Comparison: Public Relations(PR), Direct marketing, Sales promotion

A promotional mix can contain many elements. This article looks at three of the most critical aspects for promotion- public relations, direct marketing, and sales promotion.

Public relations

Public relations is the communication strategy that aims to establish good relationships with the target clientele of an organization. It can take place in the form of reports, events or press articles. This approach seems more authentic and credible than advertising and reaches consumers who avoid sales and advertising. Public relations differ from advertising in the following ways:

• Advertising focuses primarily on the image of the product while public relations is more focused on the image of the company.
• Advertising is controlled and paid for by the company while public relations are controlled by the media and are not paid directly by the company but by the media behind the article
• Advertising seeks to impress while public relationships are more about understanding.

Public relations take place in 5 primary functions:

• Relations with the press
• Advertising on the product
• Public affairs
• Lobbying
• Investor relations

The company, therefore, has several tools at its disposal:

• The publications
• Company reviews
• The speeches
• The events
• Means of identification (e.g. locals)
• Social activities

  The benefits of public relations:

• They reach specific target audiences, potentially tricky to reach.
• They help to manage crises
• They are credible

The disadvantages

• The company has no power over the final message
• Information is not always broadcast
• It is difficult to measure their effectiveness

Direct marketing

Direct marketing is direct communication with individually targeted consumers to get an immediate response. It is a private and specific activity, immediate, personalized and interactive. The price of direct marketing is generally quite affordable, regardless of the target audience, and is seen today as an effective way to sell products and services, but also as a way to build customer loyalty and build a long-term relationship with her. Dedicated databases are becoming more relevant, and direct marketing allows much more interesting customization than other approaches, such as offering a product similar to those already purchased.

Advantages of Direct Marketing:

• Direct Marketing allows direct access to the consumer who often prefers to buy directly from home rather than move
• It is possible for the consumer to compare products based on catalogs or even to discover new products
• From a targeted list of potential customers, the company can establish a more accurate and accurate communication with them
• The effectiveness of this type of marketing is measured very easily

Forms of direct marketing:

• Catalog sales
• Telemarketing broadcasts
• Direct mail
• TV marketing (telephone sales)
• Interactive kiosk
• Electronic marketing (emails that we receive)

Sales Promotion

Sales promotion is a short-term incentive to encourage the purchase of a product or service. This approach attracts attention and pushes to try the product, or even convince it to buy on the spot. Three types of methods exist to promote sales:

• Information activities: displays, demonstrations, promotional tools (samples) and trade shows.
• Promotional prices: coupons, discounts, rebates, cash (refund on the purchase).
• Incentives: Contests, Travel, Bonuses, Prizes, Free Articles, Recognition.

Sales promotion comes with several risks:

• Price sensitivity is increased.
• The brand may lose value.
• Consumer loyalty can decrease.
• Discounts may not be passed on to the consumer if the company does not provide distribution.
• Profitability is also to be taken into account.

All these communication channels are integral to business growth, but Public Relations has some distinct advantages over other channels.

Information published in Press is considered more authentic and genuine than an ad copy.

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