Does the PR profession need better marketing?

Following a couple of days at PRIME Communications #Proactive2024 conference, I decided to refresh this article, originally written years ago. I moderated a World Caffe discussion on Knowledge economy, where we discusses where the money for public relations actually comes from.

Can we categorize all people into three groups?

The first, a smaller group, consists of those who thrive on popularity and publicity, for whom visibility in the public eye is a natural state. The second group includes those who prefer to "just do their job," feeling a mix of awe and apprehension towards public visibility. The third group comprises individuals who find their purpose and profession in bridging the gap between the first two groups. Laypeople often associate them with terms like PR, promotion, or media. Professionals in this field further distinguish between the various functions, methods, and tools they use. Those well-versed in the profession recognize differences in earning potential, recognition, and quality. One notable profession is PR, short for "public relations."

I have always belonged to the third group. In the late 1990s, I started my career in communications at a local television station that no longer exists. It was the first post-war elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we, as young journalists, needed to adopt professional standards to help democratize society. We were fortunate to work with excellent journalists from respected international media. I often say that what I learned through the BBC school enabled me to understand social media when it emerged a decade later. Attracting and maintaining attention, as well as presenting information clearly, proved to be a valuable combination of skills—becoming increasingly necessary in an era of #AI, digitalization and information overload.

In our market, the term "communication profession" has gained recognition only recently. Only a few years ago did our region establish communication studies programs, and many specialized education programs fall short in providing a comprehensive picture. As a result, the complexity of information continues to increase, experts experience burnout due to underappreciation and underpayment, and crucial ideas fail to garner the necessary public support they deserve.

With 25+ years of experience and lessons learned from both my own and others' mistakes, I feel justified in concluding that PR indeed needs better marketing.

What does this mean? By definition, both PR and marketing focus on the audience, responding to demand and needs. The classic marketing definition (4Ps—product, place, promotion, price, and an additional P for people in service marketing) is highly applicable to the PR profession.

Product (What is PR actually selling?)

The first element of marketing is often misunderstood. Practitioners frequently present numerical results without context. In the era of AI-generated content, counting "earned" media space is meaningless if we don't know the impact of these publications. Since "everyone has become media," and "Chat GPT can produce fee content", it has long been pointless to count press releases sent to editors or newsrooms, making it easier to distribute content directly to target audiences. When a PR professional views the captured attention of the target audience or a change in their decisions or behavior as the ultimate product, they should design their measuring results accordingly.

Place (Where does PR actually operate?)

In the era of AI and digital media, PR profession must adapt to the audience by answering questions instead of repeating unsolicited advice. That includes SEO optimization, Q&A opportunities and more human contact with the audience.

Promoting PR work

Explaining what is required to deliver messages from clients, brands, or organizations in the right way, at the right time, and in the right place to the target audiences is the next element of the "marketing mix." It's understandable that PR professionals struggle to balance their diverse obligations (production, planning, negotiation, writing, reporting, networking, reading, and continuous learning about the subject of their communication) with their self-promotion.

My suggestion to PR professionals is to describe and sell your work as a necessary and inevitable step in the sales process. It is impossible to sell anything (be it ideas, information, services, or products) before generating demand and building trust.?

Who should PR involve for effective communication?

This element gains new dimensions over time. Not only do classic spokespersons, managers, and experts reach a much smaller, more interested audience compared to influencers, but employees, suppliers, and customers also become part of PR. Digital communications and online media increasingly blur the lines of expertise, demanding presentation skills. Thus, professionals take on another task—balancing and coordinating all these elements while staying "sane" in the process.

Most importantly, who is paying for it?

Finally, and perhaps most importantly for me, price (the cost of PR) rarely acknowledges the value of money. Budgets often overlook one of the most stressful professions, which is constantly changing. Commonly accepted as "free publicity," it ignores the complexity of preparations, production, and the integration of all necessary components to achieve publicity in the desired form and scope. Furthermore, the lack of clearly defined professional standards, principles, and measures of success and quality only reinforces the conclusion that today, PR indeed lacks both PR and marketing.