Marketing and Public Relations: How are they Different?

Both Marketing and Public Relations play a pivotal role in the success of a business. With their combined efforts, a business can reach their audience better, make sales and also build a strong brand value. But, most of the time, people, including the communication experts, cannot clearly distinguish between the two. They either fail to recognize the potential of the other or do not know how to implement both the strategies for their business.

What is PR and Marketing?

Before understanding the difference between Public Relations and Marketing, let’s get into exactly what the management functions mean.

The Public Relations Society of America defines PR as “PR helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other. Public Relations broadly applies to organizations as a collective group, not just a business; and publics encompass the variety of different stakeholders.”

And as for Marketing, it has been defined as “”Marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”, by the American Marketing Association.

The definitions highlight how different PR and Marketing are, but when it comes to assigning each a role in the business, it can get tricky. So here are the clear distinctions between Marketing and Public Relations that will help you in implementing them better in your business.

PR Versus Marketing

• Focus

The focus of the strategies is where they are entirely different. Where Public Relations is aimed at building relationships, Marketing focuses on products and services.

Public Relations aims at building and maintaining a better relationship with the public, stakeholders and the media. It helps in creating a favorable environment for the business to launch, market and sell products and services. It creates a good brand image making it easier for the public to trust the marketing and advertising campaigns and compel them to make the final purchase. In a way, Public Relations supports marketing, advertising and other tactics.

Marketing is all about the product and services focusing on the 4Ps, i.e. the product, price, promotion and place. The process involves the R&D and production of the product, calculating the right price for the product in relation to the market, deciding upon how to distribute the products and promoting the product through various advertising and marketing tactics after thorough market research.

• Contribution

Marketing is directed towards making sales, resulting in improving the bottom-line results of the business whereas, public relations consultancy indirectly supports the goals of the company.

• Target audience

Marketing directs its activities to attract customers, both existing and potential customers with its offers and promotions. Public Relations aims at maintaining a cordial relationship to a wider audience, which includes the customers, employees, shareholders, media and anyone who is connected with the company.

• Period of Rewards

Marketing is a short-term promotional activity that focuses on achieving goals within a defined time period, whereas, Public Relations is an investment for the company. With continuous effort, PR helps the brand build a positive reputation and goodwill,which will bear fruitfor a longer time.

Marketing and PR are important for the business’ growth and achieving its goals and objectives. Leaders should incorporate the marketing and PR strategies appropriately to achieve better results for the business.

 

 

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How Can Real Estate Benefit From Public Relations

The Real Estate industry has evolved immensely, all with the emergence of the online trend. With today’scut-throat competition on the internet, it is paramount for real estate businesses to maintain a strong online presence and build brand reputation.  While the different advertising and marketing strategies are important for a business, Public Relations can give you an added push into the market.

Why Use Public Relations for your Business?

The Power of Media

Public Relations has many benefits for a real estate company among which the most notable is brand visibility. Public Relations allows you to leverage the media personnel, which includes journalists, bloggers, influencers and newspaper publications, to spread the word about your business. And this is not just limited to your company.

Media can help bring attention to your new project or any new idea of your company. If you aren’t able to inform people about a new apartment or project, you will fail to make sales. That’s how important coverage and visibility can be for your real estate business.

Media personnel have vast reach and viewership. They are considered as a reliable source of information. So when you receive third-party validation from any kind of coverage, article or blog, this increases your credibility in the minds of the audience.

Having said that, it is crucial to develop and maintain cordial relationship with writers, publicists, journalists and influencers. Having strong ties with the media will come in handy for regularly promoting your business and introducing your business to the audience. The key is to offer them certain benefits, which includes driving traffic to their websites and through advertising revenue. This can be possible only if you have an established online presence which includes a website and active participation in social media and other marketing tactics.

Crisis Management

Crises are a part of every business and now even more so as the real estate market is always faced with complex litigation. Moreover, receiving approval and gaining the public’s acceptance has become a hurdle these days. Public Relations is crucial in this regard as it acts as a middleman between the company and the public.

