If marketing was a person it would be JFK

Marketing and communications are spoken of as a single concept, not two related but distinct practices that combine to create something new. Even the idea of peanut butter and jelly suggests two different things that come together to form a new new thing.

I'm not exactly sure why.

I practice both marketing and communications on a regular basis -- toggling from one to the other oftentimes within a short span of time and I feel like I have to put on an entirely new suit or persona to play one role over the other. Rarely do I feel like I'm practicing marketing communications. That'd be like saying I eat peanut butter jelly sandwiches for lunch. How would you actually make jelly from peanut butter anyway?

If marketing was a person, it'd be President John F. Kennedy -- the man who envisioned and convinced us of a landing on the moon and an America free of Jim Crow laws. He was charismatic, emotionally engaging and excited you about how the world could be. Meanwhile, when I do corporate communications work, I put on my William Hurt persona. He was calm, controlled and always measured in his performances. When I'm doing communications work, I feel closer to a researcher -- someone who aspires to explain how the world or a situation is.

I decided to test my inner musings by inviting my good friend and mentor, Aaron Heinrich , to my podcast to hash out the differences and similarities in "The Marketing vs. Communications/PR" episode of Masters of Fail. Like me, he made the move from communications to marketing and lived to talk about it.

Warning: Expect some random Star Trek beeps and references to old and new media and movie where a bunch of people just stand around a house and talk. If you’re after a marketing lecture, this might not be for you.

Check it out on Spotify here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/OHta5brRUNb

Photo credit: AP Photo of President Kennedy addressing the UN General Assembly in 1963