Int. J. Teaching and Case Studies, Vol. 5, Nos.

3/4, 2014 303

The marketing mix: a conceptual framework for

teaching public relations and other corporate
communication

Marcos Komodromos* and Nicholas Nicoli

Department of Communications,
School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law,
University of Nicosia,
46 Makedonitissis Str., 1700 Egkomi, Cyprus
Email: m.komodromos@gmail.com
Email: nicoli.n@unic.ac.cy
*Corresponding author

Abstract: This paper examines the concepts that are so often used
interchangeably in the broad field of corporate communication. The authors
first seek to define the field of marketing and how it has adapted to the fast
pace of commerce and technology. In addition, the authors address one specific
component of marketing in detail – that of advertising. This area of activity is
no doubt the most conspicuous – and arguably – creative element of corporate
communication. Because of this, advertising is often the one sector that
becomes entangled in just how other areas of an organisation communicate.
Indeed, there are cases where public relations professionals need to use the
tools, tactics, know-how and accessibility of advertising in the same manner as
advertisers often do when similar expertise is required from public relations
(PR). Following, the study contributes to existing knowledge regarding the area
of the marketing mix, which is used to communicate with customers within the
public relations and corporate communications literature.

Keywords: public relations; corporate communications; advertising; marketing

communications; direct marketing; sales promotion.

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Komodromos, M. and

Nicoli, N. (2014) ‘The marketing mix: a conceptual framework for teaching
public relations and other corporate communication’, Int. J. Teaching and Case
Studies, Vol. 5, Nos. 3/4, pp.303–313.

Biographical notes: Marcos Komodromos is an Assistant Professor and he

lectures at the University of Nicosia’s Department of Communications and he
is an Accredited Charter Instructor of Public Relations in Cyprus, Greece and
Romania. He has worked in the field of internal communication, corporate
communication and crisis management in both Cyprus and Greece. He acts as
business consultant for a range of organisations in Cyprus and abroad. He has
more than 12 years experience in the media industry, particularly radio and TV
and has many media projects to his credit. He has published widely on
organisational justice, organisational trust, internal communication and
corporate social responsibility.

Nicholas Nicoli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communications

at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus and coordinator of the Public Relations,
Advertising and Marketing BA Programme. He is a Charter Institute of Public
Relations (CIPR) Approved Trainer and a member of the European Media

Copyright © 2014 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

304 M. Komodromos and N. Nicoli

Management Association (EMMA), the European Sociological Association

(ESA), the International Association for Media and Communication (IAMCR),
the Re-Visionary Interpretations of the Public Enterprise (RIPE) and the
Institute of Mass Media and Communications, Cyprus (IMME). He is also a
certified facilitator of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, a TEDx curator
and an organiser of Startup Weekend, Cyprus.

1 Introduction and purpose

This paper explores the role of public relations (PR) as part of the corporate
communication mix and examines the differences between PR and advertising,
appreciating the strengths and benefits of an integrated corporate communication
approach. Many scholars introduce the concepts that are so often used interchangeably in
the broad field of corporate communication. In this research the authors seek to define the
field of marketing and how it has adapted to the fast pace of commerce and technology.
In the next section the authors will address one specific component of marketing in
detail – that of advertising. This area of activity is no doubt the most conspicuous – and
arguably – creative element of corporate communication. Because of this, advertising is
often the one sector that becomes entangled in just how other areas of an organisation
communicate (Nicoli and Komodromos, 2013). Indeed, there are cases where PR
professionals need to use the tools, tactics, know-how and accessibility of advertising in
the same manner as advertisers often do when similar expertise is required from PR
(Carrillat and d’Astous, 2012). Advertising, possibly more than any other area of
corporate communication, is changing at an extremely fast pace and is having to readapt
itself.
Thus, the purpose of this literature review paper is to understand the differences
between PR and advertising and understand the role of PR as part of the corporate
communications mix. The researchers examined also the strengths and benefits of an
integrated communication approach. In the following sections the researchers present
some theoretical underpinnings for this literature review research, followed by.