Real Estate Industry is prone to crises and every company must have efficient representatives to address issues. Public Relations are experts in handling crisis and can help companies in mitigating damages and to overcome thecrisis.Also, it is crucial for businesses to have a strong crisis communication plan to tackle problems that might occur in the future.

Build Brand Recognition and Reputation

Like every other marketing strategy, Public Relations strategies must be followed continuously. Through continuous efforts, businesses can build brand recognition. When the audience sees your company’s name and positive content mentioned in various media coverage, it has a positive impact on their minds.

In the end, trust is essential. Through conscious public relations effort, you can build a positive reputation for your business. Public Relations can also help implement community relations and corporate social responsibility. This can help in building a strong brand foundation, which in the long run, is highly fruitful.

Reap the benefits of PR by including it in your marketing strategy. So, hire a Public relations agency now and enhance your real estate brand through public relations.

Role of Public Relations in Travel and Tourism Industry

Travel and Tourism industry has boomed in the past few years and with it, the competition. Along with Advertising and Marketing, public relations consultancy play a major promotional tool for the industry.

public relations consultancy is perceived in many different ways. It’s often referred as the “strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics” and also as the process of “building good relations with the company’s various publics by obtaining favorable publicity, building a good corporate image, and handling crisis management issues”. However, the central theme of PR remains “the act of shaping a favorable image”. Travel and Tourism industry thrives only when you have successfully created the desire to travel and Public Relations can help immensely by building a favorable image.

Why Public Relations?

Public Relations succeed better at brand and image building as it is mainly third-party endorsement. Most of the public prefers believing an article/blog rather than trusting the self-indulgent advertisements. Also, when it comes to Travel industry, a personal connection is better, which PR can provide effortlessly.

Public Relations consultancy is used alone or with other elements such as marketing communications and advertising. The main goal of Public Relations is to create desire to travel, persuade to take action and provide a pleasant experience during the visit.

Here are the various ways Public Relations consultancy is employed in the Travel and Tourism industry:

• PR is actively used as a promotional tool. Through third-party endorsement, the organizations are successful at pitching their stories without seeming too salesy. Through press releases, write-ups and blogs, they gain credibility and exposure.
• PR brings its valuable media connection which helps the Travel industry hugely. The media bring in credibility which helps in building positive image. For example, the media frequently release their own “Top list of places/hotels/restaurants to visit” which acts as a huge promotional platform for an organization.
• Through PR, creating awareness becomes easier. Whether its launch of new products, services or any promotions, organizations can easily promote themselves. Awareness can be brought in through media (press conference, press release), supporting charities or organizing any special events.
• PR can also help organizations to communicate with their publics, i.e. stakeholders, investors or money lenders.
• For any organization to sail through smoothly, a strong internal communication is essential. PR helps to bridge the gap between the organization and its employees.

PR Tools

Under tourism industry, PR focuses on travel, tourist destinations, hotels and restaurants. Each sector has a specific target audience and different tools must be implemented to portray different messages.

The major PR tools used in the Travel and Tourism industry are articles, brochures and social media. With the online trend speeding up, social media plays a major role in PR. For example, getting an article/blog about a ski resort on adventure loving communities or websites can be a huge promotion for the organization. Social media works mainly on word-of-mouth and sharing of experience which can benefit the tourism industry hugely.

PR has always been considered as a major part of the promotional mix to shape an organization’s reputation and in the Travel and Tourism industry, the need for PR is inevitable.

Current Status of the PR Industry

The world’s Public Relations agency field has been rapidly growing and PR is quickly evolving, encompassing extensive functions and emerging as a vital component in the industry. What initially started with overseeing media relations and employee communication, public relations agency is now increasingly used for crisis management, strategic communication, customer relations and brand building as well.

