Publicists plant idea seeds and nurture them as they develop, sometimes enjoying great results, sometimes not. Unfortunately, there is never a guarantee for media placement, but a publicist’s job is to use expertise, experience, and relationships to increase the exposure of a brand/product/person in the media and to their target audience.
PR is not to increase sales through advertisements or paid marketing. However, the gap between marketing and public relations overlaps now more than ever – social media, influencers, paid & otherwise, Google ad words, for example, all work together in tandem as interconnected and creative forces.
PR can result in sales when the story is unique and newsworthy, of course. A campaign that’s developed and executed well can be extraordinarily valuable or it can do absolutely nothing for the client’s bottom line if the sales and marketing strategy isn’t in place to capitalize on it.
It is important to have a dedicated publicist to “protect” a brand’s message, regardless of the spokesperson hired to directly engage consumers. Celebrity spokespeople most often have their own publicist(s), but their interest lies strictly with the celebrity. It is important that your liaison works with the spokesperson’s team to ensure brand consistency and intent.