2 Marketing

In 1993, shortly before the onset of the internet-age, Shultz et al. made this astonishing
observation:
“Just as we were watching the field of marketing communications mature, we
started to see it change. Perhaps that is what has been so surprising – the
incredibly fast change from mass marketing to one-to-one marketing, from
mass communication to individual communication, from what we knew and
were comfortable with to things that seem to challenge the very nature of our
businesses and our lives.” (p.17)
What makes the above statement surprising, apart from how accurate the authors were, is
that it could have been written even today, post internet, post social media. It shows the
continuity occurring in corporate communications. As the internet and the digitalisation
 The marketing mix: a conceptual framework for teaching public relations 305

of communications have spread, individual communication has become more

encompassing; and with these trends in mind, the field of marketing has had to adapt its
definitions. The American Marketing Association (AMA, 2012) defines the discipline as:
“The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating,
delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients,
partners, and society at large.”
One of the most influential marketing books used today is by Belch and Belch (2009),
Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. In it,
an interesting point is made regarding the AMA definition. Revised in 2007, it signals an
important change in how marketing is currently practiced and perceived. It apparently
marks the point that the marketing process is not only in the hands of marketers:
specifically, Belch and Belch record “the role of non-marketers in the marketing process”
(p.8). We believe that marketing professionals and theorists have come to realise the
significance of a more circular form of communication where all parties are involved in
every area of the process of communication (Nicoli and Komodromos, 2013).
Consequently, marketers – like PR practitioners – are trying to regain some form of
control by creating longer-lasting links with customers. Indeed, the term relationship
marketing – used in marketing to address the significant shifts occurring in the field – is
comparable to the PR term – relationship management (defined in chapter one). The use
of such similar phrases and concepts between these disciplines is no coincidence. It
seems that all corporate communication disciplines are blurring their borders, integrating
and converging with equivalent goals and objectives. As a result, all current forms of
corporate communication are based on the notion of establishing long-term relationships
with publics, target groups and other stakeholders.
Many authors support that one of the best ways of understanding marketing, as well
as other forms of corporate communication, is to use van Riel and Fombrum’s (2007)
three forms of corporate communication. According to van Riel and Fombrum, there are
three ‘task-related clusters’ that define how organisations communicate (p.14). The first
is what they term management communication. In this book it is defined in chapter two
as internal communication and in so doing we give it a broader scope as internal
communication works through all levels of an organisation. It appears that van Riel and
Fombrum include this because they wish to emphasis specifically how managers
communicate to internal and external publics. Managers today are possibly the biggest
brand ambassadors of any organisation. More than any other member of the organisation,
managers lead and steer their organisations and are subjected to minute examination,
constantly operating under a microscope. The second cluster is known as marketing
communication. Below is how van Riel and Fombrum define the term, “[it] consists
primarily of those forms of communication that supports the sales of products, services,
and brands. In marketing communication, a distinction is often made between the
promotional mix and the public relations mix” (p.17). They next define the promotional
mix as consisting of advertising, sales promotion, direct mail, sponsorship and sales
management (ibid.). Similarly, Belch and Belch (2009) note that marketing as a function
and process, is based on a marketing mix. To these authors this mix is as follows
“marketing facilitates the exchange process and the development of
relationships by carefully examining the needs and wants of consumers,
developing a product or service that satisfies these needs, offering it at a certain
process, making it available through a particular place or channel of
306 M. Komodromos and N. Nicoli

distribution, and developing a program of promotion or communication to

create awareness and interest. These four P’s – product, price, place
(distribution), and promotion – are the elements of the marketing mix.” (p.10)
The final cluster of communication within the organisation is introduced by van Riel and
Fombrun as organisational communication (p.20).