The medium used by the consumers and the media business is changing, and so are the PR practices. More people are catching up on their daily dose of news online. Most of the PR mediums have gone digital and offline is losing its charm, slowly becoming obsolete. The biggest change has been brought in due to the alarming rise of social media popularity.

Social Media has been leveraged by PR to connect with a wider audience and spread message effectively. Social media provides the advantage of responding spontaneously to real-time crisis, critics, accidents, recalls and any other emergencies. Industries have been using social media to monitor media activities, and the hottest trends and respond effectively.

Public Relations is continuing to benefit from social media and digital activity. And according to the Word Report, conducted by The Holmes Report and the International Communications Consultancies Organisation, 72% of the respondents reported that digital and social media were one of the top three growth drivers. Also, in terms of agency growth, the study shows that the marketing communication has surpassed corporate reputation.

A recent study on the pr agency has brought to light certain shifting trends.

• There has been a steep decline in the Agency-of-record relationship. What had been more than 50% of companies reporting an AOR relationship has now been reduced down to mere 15%.
• An increasing demand for specialized and regionally focused agency has been reported for the past few years and still remains on a high. These agencies offer marketing insight, unique perspective and strategic point-of-view to the companies and are becoming instrumental to sustain in this highly competitive period.
• With companies re-considering the importance of Public Relations and Communications, it has become a vital component in the business development. They are more focused on improving their Public Relations and hence there is a rise in budget allocated management and evaluation. The companies are also putting in extra effortto improve their customer relations.
• Public Relations has also been increasingly implemented to establishing strong internal communication.
• Focused more on the customers and employees, there is a relative decline in marketing and product PR.

How do PR Firms Benefit the Client

One of the biggest dilemmas a business faces is should I hire a PR agency or do I take care of it by myself? With the business world more competitive than ever, and the social media, 24/7 news cycle and internet-savvy consumers in the picture, this dilemma is prominent. It would be advisable to appoint a pr agency and here’s why.

• Expertise

They are called experts for a reason. Public Relations firms understand the nuances of the industry and are enriched with the right tools and effective strategies. They bring their expertise in media relations, social media, press release writing, organizing events, handling crisis and branding. They know the underlying issue of your industry segment. They know what’s newsworthy, how to project it and whom to contact for releasing it. Moreover, they are skilled at using news in the benefit of the client and maintaining its brand image in the minds of not only the media and the customers, but its stakeholders, investors and influencers.

• Credibility and Connections

When a company tries to approach media personnel with a message, there are high chances, if you don’t have good contacts, that your news doesn’t see the light of the day. But, if you go through a PR firm, then you have a better shot. And that’s what Public relations firms bring – credibility and connections. They know which story to pitch to which reporter and at what time. PR firms know how to present a story which will attract the reporter. If a reporter finds a story too sales, it will never get published. PR firms know how to achieve both the objective for the company and the reporter.

Public Relations has often been considered for handling media relation only. But, PR firms can assist the company with so much more. The agency can lead to new opportunities. They are well-connected, thus bringing more contacts for potential investors and influencers.

• Neutral Perspective

Public Relations agencies are usually the extended eyes and ears of the company. Being an outsider, they bring in a neutral perspective. They don’t have any emotional commitment. They are also better at thinking outside the corporate box and can stimulate more creative ideas, approaches and practices.

• Experts during crisis

Public Relations agencies are always equipped with different crisis management strategies. They understand your business, the market industry and always have a plan of action set up. When the crisis strikes, they adjust their strategies to mitigate the situation. With a thorough assessment of tone of your company, your strengths and weakness, they figure out how to control the crisis.

public relations consultancy can benefit the clients in many ways. They are outsider agencies who are experts in their field, and employ the right tools to succeed at Public Relations and allow you to focus on your business.

White Water Public Relations

Who We Are

We are White Water Public Relations, a Dubai-based PR consultancy firm, providing public relations and communication services to clients around the world. Every company, every brand and every individual has a unique story and we employ our successful PR strategies to spread our clients’ story across the globe, pushing the company to new heights of success.

