PR and Marketing cut from the same cloth?

“Publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front-page ad.” — Richard Branson

Branson said that well before artificial intelligence began changing how people search for information. Today, his point may be even more important.

I was reminded of that during a recent afternoon at Rebellion Group, where more than 60 marketing and communications leaders from across Connecticut gathered to discuss the trends reshaping our work.

Two terrific panels set the stage. Then we rolled up our sleeves, divided into seven groups and tackled seven different business challenges. There was thoughtful debate, laughter and no shortage of opinions—exactly what happens when you gather smart, experienced people and ask them to solve problems together.

The networking was equally valuable. I met new colleagues, exchanged stories and reconnected with a former employee from the early years of Sullivan & LeShane Public Relations—an unexpected and very welcome bonus!

My biggest takeaway was this: strategic public relations and marketing may enter through different doors, but they are increasingly working in the same room.

Marketing traditionally begins with the customer and the marketplace. What value does an organization offer? How should a product or service be positioned? What will motivate someone to act?

Strategic PR begins with a wider circle of stakeholders. Who can affect the organization’s success? Who is affected by its decisions? What do employees, customers, community leaders, policymakers, business partners and the media need to understand—and what does the organization need to hear from them? 

 Basically, marketing asks, “Why should someone choose us?” Strategic PR asks, “Why should someone understand us, believe us and trust us?” Successful organizations must answer both.

Now along comes  AI and adds another dimension. When someone asks an AI platform about a company, leader, issue or service, its response depends in part on the credible, accessible information it can find. If an organization has little presence across legacy media—including television, radio and print—as well as trade publications, social media and other digital channels, AI has less reliable material from which to understand and describe its brand.

This means successful PR is no longer only about reaching today’s audience. It is also helping to build the public record from which tomorrow’s AI-generated answers will be drawn.

Marketing can create attention and demand. Public relations builds the trust, credibility and relationships that help sustain them. The strongest brands connect both disciplines through one strategy—aligning what an organization offers with what it says, what it does and how people experience it.

Thank you to the Rebellion Group for an afternoon filled with critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, creative solutions, and valuable new connections. The tools may be changing, but bringing the right people into the same room remains as valuable as ever.

Cut from the same cloth? – Maybe not!