How Does Public Relations Contribute to Marketing Communication Efficiency - Research Paper Example

?How Does Public Relations Contribute to Marketing Communication Efficiency? Table of Contents Introduction 3 Critical Review of the Literatures 4 Application of the Theories to Events Industry 9 Role of PR and Marketing Communication in the Events Industry 11 Conclusion 14 References 15 Bibliography 18 Introduction The marketing activities and its different guiding principles should act seamlessly together in order to mitigate any sort of unfavourable situation that may occur due to increased level of globalisation and complexities in the business procedures (Grunig, 2012). With this aim, theorists have often argued public relations should play a vital role in facilitating marketing communication efficiencies among contemporary organisations (Friedman, 2012; Satawedin, 2005; Grunig & Grunig, 1998). In general, marketing and Public Relation (PR) are significantly correlating with each other (Huang-Horowitz, 2012; Rizvi & Ishaq, 2012). According to various observations from different scholars, it has been identified that PR is regarded as one of the major, effective as well as versatile tools of marketing communication that enables to enhance as well as to develop the efficiency of each marketing activity. It can be executed by taking into concern both internal as well as external business environment of a specific organisation (Zerfass & Duhring, 2012; Xifra & Huertas, 2008). Based on the various literatures concerning determining the role and the significance of PR in the arena of marketing communication, the paper intends to critically analyse the contribution of public relation to the efficiency of marketing communication. The discussion of this report will mainly focus on critically reviewing different literatures concerning the role and the influences of PR in the field of marketing communication process. Moreover, different theories or models concerning the function of PR in marketing communication will also be critically reviewed throughout this discussion. With this concern, the description in this report will further focus on identifying the importance and oversights of conducting PR practices in the segment of marketing communication, especially concerning the events industry. Critical Review of the Literatures The emergence of modern trends that are followed by the global organisations has been found to be highly focused on enhancing the capability of the marketing communication through involving an effective PR process. With regard to the notion of marketing communication efficiency, Stroh (2007) revealed that PR is one of the major and widely used approaches for the modern organisations. According to the observation of the study made by Zerfass and Duhring (2012), it has been viewed that both marketing communication and PR simultaneously have been passing through a dramatic and evolutionary growth during the past few decades. Both these aspects have been noted to experience amazing developments in the global business world. PR can be recognised as one of the major independent functions of the modern business organisations. The concept of PR, being an element of marketing communication, insists the global organisations should practice different strategies to effectively develop the significant concern of PR in the marketing process (Cochrane & Hazou, 2012). Moreover, Arnoldi (2012), Prindle (2011), and Grunig and Grunig (1998) stated that PR is recognised to be one of the major contributory factors for an organisation to efficiently perform its broad assortment of marketing activities. According to Grunig and Grunig (1998), it has been apparently observed that PR offers two major benefits to different organisations that include increasing sales and raising business reputation that in turn could lead the organisations towards accomplishing their predetermined business targets to a greater extent. Watson (2011) and Grunig and Grunig (1998) noted that PR cannot be considered as a sales tool; rather, it can be viewed as an extensively effective approach that enables an organisation to identify as well as assess the risks and, most importantly, to mitigate any sort of unfavourable situations. In this similar context, as stated by Grunig and Grunig (1998), the perception of corporate PR is viewed to be an essential method for any organisation in terms of dealing with large number of individuals that comprise stakeholders, investors, suppliers as well as dealers, consumers and the employees involved with the organisations. Grunig & Grunig (1998) identified that PR significantly renders numerous possible opportunities to a specific organisation. Firstly, the approach can be treated as a procedural practice that tends to support broad array of marketing activities. Secondly, the approach deals with developing various marketing functions that comprise corporate branding, corporate image, brand reputation, market penetration and development practices among others. Thirdly, it can be considered as an effective mechanism that facilitates an organisation to fit into the social environments as well as enable it to participate in social and financial enlargement enthusiastically (Grunig & Grunig, 1998). According to Pullen (2009), the notion of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is implemented by the advertising industry that incorporates PR within its overall marketing activities. In this similar concern, Pullen (2009) noted that the idea of Marketing Public Relations (MPR) is viewed to be a distinctive model for making integrated relations between marketing process and PR. The MPR model significantly prevents the incorporation of PR differentiating it from Corporate Public Relation (CPR). It has been noted that the model of MPR principally focuses on targeting potential customers while the model CPR involves building relation between public and the organisations (Pullen, 2009). With this concern, Hartley and Pickton (1999) stated that the emerging changes in the marketing communication process and technological elements significantly build a new way of performing broad assortment of marketing activities in a distinctive process. Moreover, the process of marketing communication has been observed to be an increasing