Public relations (PR) focuses on managing external communication to create and maintain a positive image, while marketing involves a mix of activities to facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges between buyers and sellers. Advertising is a single component of marketing that involves paid announcements to promote products and services. To better promote MCC, the summary recommends increasing the marketing budget, targeting advertising more, reducing spending on miscellaneous community items, and increasing PR with local groups through partnerships and a student alumni database.

1. Marketing/PR –
Marketing Plan 08
June 1, 2008
Topic: Brief Overview and Recommendations
Public Relations, Marketing, and Advertising: A Brief Overview
Public Relations: Defined
Public relations (PR) is the managing of outside communication of an organization to create and maintain a
positive image. Public relations can involve popularizing successes, downplaying failures, announcing changes,
and many other activities.
In Random House Unabridged Dictionary, public relations is defined as the art, marketing, quantitative, and
visual technique, or profession of promoting goodwill between an organization (or an individual) and the public,
employees, customers, etc.
However, the following may be the most descriptive definition so far:
"Public Relations is a set of management, supervisory, and technical functions
that foster an organization's ability to strategically listen to, appreciate, and
respond to those persons whose mutually beneficial relationships with the
organization are necessary if it is to achieve its missions and values."
(Robert L. Heath, Encyclopedia of Public Relations).
Essentially, PR is a management function that focuses on two-way communication and fostering of mutually
beneficial relationships between an organization (in this case, MCC) and its publics (prospective and current
students; local business, civic, and government leaders; and the citizens of MCC’s service area).
Marketing vs. Advertising: What’s the Difference?
Review of formal definitions:
Marketing: The systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to
bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products.
Advertising: The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor;
the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers.
Martin Community College
1161 Kehukee Park Road
Williamston, NC 27892-8307
Phone 252-792-1521
Fax 252-792-0826
www.martincc.edu

2. Explanation of how marketing differs from advertising:
Marketing is a process that takes time and can involve hours of research for a marketing plan to be effective.
Think of marketing as everything that an organization does to facilitate an exchange between company and
consumer, organization and public.
Advertising is a single component of the marketing process.
It's the part that involves getting the word out concerning your business, product, or the services you are
offering. It involves the process of developing strategies such as ad placement, frequency, etc. Advertising
includes the placement of an ad in such mediums as newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and of
course the Internet. Advertising is the largest expense of most marketing plans, with public relations following
in a close second and market research not falling far behind.
The best way to distinguish between advertising and marketing is to think of marketing as a pie, inside that pie
you have slices of advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution,
customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in
the strategy. All of these elements must not only work independently but they also must work together towards
the bigger goal.
Marketing and Public Relations Recommendations for MCC
In order to promote MCC more effectively and efficiently, I suggest the following for consideration:
1. Increase department’s budget in order to successfully accomplish marketing/PR goals and objectives.
2. Target advertising to better promote community services, fundraising events, educational programs.
3. Reduce the amount of funds spent on miscellaneous “community advertising” (i.e. – community
magnets, county guides/maps, sheriff/police department calendars, and school spirit give-away items).
4. Increase public relations with local businesses, state agencies, and non-profits for partnership in and
sponsorship of community-related events hosted by MCC or developed by its staff/faculty committees.
5. Create and maintain a current database of MCC alumni, faculty and staff to build a career network for
students, generate student success stories for website, and/or distribute to local media for reference
and possible interviews/speaking engagements (similar to a Speaker’s Bureau).
I recommend Martin Community College accept this marketing plan and the suggestions made herein as an
effort to streamline how advertising dollars are spent and target its program promotions and student
recruitment activities. Along with this proposal, I’ve attached the strategic marketing plan for Fiscal Year 2009.
Sincerely,
Lucretia King
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Martin Community College