Public Relations and Relationship Marketing Essay

Public Relations and Relationship Marketing - Essay Example For the purpose of this paper the following definitions found in the Dictionary of Marketing Terms (___) will be used: Public Relations: "That form of communication management that seeks to make use of publicity and other non paid forms of promotion and information to influence the feelings, opinions or beliefs about the company, its products or services or about the value of the product or service or the activities of the organization to the buyers, prospects or other stakeholders." Relationship Marketing (RM): "Marketing with the conscious aim to develop and manage long-term and/or trusting relationships with customers, distributors, suppliers or other parties in the marketing environment." In this examination of the effectiveness of PR and RM in successful event promotion the term "Event Management" will be used to describe the work of professionals involved in promoting events. Event Management will be seen in the context of the following definition and diagram created by Julia Silvers (2003): "Event management is an intricate weaving of the process and the scope of management functions. As illustrated below, the functional units (grouped by domain) form the warp fibers-the foundation threads of the fabric of an event. The processes-or weft threads-are interwoven through these foundations for each event, with the evaluation thread from one event forming the research thread for the next event. If you eliminate one of the threads, the fabric of the event is weakened, leaving holes or places where it may unravel." Methodology: Extensive research of the literature as well as a number of Internet Sources have resulted in a decision to examine the professional services of one specific company that specializes in all aspects of event planning. The company philosophy and reports on five events they have successfully coordinated will be examined in relation to how PR and RM have been utilized effectively in each situation. The company selected for this purpose is Fundraising Partners Northwest. Event Promotion and Use of PR/RM - In the description of their services on the company website members of Fundraising Partners Northwest state that "the three critical components for success in any fundraising effort are relationships, an effective case for support and teamwork." The company has an excellent track record with regard to promoting and successfully overseeing events. One of the ways the company utilizes relationship techniques that seems to create a platform for success is to meet with clients to discuss their own unique needs and develop strategies for ongoing "support and teamwork." This use of RM in the initial stages of any work the group does has proven to be effective in the company's management of events and other services. By helping to "clearly articulate" each organization's unique needs Fundraising Partners Northwest is able to prepare strategies for meeting goals by "combining tested practices with original ideas." The attached report on the Symphony of Seafood event that was initiated in 1999 by the company is a good illustration of 'well orchestrated' combined use of Public Relations and Relationship Marketing. In 1999, the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, sponsoring organization of the Alaska Symphony of Seafoo