2.1 Advertising, types, characteristics and formats

Promotion forms an extremely complex yet substantial part of an organisation’s everyday
functions. Its most vital component is that of advertising. This subsection takes a brief
look at the advertising process of AIDA and the importance of targeting correct groups. It
then looks at the economics of advertising; how information is processed and the
different types, characteristics and formats of advertising. The final part concentrates on
the differences between advertising and PR.
The basic principle of advertising is to generate awareness in a product or service
through traditional media to specific groups of large and small target audiences. Once
awareness is achieved, advertisers try to stimulate interest of the product or service to a
particular target group. Creating sufficient interest in a product or service leads to a
desire for it, which in turn, leads to action or purchase. Together, these four components
make up the advertising process known as AIDA. Media users can be broken-down into
different demographic groups since each group, to a large extent, has similar tastes and
media preferences. Advertising, engages in matching products and services with media
content so that these groups can be reached. Specifically, in order for AIDA to be
achieved with as little advertising budget wasted as possible, advertisements are matched
to those groups of people that are more likely to purchase a particular product (Nicoli and
Komodromos, 2013). For example, it would make little sense to advertise a Porsche
Carrera GT on a soap opera television programme because it is unlikely that audiences of
soap operas will be potential Porsche owners. Soap operas are television programmes,
which are produced specifically for women with families who are often viewed as the
decision-makers in relation to what supermarket products to consume. In fact, on closer
examination regarding how to advertise a Carrera GT, the television, as an option, might
even be left out totally since potential purchasers would probably lead lifestyles that
include little television consumption.
Most authors support how difficult it can be to persuade people into action because
humans are influenced by emotion (feelings) and cognition (thought), but the way in
which people are persuaded into a purchasing action is often extremely multifaceted and
multi-layered. Shultz et al. (1993) offer one of the most worthwhile accounts on how we
take-in and process information. In what follows we attempt to offer an abridged version
of their approach.
Advertising is broken down into different types as well as into different media. While
it is beyond the scope of this research paper to go into too much detail regarding these
types, the basic categories of advertising are introduced. Many authors argue that all
these approaches are used as creatively as possible in order to break through the filters
erected by humans in the fight for their attention. First, it is necessary to differentiate the
main traditional media used by advertisers, which are: television, radio, newspapers,
 The marketing mix: a conceptual framework for teaching public relations 307

magazines and outdoor (billboards). The above forms of advertisement are aired or
circulated to large audiences simultaneously and are often known throughout the industry
as above-the-line communication. It is worth noting here that the above media (even
outdoor media) now have digital forms, which change their characteristics somewhat. In
Table 1 we offer some of the characteristics of both traditional and digital advertising.
Table 1 The characteristics of traditional and digital advertising

Traditional (analogue) advertising Digital advertising

Targets large audience Targets large and small audiences
Lacks a relationship (one message at a time) Relationship-based
One-way Two-way
Above the line Above the line/below the line
Isolated strategy (at the most, Integrated with other forms of corporate
part of the marketing mix) communication
Non-live more common Frequent live interaction
Single-platform Multi-platform
Measurements prone to statistical errors Precise measurements of target groups
Strong gatekeeping (for large advertisers only) More opportunities to be viewed
(online viral campaigns)
Strong boundaries between media content and Blurry lines between advertisements
advertisements and media content (product placement,
reality television)
Low influence of audience Audiences extremely influential and active

3 Differentiating advertising from PR

PR address all publics and stakeholders and not only those that the organisation hopes to
advance an exchange offering with (Nicoli and Komodromos, 2013). For example, a PR
department might need to establish a relationship with activist groups wishing to
influence policy affecting the existence of the organisation. Advertising messages are
controlled. The advertiser knows exactly when, where and for how long the message will
be included in the media. PR often do not have this luxury. In media relations, especially,
when the PR practitioner is attempting to break into editorial space, the criteria for
whether they achieve their goal is based on factors other than buying space or time, such
as the quality of the press release. Additionally, ads can be viewed with more frequency
whereas PR messages and tactics are often one-off gambits.
Advertising messages have identified sponsors. It is apparent immediately who the
message is from because it probably follows a certain recognised individuality and
generally has a logo and the name of the organisation shown in the ad. Conversely, in PR
and particularly in media relations, the tactic does not normally have an identified
sponsor. This has an effect on our perceptions because if we are consuming a tactic
derived from PR, our filters may not be as heightened as they are when we consume
advertisements.
308 M. Komodromos and N. Nicoli

Returning to our understanding of how people are persuaded and how they process
information, another difference between the two disciplines can be highlighted. Many
advertising messages try and connect with our emotions whereas PR tries to persuade us
time and again in a more logical manner, using acknowledged data and statistics. When
we consume advertisements we are fully aware that a good number of the messages
communicated to us are exaggerated. To illustrate this point, in an advertisement where a
teenager is viewed spraying a certain deodorant over himself and women around him
suddenly begin flirting with him, consumers know that in reality it does not happen.
When ads are produced this way it is called puffery.
Following, many authors support that there are countless organisations that do not use
advertising as a form of corporate communication because they believe it triggers certain
resistances (such as persuasion knowledge) and may result in a negative influence rather
than a positive one (Moloney, 2006; Nicoli and Komodromos, 2013). For example, a
private clinic may not wish to adopt such a direct form of selling and persuasion and
instead build its reputation through PR tactics and other less direct forms. If it did choose
to advertise, it might run the risk of being perceived as too aggressive and may even be
regarded as an insecure business. This oddity seems to be a social construction more than
anything else. What makes one sector more prone to advertising and marketing messages
than another? This is an interesting question that many theorists debate.

