Public Relations from a Different Lens

On February 25, 2019, the Eric Mower Advertising Forum at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications featured Peter Marshall. Marshall is the president and founder of Marshall Arts Inc., an advertising agency based in New York City. I had the pleasure of listening to Marshall discuss the ins and outs of his career, the need for creativity, and the importance of being business-savvy in the advertising industry.

Although I am not an advertising student, hearing about the communications industry from a different perspective was refreshing and fascinating. It was extremely riveting to further understand the similarities between public relations and advertising by listening to Marshall’s main points. I was much more drawn to the information regarding business culture in the advertising industry, because I felt that his expertise can apply to the communications industry as a whole. One of my most prominent takeaways was the importance of timeliness. Marshall explained that in order to execute a successful advertising campaign, discovering news in a timely manner is essential. In Professor Howell’s Advanced Public Relations Writing for a Digital World course, we discussed the importance of “newsjacking”. Howell explained that newsjacking can be successfully done using the following: “reacting to breaking news + providing ‘second paragraph’ content = media attention for your company”. This formula is aligned with Marshall’s message of using current news findings to your advantage.

However, according to Marshall and PR professional Regina Luttrell, there is an apparent difference between advertising and marketing. Marshall claimed that the objective of advertising is to “keep a brand in the front of everybody’s eyes”, while Luttrell writes that PR is “independently designed to foster relationships with customers.” To me, this difference proves why it is important for advertising professionals and PR professionals to understand one another. Without the support of either industry, it becomes difficult to effectively communicate with the target audience.

The advice that was most impactful to me was the importance of networking. Marshall stated, “Building skills is how you get hired and how you build connections. You have to be able to offer up a lot of skills”. One of the skills he highlighted was the ability to network with ease because although it may be difficult to determine where and when those connections will be useful, you will never regret making them. As college students preparing for post-graduation life, getting over the fear of forming connections in essential. Marshall recalls that moving past the fear of rejection teaches you many more lessons than rejection itself. I am appreciative of my Newhouse education and I can’t wait to attend more guest speakers before the end of the semester!