People often put public relations and marketing in the same category. They classify it as the same thing and don't really know what the difference is. The two professions have been growing more and more similar with the Internet and companies being able to do their own marketing and PR, there are still a few differences to keep in mind.
Marketing is used more with the selling of a product. The ultimate goal of both marketing and PR is to gain customer and business, but public relations is more focused on building a long lasting relationship. PR is used to maintain relationships and to build new ones. It also helps maintaining and building relationships between the company and the public.
Customers want to see more to the company then just the product it is selling. Public Relations professionals wants to show the company in their best light. Not only does the company or corporation want to have the public believing in their excellent products, but consumer to business relations are just as important. Public Relations want to allow the public to make their own interpretations of a company, but a little help won't hurt!
Marketing pushes the product and uses advertising and endorsements to make the public believe that their product is the best. It pushes the product on the consumer not allowing them to make up their own mind about what they think. It is all about the money and selling for marketing reps and their persuasion is what pulls the customers.
Overall, the customer is going to make up their own mind and go to the better end product. It has been said that PR professionals are much more trustworthy, but the process would not be complete without marketing. It is easier for them to like your company when they hear about you from someone else, when they read about you in a newspaper article written by the paper's staff, when they see your press conference on the news, or when they see the news at your awesome fundraiser event.
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