4 The other forms of promotion

Although advertising takes the lion’s share of the marketing mix there is an abundance of
other promotional styles employed in the mix used to meet marketing objectives and
many of the forms adopted to reach consumers are known as niche focused (Arens and
Bovee, 1994). To explain this further, ‘niche focused’ is when the mass media is not
adopted but the focus is shifted rather more on targeting smaller groups, or even on
individuals through direct marketing. In the industry, this form of communication is
known as below-the-line and is growing tremendously fast.
When choosing the kind of tactics to use in a certain campaign, strategy and planning
is imperative, but this is true of all forms of corporate communication and it all depends
on what objectives are set. In the next section on integration, we note how different forms
of promotional activities, advertising and PR tactics can be applied to meet corporate
communication objectives. In what follows, we address some of today’s most significant
forms of promotion other than advertising. Of course there are more, but this textbook is
not centred on promotion. In our view the promotional activities we have chosen are
more suited for an integrated approach to corporate communication; they are more
ubiquitous and should therefore be more familiar to PR practitioners. Included below are
direct marketing, sponsorships, sales promotions and product placement. Nevertheless, it
should be remembered that marketers are continuously chasing exposure of their brands.
The list is long and constantly growing – bathroom ads, transit ads, in-flight
entertainment, cinema commercials, boxer shorts, footballers’ t-shirts, mobile billboards
and a variety of other approaches which are continuously used by communications’
practitioners. It should also be mentioned here that because of its growing impact
on corporate communication the whole of chapter seven is devoted to the effects of
digital media, a topic we maintain could quite easily fall into this section by virtue of its
one-to-one, below-the-line traits.
 The marketing mix: a conceptual framework for teaching public relations 309

4.1 Direct marketing

In the wake of more advanced technologies, cheaper implementation costs and increased
competition, many organisations choose to skip mass media altogether, or include
strategic tactics in their plan of action that involve direct marketing with target groups
and publics in order to increase awareness and generate exchange responses (encourage
the target group to purchase the brand). They do this via direct-marketing-media [see
Belch and Belch, (2009), pp.458–459]. The direct marketing media list is long and
continually growing due to advancements in technology. Some of these include direct
mail (non-catalogue), direct mail (catalogue), digital marketing, telephone marketing and
commercial e-mail marketing, plus many others.
One of the most significant benefits of this type of promotional activity is that it
offers strong support to other forms of communication. There is a robust crossover effect
when combined with advertising; target groups clearly remember campaigns better when
a direct marketing tactic is involved. On the other hand, the tactics have become so
profuse that much of direct marketing is also labelled as ‘junk’ marketing.
It is evident that in order for direct marketing to work, organisations must acquire
certain knowledge in database technologies and thereafter should develop a long-lasting
contemporary and up to the minute database. Databases vary in size and structure: some
are extremely specific with information such as purchasing patterns, psychographics,
credit card history and other detailed information. The more detailed the information
collated, the more successful marketers are likely to be in establishing relationships with
customers.