Started in 2008, we are the “New Age Corporate Story Tellers” as we move away from the traditional cookie-cutter strategies and choose to communicate our clients’ message in the most innovative and effective way.

We are located in Dubai and possess affiliated network across Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt. Our clients enjoy the benefit of our international affiliates, helping us to aptly position our client’s message to these global markets.

Our Clientele

We are not industry-specific. What interests us is a compelling story which we propel to the audience in the most captivating way. We have launched entrepreneurs, conducted PR activities for multibillion dollar real estate projects, Electronic Megastores and Investment banks and have promoted movies, perfumes, tires, diesel engines and Investment Banks.

Some of our esteemed clients include FC Wilson, Haima, Apollo Hospitals, Doha Bank, LG, Subaru, BITS Pilani, VLCC, Harrods Estates and Falken.

Our Services

Being in the industry for the past few years, we understand the pulse of the market and what it takes to excel in this highly competitive industry. The services we provide are

• Strategic Consultation
• Social Media Communications
• Media Relations
• Bylined Article Programmes
• Messaging Workshops
• Media Training
• Media familiarity trips to various locations
• Media Monitoring Service
• Project Launches
• Press Office Management
• Content Management Support
• Translation
• Securing Speaking Opportunities in the right forum
• Support CSR Initiatives
• Internal Communications
• Developing Newsletters
• Crisis and Issue Management
• Event Management Support
• Manage Global Campaigns

Our Process

What sets us apart from the rest of the PR firms is our personalized approach. When you approach us, the first step we take is to comprehend your objectives and the goals you wish to achieve. After doing our research about your audience, brand and competitors, we will get back to you with our proposal. We step away from cookie-cutter practices and provide you with personalized strategies that are catered to your requirements. Next, we set up campaigns to propel your message to your targeted audiences and market. We spread your story and message in a way that it makes a lasting impression and which creates awareness about your company. Simultaneously, we assess and evaluate the performance of the campaigns. In the end, we help in achieving your communication goals and objectives.

We believe every company has its unique story to tell and we act as a medium through which companies can overcome communication hurdles and increase brand visibility. Effective techniques, strong communication and strategized planning are the key factors of our successful campaigns.

Contact Us

If you are ready to make your presence felt and generate awareness about your brand, you can contact us on:

Tel: +971 4 3963699|Fax: +971 4 3963698|Mobile: +971 50 4537253|E-mail: prem@whitewaterpr.com

Also, check our website www.whitewaterpr.com to know more about our services.

Why Public Relations can be beneficial for your company

For an organization to develop and grow, numerous marketing techniques are employed. From Advertising, promotion to publicity, they use their own strategies to fulfill their objectives. While they can prove fruitful, public relations consultancy have gained huge attention and demand in the marketing world. Nowadays, with the competition heating up, companies are more concerned about building its image and reputation. Public Relations is one of the prime mediums through which this can be achieved. There are several advantages of using Public Relations. Here is a look at the most important benefits your company can reap from PR.

1. Credibility

Whenever public are exposed to advertisements, they view them as tactics used by the company to increase product sales. Even though the advertisement may be clever, they never really believe or trust what is being said. public relations consultancy run mainly due to third-party endorsement. Articles and press releases written in the favor of the company are considered to hold more credibility than the ads. Audiences trust the media as a credible source and so the articles have more effect. For example: if there is a positive review about a product in a magazine or any other channel, public are more likely to buy it.

2. Information

When it comes to advertisements, catch phrases and slogans are used to convey a message. They do not provide much information about the product and the company. However, articles talk in detail about the product. This helps in making them understand what it really is. Also when it comes along with reviews, it holds more value.

3. Viral effect

The biggest advantage of PR is the reward you get from a small activity. For example, you submit an article in one news channel and if it is worthy, it is carried on by different channels. So you end up getting more coverage while paying less. That is why Public Relations is considered for providing a high rate of interest.

