Public Relations brings in the visibility to your digital marketing billboard

Marketing teams might give you quantifiable ROI, but your PR team will get you loads of goodwill

In a fast-paced world, where a lightning-fast response during a crisis is required, a PR professional would fine-tune the message that needs to go out. Reputation management is part of a corporate PR team’s undertaking.

Public Relations brings in the visibility to your digital marketing billboard

In the last decade, as social media usage, start-up culture, and digital marketing boomed in India, the concern about the relevance of public relations became a topic of debate. Many thought that the role of PR professionals was limited to media relations, and with the emergence of online media, that role became impertinent. However, this couldn’t have been far from the truth.

Increasing Brand Loyalty

As the world reeled from the after-effects of the first wave of the pandemic, Burger King’s “Order from McDonald’s” campaign helped increase brand loyalty. The ad copy ran on the fast-food giant’s Twitter handle and quickly became viral. The copy encouraged followers to order from competing fast-food franchises like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Subway, KFC, to name a few. However, the Burger King PR Team ensured that the global media such as The Guardian, The Drum, The Business Insider, AdAge, etc., ran articles explaining why Burger King wanted patrons to buy from their competitors. The social media shares helped increase the brand’s customer loyalty. The survey conducted by UserTesting revealed that 90% of customers agreed to increased brand loyalty for Burger King after reading the ad, while 70% of customers confirmed to have a positive change in perception for the fast-food brand. 

The COVID-induced pandemic may have caused corporates to re-think their marketing campaigns. However, it has undoubtedly, once again, highlighted the importance of public relations in the integrated media environment. 

Earned Media vs Paid Media

Simply communicating through one’s social media handles isn’t enough either. Your digital marketing efforts will only generate likes and followers. When it comes to communication, it’s the PR professionals who will be able to communicate the key message to your target audience. While your marketing and advertising efforts will help sell your products, it’s your PR campaigns that will create awareness and credibility among your target audiences. 

A 2015 Nielsen report found out that earned media creates a better impact than paid media. Earned media comes through PR relationships; as a third party writes these, the impact and influence are far more significant than an advertising copy or website content. Media outreach helps a corporate build better consumer impact than content marketing. 

Credibility Building and Crisis Management

In a fast-paced world, where a lightning-fast response during a crisis is required, a PR professional would fine-tune the message that needs to go out. Reputation management is part of a corporate PR team’s undertaking. IN 2017, as a part of a marketing campaign, Adidas sent a promotional email to Boston Marathon participants. The subject line read, “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!”. Email receivers immediately related it to the bombings that took place during the 2013 Boston Marathon. With their reputation on the line, the Adidas PR team quickly responded with a heartfelt and sincere public apology by spokesperson Maria Culp. 

Sending Out the Right Message

During a global crisis such as the ongoing COVID pandemic, media outreach is the only way to keep your company’s name and your brand message in the public eye. If you have to communicate news, such as launching a new product or a CSR activity, this should be communicated to your target audience via media. One of the best ways to do so is through thought-leadership articles and interviews that allow the C-Suite to share the news with the world. However, a word of caution! Consumers do not want to hear about how you are profiting from the crisis. So, a PR professional would help you set the right tone in your message while also sending out a media announcement or a release explaining the details to the journalists. 

Your marketing team might be able to give you quantifiable ROI, but your PR team will be able to get you loads of goodwill.