The Public Relations and Communication profession is always evolving in tandem with global trends hence the clarion call is for practitioners in Zimbabwe to stay abreast of global trends.
Every year brings new ways of doing things, innovations, fresh insights among other trends.
However, before we delve into some of these developments in future articles it is critical from a Zimbabwean perspective to clearly spell out the difference between marketing and public relations and create a space for PR and Communications practitioners.
More often than not, the practise in Zimbabwe is to lump these responsibilities together giving rise to a lack of clear demarcation of roles and responsibilities.
It is not unusual for the PR and Communication portfolio to be ‘swallowed’ by the marketing portfolio wherein the marketers are assigned the PR portfolio as an add on yet the scope of work requires a fully-fledged resource.
Portfolio holders are often caught in quandary when it comes to continual development and attending conferences that bring real value to their profession and their silent plea is for some to create a space where they can thrive and grow.
What is PR
According to an article by Adam Hayes dated 25 August 2021 and reviewed by Somer Anderson on 25 October 2021 (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/public-relations-pr.asp)
He defines PR as:
Public relations (PR) is the set of techniques and strategies related to managing how information about an individual or company is disseminated to the public, and especially the media. Its primary goals are to disseminate important company news or events, maintain a brand image, and put a positive spin on negative events to minimise their fallout.
PR may occur in the form of a company press release, news conference, interviews with journalists, social media posting, or other venues.
Every individual or entity operating in the public eye faces the spread of information about them or their practices to the public. PR is an industry on its own.
What is Marketing?
CIM (The Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) offers the following definition for marketing:
λ “The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.”
Philip Kotler is predominantly known around the world as the “father of modern marketing. For over 50 years he has taught at the Kellogg School of Management at North Western University. Kotler’s book Marketing Management is the most widely used textbook in marketing around the world. Kotler defines marketing as follows:
λ Marketing management is the art and science of choosing target markets and building profitable relationships with them.
The aim is to find, attract, keep and grow the targeted customers by creating and delivering superior customer value.
The target audience can be selected by dividing the market into customer segments (market segmentation) and selecting which segments to go after (target marketing).
A company must also decide how to serve the targeted audience, by offering a value proposition. A value proposition is the set of benefits or values a company promises to deliver.
On the other hand, public relations or commonly called as PR is a communication process; wherein the company seeks to build such a relationship between the company and the general public, which is mutually beneficial for both parties.
Nowadays, people find it hard to distinguish marketing from public relation (PR), due to the emergence of social media, which filled the gap amidst these two. However, they are two different concepts.
While marketing is mainly concerned with the promotion and sales of the product, Public Relations (PR) is intended to create and manage a favourable image of the company amongst the public.
Corporate Communications.
Complementing or contained in the PR portfolio is the corporate communication portfolio which can be incorporated into the PR portfolio or can be a stand-alone.
According to an article by Hani Kani dated 20 January 2020
( https://www.simpplr.com/blog/2020)Corporate communication is the perception of a company by creating a brand identity and maintaining communication with the general public.
Corporate communication teams build the company image, communicate with internal and external audiences to maintain a positive reputation in the industry, and bridge the gap between employees and management.
While being responsible for outwards facing communication, corporate communications is also responsible for all internal messaging including company news, internal blogs/newsletters and employee advocacy. Internal communications focuses on employee engagement and its impact on the workforce.
Conclusion
Marketing activities are under full control of the organisation whereas public relations is under the control of the organisation and the external party, i.e. media outlets.
The concept of marketing is broader than public relation, as the latter falls under the umbrella of the former. Therefore, both are complementary, and not contradictory strategies.
The Institute of Public Relations & Communications Zimbabwe (IPRCZ) was set up to distinctively define and represent the interests of the PR & Communications Practitioners in Zimbabwe.
An exciting journey lies ahead as the institution unpacks power packed programmes to enhance the profession in Zimbabwe, assist PR & Communications practitioners in Zimbabwe to identify and own their space and meaningfully contribute to the development of Zimbabwe.
Look out for the next article on this column as we reveal our board members and disclose our road map.
For more information or comments Contact us on admin@iprc.co.zw
