Marketing And PR Depts. Grow Closer, But Significant Gaps Persist
There is a growing equality between marketing and PR departments in terms of working more closely together on critical issues like product launches and crisis communications.
But when it's time to distribute corporate budgets, marketing continues to leave PR in the dust, according to a recent survey conducted by PR News and the Public
Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Fighting for a legitimate piece of the marketing pie has been a chronic problem for PR pros because senior managers still (for the most part) view PR as a cost and not as an
investment.
The survey, which was conducted in April and which garnered 117 responses among PRSA members and PR News subscribers, suggests that there's been little change in that
attitude within the ranks of senior management.
To wit: nearly 76% of the respondents said they get less support from the total corporate budget than does Marketing; only 9% said they get more.
Judy Voss, director of professional development at the PRSA (New York City), says the organization is taking pains to teach its constituents at all levels -- from senior PR
managers on down to the newbies -- to be more accountable to the C-level.
"They have to adapt their materials and tasks to the big picture [of the company] or suffer the consequences," Voss says. "[But] a lot of titles are changing in the marketing
arena, and PR pros have an opportunity to gain and keep a seat at the table."
Survey Results: Breaking Down Silos
1. How often do you work directly with your marketing counterpart?
Respondents: 117
| Response Percent | |
|---|---|
| Regularly |
76.1%
|
| Occasionally |
15.4%
|
| Rarely |
7.7%
|
| Never |
0.9%
|
2. How would you describe your Marketing Department's perception of Public Relations?
Respondents: 116
| Response Percent | |
|---|---|
| Positive |
78.4%
|
| Negative |
7.8%
|
| Neutral (Don't know enough about us to have a perception) |
13.8%
|
3. What is your perception of your Marketing Department?
Respondents: 117
| Response Percent | |
|---|---|
| Regularly |
78.6%
|
| Occasionally |
11.1%
|
| Neutral (Don't know enough about us to have a perception) |
10.3%
|
4. Please indicate how often your Marketing and Public Relations departments coordinate with one another in the following situations:
Respondents: 113
| Always | Usually | Sometimes | Never | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A crisis |
35%
|
24%
|
25%
|
16%
|
| A product launch |
58%
|
21%
|
16%
|
5%
|
| Major company announcements |
42%
|
30%
|
21%
|
7%
|
| Community relations efforts |
28%
|
24%
|
35%
|
13%
|
| Financial communications |
21%
|
19%
|
26%
|
34%
|
| Merger or acquisition |
32%
|
21%
|
21%
|
26%
|
| Advert/Marketing campaign launches |
45%
|
24%
|
25%
|
6%
|
| Other (please describe below) |
50%
|
7%
|
29%
|
14%
|
5.If you selected "Other" in question 4, please describe here:
- Events Marketing; participating in trade shows or information sessions; events for employees at plant sites.
- Employee communications.
- Some sponsorship requests should go directly to consumer marketing and others to PR, which handles the nonprofit demographic.
- Publishing ad and point-of-purchase materials.
- Image.
- Marketing and PR are combined functions.
6. Public Relations gets more or less support from the total corporate budget than Marketing?
Respondents: 75
| Response Percent | |
|---|---|
| More |
10.6%
|
| Less |
76.1%
|
| I have no idea |
13.3%
|
7. Compared to your marketing counterparts, would you say that you (PR) have more, less or the same level of access and influence on company leadership:
Respondents: 112
| Response Percent | |
|---|---|
| More |
31%
|
| Less |
27.6%
|
| The same |
41.4%
|
8. In your opinion, what is the key to strengthening the relationship between Public Relations and Marketing? (Sample)
Respondents: 84
- Discontinue belief that they're mutually exclusive. They must co-mingle on Web sites, and they must be consistent. Whether it's direct-to-the-audience (marketing) or
channeled through the media (PR), the end audience should more or less be the same. - Having a strong leader who is able to bring the groups together on a regular basis to collaborate, align key campaigns and keep the dialogue going.
- Make sure that the people working marketing have the educational background to know what is important. My marketing director does not like to share with others what she is
working on, so the other departments don't know what help is needed. - Accessibility on the part of PR staff and a willingness to be a part of the team. Offering advice without trying to dominate. Demonstrating the value of PR expertise.
- Mutual respect and constant communication. Marketing and PR should get to know each other's roles, learn their objectives and goals, and work as a team to strengthen the
outcome for an organization. - Greater support from leadership.
- The relationship is strong but we need to have a mutual goal. Theirs is sales for the firm, and ours is reputation; the two are connected, and we both need to see that.
- Better definition of roles and responsibilities. Stronger launch leadership by Marketing (i.e., building cohesive communications on the launch efforts by Marcom, PR, Events,
etc.).
Please share your success stories with PR News and PRSA. If you have an outstanding relationship with your Marketing Department that you are willing to share with our
readers and PRSA members, please contact PR News Editor Matthew Schwartz at [email protected].