4.2 Sponsorships, sales promotions and product placement

Organisations of all sizes use sponsorships; the reason for this being that although it is
not precisely a below-the-line activity (because it goes out to large audiences), it is
nonetheless an effective supplementary tool to advertising in the communication/
marketing mix. In fact, Carrillat and d’Astous (2012) advocate that the two together can
form an effective tool in an organisation’s communication efforts because sponsorships
are less intrusive and do not trigger persuasion knowledge – a term expressed when
people are aware that someone is trying to persuade them (filters are reinforced in such
circumstances). Specifically, with regard to the benefits of sponsorships, Carrillat and
d’Astous state that “when a persuasion attempt is subtle, persuasion knowledge may not
be activated and consumers are less likely to generate cognitive responses that express
resistance to the communication” (p.563).
But what exactly is sponsoring? For certain, it is big business. In America alone over
US$18 billion are spent on sponsorships and promotional funding is one of the world’s
fastest growing forms of marketing (Jowett and O’Donnell, 2005; Dolphin, 2003; IEG,
2012). Sponsorship is also a form of ‘soft’ communication that does not trigger
persuasion knowledge, as mentioned above. It is a less intrusive communication approach
and more altruistic towards a specific theme. So, in effect, sponsorship has links with an
organisation (the sponsor) and associates itself with an event (usually a sports or arts
event) by offering support in the form of money (financial assistance sponsorship), or in
the form of goods or services (in-kind assistance sponsorship), or both.
310 M. Komodromos and N. Nicoli

Ironically, although sponsorship as a form of communication is growing, many

marketers are still unfamiliar with its advantages (Dolphin, 2003). It may be that
advertisers do not always convey sponsorship gains because the budgets for sponsorship
come at the expense of advertising budgets and is it often more difficult for an ad agency
to obtain commission from sponsorship deals. Advertisers, therefore, do not often solicit
this approach and it is left to those organisations that are in need of sponsorship to solicit
their own. As a consequence, because smaller markets do not have specialised
sponsorship agencies, many marketers remain unclear and wary of investing in the
approach. From experience we observe that this is often true; many marketers are
reluctant to sponsor events but are more willing to utilise budgets for media advertising
because they conclude that sponsorship is a form of donation rather than an effective tool.
Since the persuasive strengths of sponsorships are complex and assuming there is little
understanding of the world we live in, the benefits of investing in sponsorships remain
ambiguous, so it is not surprising that many communications specialists are hesitant. In
other areas of the book we examine the visual world where one sign (e.g., a logo) might
encompass multiple meanings for different groups of people. As alluded to earlier, it is a
central theme of post-modern life. Our understanding, therefore, is that a clearer insight is
required as regards the benefits of sponsorship.
To recapitulate, it can be used to target specific groups as a softer, less intrusive way
of communicating than advertising. Furthermore, it portrays the altruistic side of the
organisation (adding goodwill). But most importantly, when a sponsor is recognised as an
official partner via a financial assistance sponsorship, the organisation benefits from the
sponsor’s visual presence and improved overall image and reputation (promoting brand
awareness), “as a transfer of meaning from the event to the sponsor is sought” [Carrillat
and d’Astous, (2012), p.564]. When ‘in-kind assistance sponsorship’ is used, “it
demonstrates the functional soundness of the products used in order to assert the brand’s
legitimacy” (ibid.).
Organisations of all kinds should be pursuing sponsorship opportunities that warrant
an association with a brand which identifies them with certain values in an unobtrusive
manner. An example of this is a sponsor who wants to support a marathon run in order to
equate their brand with the benefits of long-distance running, healthy living and stamina.
In conclusion, the more direct benefits of sponsorships should also be addressed. By way
of illustration, research shows that Formula One fans welcome sponsorships because they
enable events to take place and devotees are more willing to purchase goods and services
from associated sponsorships as a token of their appreciation (Dolphin, 2003).
Sales promotions are activities developed by the marketing department to stimulate
sales through an incentive. The promotion can either be directed towards the consumer or
towards the retailer/wholesaler/distributor. The latter is known as a trade promotion, or
trade marketing. Sales promotions can be extremely effective, particularly when the
organisation needs to increase sales momentum. This may be achieved by offering
various inducements such as coupons, price-offs, limited-time offers, two for the price of
one, premiums and other motivational offers. Belch and Belch (2009) present an
elaborative diagram (see Figure 1) that lists the different types of sales promotion for
both consumer-oriented and trade-oriented promotions (p.510).
The notion of placing a product directly into media content (and not through an
advertising break) is not new. Edward Bernays would encourage his clients to use
products of other clients and then prompt newspapers to take photos of them, or place
them in movies. During the time that Bernays practiced the activity it was considered
 The marketing mix: a conceptual framework for teaching public relations 311

manipulation; it is from such examples that Bernays is often criticised for being an
expert-manipulator and deceiver. More recently, however, with the support of policy, the
concept of product placement is currently burgeoning to a point where there are product
placement agencies that now deal solely with the activity. It has to be mentioned that
although such activities, when combined with PR tactics (e.g., in a news media editorial)
are doubly effective, they can also be extremely unethical if the user does not actually use
the products. To give an instance, if your favourite football player is paid to drink a
certain sports beverage in public places so that journalists can take photos of him holding
it, is that ethical? We believe it is unethical because product placement needs to be
identified at some point with the programme’s consumer or editorial piece. But, if the
placement is in the editorial there is no way to identify it clearly. In films, television
programmes and other media, producers are currently amassing fortunes from product
placement opportunities. Some films such as the James Bond franchise recuperate a large
part of their production budget from placing products within the content.

