PR Studies

PR's just marcoms, right?

A marketing colleague set this hare running a few days ago, and David Phillips has entered the chase. I tried to ignore the provocation on the grounds that it merely stemmed from envy (of our reputation, coherence and, yes, market position/reputation.)

But I met an agency principal yesterday whose main service appears to be media relations. Yet he shies away from 'public relations' on the grounds that clients don't understand what it is. Instead, he prefers to offer them marketing communications.

I've argued this view before (saying that what we do tends either to be marketing communications,  corporate communications or public affairs - so why don't we come clean). The counter argument is that our newly chartered professional body is called the Chartered Institute of Public Relations - and this name isn't going away. So public relations it remains, with all the confusion and baggage this brings.

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PR's just marcoms, right?

A marketing colleague set this hare running a few days ago, and David Phillips has entered the chase. I tried to ignore the provocation on the grounds that it merely stemmed from envy (of our reputation, coherence and, yes, market position/reputation.)

But I met an agency principal yesterday whose main service appears to be media relations. Yet he shies away from 'public relations' on the grounds that clients don't understand what it is. Instead, he prefers to offer them marketing communications.

I've argued this view before (saying that what we do tends either to be marketing communications,  corporate communications or public affairs - so why don't we come clean). The counter argument is that our newly chartered professional body is called the Chartered Institute of Public Relations - and this name isn't going away. So public relations it remains, with all the confusion and baggage this brings.