand, a PR campaign can be a lot more powerful as it lasts a longer period of time because they create brand equity. That is something that affects the entire sales funnel, as well as other departments of the business. It ranges from the visibility of the executives to recruitment of new employees, funding from investors, and even customer retention. That's because the more people that know about the company and believe that the brand’s messaging has more depth and value,  the more the company will receive support. Although strong marketing campaigns are essential in positioning a company’s products or services and making it stand out from a crowded marketplace, businesses should have strong overall communication strategies. That means companies shouldn’t expect a single marketing or a single PR campaign to have the same results compared to when both types of campaigns work together. Finally, for companies that are able to invest time and money into both great marketers and great PR professionals, the net results are more notability, more sales, more respect, and more brand awareness.

What Is Relationship Management?

Relationship management aims to draw a consumer deeper into the company’s service and/or product circle with comments, feedback and offers to become more engaged. Once a person likes a product or service on social media, it opens a doorway for the company to connect even more closely by sharing and informing the customer about recent advances, changes, etc. for what they liked. Relationship management then is a hybrid of both marketing and PR.

Different Schools of Thought

Some observers would tell you that social marketing aims for a larger market, while PR concentrates on the existing one. Others would argue that PR today throws out a bigger net to not only appeal to current customers, but also potential ones. That outreach could be enormous. Consider how some GoFundMe stories and sites have become overnight social media sensations and successes. There’s validity in the latter argument. In order to survive and grow, PR has to extend its boundaries. That’s the value and difference of blogs, influencers and other strategies that weren’t popular a decade ago. As with the evolution of so many other things, it’s time for marketing and PR to unite.

Combine Both For Success

Should marketing and PR be separate? To achieve maximum success today, both should be located within the same department so they can coordinate and collaborate. They should be supervised by the same person. By working more closely together, marketers and PR folks not only learn to collaborate but also discover more about each other’s arenas which enables them to become even more effective and successful. Providing meaningful content as well as exceptional information to customers and potential ones will only serve to generate more leads but also a much-appreciated increase in sales If your organization has separate marketing and PR departments, now is the time to bring the two together. Before doing so, consider holding a retreat or half-day interdepartmental staff meeting at which you lay out the challenge of how to best manage relationship management. Not using the other name keeps it neutral. Discuss the values of relationship management and challenge any ideas that management of it should rest in one department. You may be surprised by the results. A word of caution: you may detect some resistance because one or both department managers may feel that a merger will eliminate a position. Be prepared with an appropriate and meaningful response.
Ronn Torossian

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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  • 5w public relations
  • 5wpr
  • agency
  • branding
  • communications
  • consumer PR
  • insights
  • marketing
  • PR
  • pr strategy
  • Public Relations

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