segregated attribute that has been incessantly developed, especially in certain industry or organisation. The organisations, therefore, seek to provide integrated services to their respective clients in order to acquire significant benefits to a significant level. Moreover, with the inclusion of PR, the marketing communication strategic plan turned into a new way of generating clients’ interest to a greater extent. However, it is important for the service providing organisations that the activities of marketing communication are autonomously performed by the specific department or managerial groups in order to comply with the requirements of the clients (Hartley & Pickton, 1999). The relationship between PR and the process of marketing communication model can be better understood with the help of the following graphical representation. Fig.1: Marketing Communication Model (FTMSGlobal, 2011) Furthermore, it can be observed from the study made by Cornelissen and Thorpe (2011) that an effective relationship between marketing communication and PR functions can facilitate an organisation to cope with the powerful restructuring trend of the business processes. In this regard, PR constitutes major elements that are highly beneficial for any organisation to sustain its long run position in a particular community or a business market. In the context of the present business environment, a few of the global organisations are renowned for their incorporation of integrated communication practice that enables them to form as well as develop their relationship with their potential stakeholders. Moreover, an integrated communication process through complying with effective PR can also provide significant benefits to the organisations in terms of accomplishing superior competitive position and long-run sustainability in the business market (Cornelissen & Thorpe, 2011). Grunig and Grunig (1998) identified that both the aspects, i.e. PR and the process of marketing communication, incorporate separate functions relating to their respective standpoints and competencies. It has been viewed that both PR and the process of marketing communication possess dominant functions. From the perspective of the procedure of marketing communication, it manages effective relationship with the public, including the customer, by focusing on developing various marketing activities. In this connection, PR builds effective relationship only with the key customer groups by formulating effective functions to construct rapport with the potential customers. It can be observed that both PR and the process of marketing communication possess similar activities that enable the organisations to effectively deal with external affairs to a greater extent. Therefore, it can be stated that both PR and the process of marketing communication are regarded as the major attributes of an organisation that supports them to build effective customer as well as community relationship (Grunig & Grunig, 1998). Duhe (2007) noted that there pertain a strong interrelation between the process of marketing communication and PR. As stated by Duhe (2007), both PR and the process of marketing communication possess similar functions. With this concern, the following model depicts the integrated relationship between PR and the process of marketing communication (Duhe, 2007). Fig.2: Relationship Model of PR and Marketing (Duhe, 2007) Application of the Theories to Events Industry Events industry can be considered as one of the growing segments that is playing an imperative part in the global economic development. According to the present scenario, it has been observed that the events industry is growing by a significant level through generating ample business opportunities both for the global as well as the domestic organisations. The present condition in the events industry has been viewed to be quite dynamic because of the emerging development as well as formation of the various research networks. The business activities or functions relating to events industry are broadly constituted by taking into concern broad assortment of activities like conferences, meetings, trade shows along with exhibitions, corporate hospitality, incentive travel, cultural as well as festival events, outdoor events, music and sports events. These particular segments linked with events industry have been viewed to generate substantial profits through incorporating various effective business strategies. In the context of events industry, the organisations tend to formulate exceptional strategic plans emphasising the development of their different operational services that comprise transportation networks, infrastructure development and maximisation of valuable resources among others (Business Visits and Events Partnership, 2011). With this concern, it can be stated that the process of marketing communication and PR plays a pivotal role, especially for the events organisation through rendering effective support to attract large group of customers. Role of PR and Marketing Communication in the Events Industry Due to certain decisive factors that encompass the increased level of business market competition, globalisation and internationalisation and the organisations relating to events industry seek to generate or develop their events planning methods through incorporating various marketing activities. Moreover, the organisations in the events industry further tend to enhance their business processes by including effective PR programmes in their various marketing activities. The use of PR and marketing communication can be identified to be the imperative practices for the events organisations to efficiently perform their various business operational functions. There are various reasons for which the global event corporations enthusiastically embrace the aspects, i.e. PR and the process of marketing communication, at large. One of the imperative reasons is that both PR and the process of marketing communication assist the organisations in identifying their major target groups (Masterman & Wood, 2012). Moreover, the different PR activities in the events industry are regarded as essential tools for an organisation that incorporates effective communication process with media, cooperative partners and other key stakeholders. The