I happen to have a lot of pet peeves. For starters, I can’t stand when people chomp loudly on their gum. I don’t like when people are late. I really can’t stand loud breathing. (I know … that’s a weird one.) People who think they’re sooo busy (but really aren’t) also get on my nerves.
My pet peeves also extend into my professional life. It drives me crazy when so-called public relations and/or marketing experts try to convince companies that PR is the same thing as marketing. It’s not. Public relations helps shape perceptions about a person, brand, product by communicating key messages to targeted groups of people. There are a number of specialties within public relations — including media relations, employee/internal communications, investor relations, community relations, crisis communications. You get the point.
At my firm, we’re always telling our clients that good public relations won’t necessarily close a deal for a company, but it will help “soften the market” — making marketing, advertising and sales tactics more effective. Without getting into a long-winded discussion about marketing and PR, just trust me that good marketing pros and good PR practitioners will always agree that the two specialties are very different.
So, imagine my amazement when I saw this store in Columbus, Ohio this past week:
Their services include advertising, logos,brochures, web sites and direct mail. It also lists radio and TV — which gave me a glimmer of hope. I thought maybe they meant earned radio and TV — as in media relations (a key part of PR). But, alas, they meant radio and TV commercials. That would be advertising. Not PR. (And not really marketing either, but that’s beside the point.)
Needless to say, the PR Store doesn’t actually offer any PR services. They’re just hoping to pique small business owners’ interest by claiming to offer simple solutions for less money. I think you get what you pay for. And, if they can’t effectively brand (or market) themselves, how well do you think they’re serving their clients??
OK, I’m done ranting.
You make some good points, Lyndsay. You're spot on: Marketing is not the same as PR.
There are a few minor hiccups in your post I wanted to address, however.
PRstore does, in fact, offer PR services. Each store is staffed by veteran PR and marketing professionals. The in-store consultants work with clients to identify their marketing and PR needs and develop a customized strategy for each client.
Yes, that does include paid advertising (print, radio, TV and online). It could also include media outreach, marketing collateral, websites, SEO and more. It all depends on the client's needs.
PRstore also has a long-standing partnership with PR Newswire. For clients who want to use the wire, our in-store consultants advise them on the best distribution strategy.
So who does all the copywriting, graphic design, web programming, etc.? We have a centralized creative studio in Charlotte, NC (where I work as a copywriter) -- it's staffed with specialists in all those fields. You may be surprised to learn that our writing and design team rivals the size and experience of most agencies.
Is PRstore the right answer for everyone? Nope. And we're cool with that. We fill a specific void in the marketing and PR field, and our clients seem pretty stoked that we're here for them.
If you're ever interested in learning more about PRstore, shoot me an email. It's always nice to connect with rising stars in our field.
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