4. Cost effective

Usually Public Relations don’t cost as much as the other marketing activities and are the right option when you are running low on a budget. Though you may shell out more depending upon the media agency, it will definitely provide more effective in the long run.

5. Long-term perspective

Instead of increasing sales, public relations consultancy are focused on building a company’s image in the minds of the public. This is done by forming relationship with both customers and media. By answering customers’ queries and responding to their feedbacks, they establish a connection with them. Once the audience feels connected, they tend to become brand loyalties. This is a huge goodwill for a company. Also, when a company is in good terms with the media, they can always use them to create awareness.

Whether a company is small or huge, they can use Public Relations to build a strong and growing business.

White Water Public Relations

Who We Are

We are White Water Public Relations, a Dubai-based PR consultancy firm, providing public relations and communication services to clients around the world. Every company, every brand and every individual has a unique story and we employ our successful PR strategies to spread our clients’ story across the globe, pushing the company to new heights of success.

Started in 2008, we are the “New Age Corporate Story Tellers” as we move away from the traditional cookie-cutter strategies and choose to communicate our clients’ message in the most innovative and effective way.

We are located in Dubai and possess affiliated network across Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt. Our clients enjoy the benefit of our international affiliates, helping us to aptly position our client’s message to these global markets.

Our Clientele

We are not industry-specific. What interests us is a compelling story which we propel to the audience in the most captivating way. We have launched entrepreneurs, conducted PR activities for multibillion dollar real estate projects, Electronic Megastores and Investment banks and have promoted movies, perfumes, tires, diesel engines and Investment Banks.

Some of our esteemed clients include FC Wilson, Haima, Apollo Hospitals, Doha Bank, LG, Subaru, BITS Pilani, VLCC, Harrods Estates and Falken.

Our Services

Being in the industry for the past few years, we understand the pulse of the market and what it takes to excel in this highly competitive industry. The services we provide are

• Strategic Consultation
• Social Media Communications
• Media Relations
• Bylined Article Programmes
• Messaging Workshops
• Media Training
• Media familiarity trips to various locations
• Media Monitoring Service
• Project Launches
• Press Office Management
• Content Management Support
• Translation
• Securing Speaking Opportunities in the right forum
• Support CSR Initiatives
• Internal Communications
• Developing Newsletters
• Crisis and Issue Management
• Event Management Support
• Manage Global Campaigns

Our Process

What sets us apart from the rest of the PR firms is our personalized approach. When you approach us, the first step we take is to comprehend your objectives and the goals you wish to achieve. After doing our research about your audience, brand and competitors, we will get back to you with our proposal. We step away from cookie-cutter practices and provide you with personalized strategies that are catered to your requirements. Next, we set up campaigns to propel your message to your targeted audiences and market. We spread your story and message in a way that it makes a lasting impression and which creates awareness about your company. Simultaneously, we assess and evaluate the performance of the campaigns. In the end, we help in achieving your communication goals and objectives.

We believe every company has its unique story to tell and we act as a medium through which companies can overcome communication hurdles and increase brand visibility. Effective techniques, strong communication and strategized planning are the key factors of our successful campaigns.

Contact Us

If you are ready to make your presence felt and generate awareness about your brand, you can contact us on:

Tel: +971 4 3963699|Fax: +971 4 3963698|Mobile: +971 50 4537253|E-mail: prem@whitewaterpr.com

Also, check our website www.whitewaterpr.com to know more about our services.

Media Monitoring Services in Dubai

The influence of media is humongous in today’s world. From the most trivial aspect to life-changing decisions, media has a huge impact on an individual’s perspective. This makes it essential for organizations to monitor what goes around the media regarding their brand, services or products.

Media also act as a channel through which advertising, marketing and public relation strategies are deployed. Ensuring the message has been given out and reached the audience in the same context is crucial to guarantee effectiveness of the campaigns.

All these reasons call for media monitoring services.

What is Media Monitoring?

