Marketing communications (summary)

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 449.

PR and other marketing communications disciplines are quite similar. However, there still is a difference between them, which lies between paying for media space versus the use of editorial with implied third party endorsement. In general, the main purpose of PR is to shape messages to be carried by word-of-mouth.

Nevertheless, various objectives can be tackled through PR, they just need to be properly formulated.

A written document, which includes all the marketing data and research information on the brand, called ‘brief' is what helps in doing so. It should be tested through independent research, which may include focus-groups, straw polls, or ‘dipstick' research. SWOT-analysis is very important as well, as it helps to develop the key messages and a strategic approach.

Moreover, in order to create an effective PR strategy, it's also vital to understand the concept of integration PR with other marketing disciplines. Sometimes it is better to run parallel ATL and BTL campaigns which do not conflict with each other, sometimes public relations need to be combined with other tools. These actions form the first step of creating a PR campaign. During the second step the PR objectives and target audiences are defined. Step three includes elaborating the PR-strategy supported by some tactics and facts. And the last step number four comprises determining the goalposts and building in system to measure against targets.

By and large, nowadays the role of PR is constantly increasing, since now marketing specialists have started to realize that PR can help in both hyping new products and steering public opinion. By the same token, it is only going to expand in future, since media constantly evolves, consumer mindset becomes more and more sophisticated and brands become global.