PR has been further recognised as an effective communication tool that enables the organisations to efficiently perform their respective business functions with ease. Moreover, PR plays a crucial part for different organisations in terms of communicating with the media, government along with other concerning individual or groups. An effective PR technique for an event management corporation can provide substantial capability to effectively deal with various possible consequences (Nair & Subramaniam, 2011). Furthermore, the PR technique also supports an event based organisation in terms of organising different types of events. According to the present increasing development in the events industry, the organisers seek to target each group of customers ranging from age groups, ethnic backgrounds and their preferred entertainment programmes. With this concern, it is highly important for the event organisers to adopt exceptional strategies in order to encompass all the group of its target customers. Therefore, an effective PR is quite essential in order to fulfil their respective business targets (Masterman & Wood, 2012). In this similar context, it has been viewed that PR techniques, particularly in the events industry, assist an organisation in implementing of various marketing tools to enhance its marketing communication procedure efficiently. So, the essential marketing tools have been discussed hereunder. Advertising and Promotion Management The advertising and promotion (A&P) management can be considered as one of the major marketing tools for the organizations in order to successfully launch and sustain within the business market. This particular tool concerns various imperative aspects relating to the product or service offerings that comprise price of the product/service, cost of alternatives and income level of the consumers that significantly affect the offerings of an organisation. The fundamental role of advertising and promotion in the events industry can be defined as the process to generate broader interests of the consumers or attracting them toward availing adequate facilities in order to comply with their requirements (Haase, 2012). Most importantly, an effective as well as efficient advertisement and promotion strategy facilitates different event corporations to shift the demand function through accumulating new consumers, particularly those who may have never experienced the service before or those who consumed similar services from other event corporation. Therefore, it is reasonably possible for the events organisations to develop the shape of the demands of the consumers by means of implementing an effective advertising and promotion initiatives within the marketplace (Dayal et al., 1996). E-Marketing Communication According to the emerging growth in the events industry, e-marketing can be identified as one of the effective and broadly used approaches of communicating to end number of audiences. The advertising and promotional strategy of the modern business organisations has been significantly focused on marketing their respective products or services through the execution or the application of electronic media (Smith & Zook, 2011). The rapid transformation of online media significantly provides enormous opportunity to communicate with large number of global audiences (Campbell et al., 2011). According to the present day communication process of the events corporations, e-marketing can be regarded as an effective and essential tool that provides the opportunity to communicate through broadcasting their different services such as infrastructure, hospitality facilities as well as different convenient locations. Moreover, the services rendered by the event organisers also broadcast their previous performances through incorporating different e-marketing media such as organisations’ own corporate sites, social networks, web forum and local TV channels among others (Cassidy & Fitch, 2012; Kent, 2008; Shone & Parry, 2004). Conclusion According to various literatures concerning the role and significance of PR in marketing communication, it has been viewed that the attributes of PR supports the organisations in managing as well as organising different marketing related activities. The aspect can be further stated as an effective communication that constructs strong association and conveys essential information to mass people. It is regarded as a key driver for an organisation that reflects the overall corporate image and outcomes of the business practices by a considerable level. An effective implementation of PR technique as a form of marketing communication significantly plays a decisive part for the organisations by assisting them to mitigate different challenges, building brand reputation, generating sales as well as encouraging and increasing consumer participation. Moreover, the inclusion of PR in the marketing communication further develops the management capability of a particular organisation in terms of communicating their respective products or services to its valuable customers. In the context of events industry, PR is viewed to be an important technique that enables the different global event corporations to broadly convey their product or service offerings to its intended targeted audience. The integration of PR in the marketing communication can significantly provide considerable benefits for the organisations linked with events industry in terms of building an effective relationship with the communal members for the motive of sustaining in this competitive market. Therefore, it can be firmly stated that the integration of PR significantly enhances the efficiency of marketing communication of a particular organisation to a great extent. References Arnoldi, E., 2012. Is it a Complex Subject? The Public Relations Firm and Sustainable Practices. World Public Relations Forum 2012, pp. 8-11. Business Visits and Events Partnership, 2011. Opportunities for Growth in the UK Events Industry Roles & responsibilities. The UK Events Industry. Campbell, C. & et. al., 2011. Understanding Consumer Conversations around Ads In A Web 2.0 World. Journal of Advertising, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 87–102. Cassidy, L. & Fitch, K., 2012. 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