Media Monitoringis the act of gathering information from both traditional and social media relating to one’s business, products and services by using various tools. The resulting information turns to substantial media intelligence which can be used by the organization for formulating further media campaigns and also to analyze what is being said about them on the media.

Benefits of Media Monitoring

Media Monitoring services are provided by various PR companiesand Media Monitoring companies. Here are some of the advantages of media monitoring.

1. Track media attention:Media monitoring services is the best way to track the coverage the organization is receivingin newspapers, blogs, TV, social media and other media channels. You can gauge the amount of attention your stories are receiving.
2. Understand public opinion: When you monitor what is being said about you, you can also comprehend the tone in which it is received by the audience. Whether there is positive, negative or neutral response. This can be helpful in formulating future strategies. It also gives the companies an opportunity to correct misinterpretation message and manage negative feedback.
3. Immediate customer response:When organizations are continuously engaged with their audience, it gives them a platform to address any queries or feedback quickly and seamlessly.
4. Participate in industry conversion: Organizations can discover groups which are renowned among their industry segment and take part in the conversation. This activity can build the company reputation among the players of the market segment.
5. Identify new trends: By being part of the market conversations, organizations can monitor the pulse of the market and also identify and use new trends of the market.
6. Reach potential customers: Organizations can identify people who are in need of their product and contact them directly.
7. Building relationships: Through constant interaction and conversations, organizations can build customer relationship which will be a huge asset for the company in the long run.

Media Monitoring Services in Dubai

Many PR companies in Dubai  and Media Monitoring companies offer the services of media monitoring. This includes collecting information like content published, editorial and public opinion which results in actionable media intelligence. These Media Monitoring and PR companies also help in analyzing and interpreting public opinion and formulating ideas for future marketing strategies.

The Role of PR in Fashion Industry

Fashion is one industry which is ever-changing and it is hard to find a permanent place in. Every struggling fashion designer knows the enormous challenges they face to bring their collection into the limelight. Even the top-brands and haute names in the industry are always on their toes to face new competition. What gives a player in the world of haute couture a distinctive edge? Public Relations. The world of Fashion is all about creating new trends and creating buzz. It’s about attracting attention and keeping the people engaged. When the competition is always brimming, Public Relations is the perfect tool to propel your business forward and make a mark in the industry.

Why Public Relations are important?

pr agency is all about building a positive brand image and building healthy relationships between the organization and the public and the media. When it comes to Fashion industry, publicists make sure that they do just that.

• Media relations: For a fashion brand, the main channel through which they can reach their audiences is through the media. Whether it is press releases or articles, they are a platform to pitch stories and ideas. This involves writing interesting and upbeat articles and get them posted in top fashion magazines. Public Relation consultancies are in constant touch with editors to come up with new ideas and also meet editor’s requests. It also includes writing about the fashion runways and upcoming fashion lines.
• Image building: The biggest challenge is to build a firm and positive image in the minds of the public and other fashionistas. This can be done by strategizing and developing promotional activities such as shows and events. Every event must reflect the image of the company. Giving a mixed message to the audience can be a big negative. For example: if your fashion line is all about quirkiness and modern fashion then all the events, articles you write, needs to echo the same message.
• Positive coverage: Every time a brand is in a positive light, it garners more attention. Whether it is through social responsibility activities or other charity events, when the brand is associated with good public relations and is in the news for a good cause, it automatically increases the interest of the viewers. Word of mouth is one powerful weapon which can make or break a brand. If you are able to create a positive image in one medium, immediately your voice will be felt everywhere. That is the biggest advantage of Public Relations.
• Credibility: When a third person talks about your line in an optimistic way, it holds more credibility and people readily accept it.
• Crisis management: Public Relations can be the right channel through which you can mitigate damages caused to your brand image and address complaints.
• Celebrity connection: With good publicity such as including celebrities to your name can provide an added advantage. Public Relation professionals hold valuable contacts which can help you in giving that extra publicity.