Marketing and Public Relations: Partners or Rivals?

The article discusses the different responsibilities of marketing and public relations functions, considers where one ends and one begins, and discusses their shared roles as the external face of the firm. The article discusses the various degrees of the use of these two functions within organizations, ranging from very little use to extensive use of strong departments. The article chronicles the evolution of marketing and public relations, presents some alternate models of the two functions, and forecasts their future relationship. The author sees a further breaking down of the boundaries between the two functions, advocating for the voice of both in corporate policy decision making.