What takes precedence for a brand - marketing or PR & communication?

At the e4m PR Dialogue, industry leaders countered each other in a fun, lively and insightful debate on the topic - Does Marketing take precedence over PR & Communication for a brand? This debate session was quite different from the others, as it had the energy of Marketing Advocates v/s PR Advocates rather than simply for and against the motion.

The debate was led by Tarundeep Singh, CEO, The 23 Watts. Speaking for the motion (Marketing Advocates), the session had Dr. Ashish R Kaul, CMO, Hero Realty, Sanjeev Handa, Sr. Vice President and Head of PR & Communications, Maruti Suzuki, Shan Jain, Founder and CEO, Bridge to Ocean 29 and speaking against the motion (PR Advocates), it had had Neeta Linz, General Manager- Brand & Marketing, LG, Jasrita Dhir, Director Marketing and Communications, Karkinos Healthcare, Abhi Mahapatra Director PR, Amazon India. 

Jaideep Singh opened the debate floor by asking both the parties to share their views on the statement – “Marketing is more about brand love and PR is more about brand trust.”

Sanjeev Handa, for the motion side, opened the discussion floor by stating that Marketing is like a chicken and egg. “Brand Love is about converting brand loyalists, people who are loyal to a brand into advocates or influencers or key opinion leaders”, he added.

From the against the motion side, Abhi Mahapatra countered Handa’s statements by emphasizing the fact that agencies do include internal communication, which builds stakeholder confidence. This, in turn, leads to brand loyalty. “You cannot have brand love without trust, and you cannot build trust without a good reputation. Furthermore, credibility is essential, and all these elements are part of PR. This perspective claims that PR already secures the win”, he explained.

In a heated debate about the importance of Marketing versus PR, Shan Jain advocated for marketing and introduced a quirky formula that left the panelists and the audience puzzled. She explained that trust can be represented by the equation credibility plus reliability plus intimacy, divided by self-orientation.

Jain elaborated, "If we follow this logic, then the intimacy aspect, which is what PR focuses on, is only a part of the equation. The rest is what marketing contributes. Marketing plays a much larger role in promoting brands and making them more appealing to their audiences, which is the ultimate goal of any business today."

Talking against the motion, Jasrita took the stage and shared that it’s PR that's doing the heavy lifting. To back up her statement, she defined the brand trust components. 

"The first Brand Component is customer satisfaction, and measuring customer satisfaction through advertising or marketing requires experience on the ground, which is gauged through comms and PR. The second is brand image, where you guys have some role to play. We can agree on this, right? The third is competitor comparisons, which is where the role of comms and PR comes in. The fourth is your overall opinion or experience, where PR and comms also have a role to play", she explained.

With each rebuttal, the dispute grew more intense between the supporters of marketing and PR. 

Moving ahead, Jaideep requested both parties to express their opinions on the following statement: "With the rise of AI, is it now the time for collaboration between marketing and PR, or is it time for one to prevail over the other? Will AI replace one, or will the other benefit?"

To this, Ashish emphasized the importance of finding the right fit for a moment and having to deal with the associated challenges. He believes the focus should be on innovation rather than trying to emulate traditional PR or marketing approaches. He highlighted the significance of credibility, emphasizing that editorial coverage holds unmatched power. He also addressed the shrinking space for contribution and the blurred line between editorial and advertorial content that PR professionals should acknowledge. 

After this, Neeta Linz counterbalanced the statement made by the marketing panelists by taking an example of her company. "We have huge marketing budgets for categories like refrigerators or televisions, but we also have categories that are only driving sales based on PR and social media. That's the credibility of this media because when you write about it, people read and it generates leads. Many businesses are only running based on PR and social media, so of course, this is very important for certain businesses. If the question is, can PR alone drive sales? Well, in some verticals, it can."

Right to this, Shan's statement that Social Media falls under Marketing sparked intrigue and discussion of agreement and disagreement among the audience, eventually turning the stage into a lively debate.

Jaideep asked both the sides to share their final thoughts on "What is the one thing that Marketers would want PR professionals to do? And for PR professionals, what is the one thing that marketing professionals should do?"

Both parties casually replied, "Listen to us!" 

But jokes aside, Ashish explained that one thing PR professionals should focus on is innovation.

"Marketing is more like an engine that drives awareness and desire while PR is the steering wheel that guides the brand's narrative and reputation. So, a well-tuned car which is what we are supposed to be a brand needs both powerful engines to be there", Sanjeev eloquently summarized his final thoughts using an automobile analogy. 

From the opposite side, Mahapatra gracefully concluded the debate by stating, "Sometimes, we see this on the marketing side – the idea that they know it all – but ideas can come from anywhere. Being a true marketer means that you should be open to ideas from anywhere."