Figure 1 Types of sales promotion activities (see online version for colours)

Sales promotion

Consumer-oriented promotions Trade-oriented promotions

Samples Contests and dealer incentives

Coupons Trade allowance

Premiums Point-of-purchase displays

Contests/sweepstakes Training programmes

Refunds/rebates Trade shows

Bonus packs Cooperative advertising

Price-offs

Loyalty programmes

Event marketing

Source: Belch and Belch (2009, p.510)

Various regions of the world have different perspectives with regard to product
placement. In Europe, following the most recent audiovisual directive, product placement
has become feasible since 2007 and is now codified in the Audiovisual Media Services
Directive of 2010. In the USA it seems that product placement is not judged as an
intrusive factor when programmes are consumed, whereas other regions hold stronger
views on the topic (Lee et al., 2011). Regardless of what we think of product placement,
312 M. Komodromos and N. Nicoli

it is a fast growing component in the communications mix and needs to be considered in

the integrated corporate communications approach (Argenti, 2007; Grunig and Hunt,
1984).

5 Integrations of all corporate communications

From the outset many theorists reaffirm that, in the marketing literature, the integration of
all forms of corporate communications is referred to as integrated marketing
communication (IMC). Nevertheless, we believe that the term corporate communication
more appropriately represents the combination of all forms of communication within an
organisation and there are a number of reasons for this. IMC focuses its priority only on
the field of marketing, which is slightly misleading in relation to where the emphasis
should be placed. Ideally, prominence should be given to combining the marketing mix
(which already involves the integration of many forms) with all forms of communication
within the organisation. This, in fact, can be called through-the-line communication –
when all marketing efforts are combined (both above- and below-the-line) (Nicoli and
Komodromos, 2013). According to van Riel and Fombrum (2007), the three clusters of
communications referred to in the section on marketing, are important within this context.
The authors claim that marketing communication is but one of three different clusters.
Corporate communication should integrate all three – marketing, management
communication and organisational communication. This interpretation of integration
places emphasis not solely on marketing (hence the exchange of goods or services), but
on other significant areas as well.
Imagine an organisation that advertises its benefits to target groups via above-the-line
activities while at the same time its trade union is on the brink of strike action because of
ongoing internal disputes. In our opinion this creates tension within a company and can
lead to employees and close stakeholders discussing issues that are different from the
messages being sent to external publics. To explain further, the voices heard internally
are different to what is actually going on, which intrinsically can lead to an organisation
suffering from delusions. If this process continues for long, the company might suffer
from similar symptoms to those of an individual going through the same suffering for
lengthy periods of time – a serious illness, well known as schizophrenia. van Riel and
Fombrum (2007) advocate that this consequence should be avoided at all costs by
adopting what they call strategic alignment (SA) (p.209). They sum it up as follows,
“aligned companies are more likely to build reputational capital than companies lacking
strategic alignment – employees are more likely to act as ambassadors for the company to
outside audiences” (p.211).
Achieving SA is easier said than done. If an organisation has ongoing differences
with certain stakeholders it does not mean that all other efforts should cease until
alignment is achieved. Still, it is in the organisation’s best interest to nurture a
communication department that is fully aware of communication issues and constantly
strives to align its efforts with all communication clusters so that a significant value chain
is tailored to benefit all. Outlined below are some areas that permit better integration of
all forms of communication.
 The marketing mix: a conceptual framework for teaching public relations 313

6 Conclusions

A new communication environment not only demands fresh ways of reaching senders but
it also requires listening to audiences much more and including them as a part of the
process. The result is a creative fusion of marketing and PR. While there are still major
differences between them and it depends purely on each organisation as to which
functions are used, the lines are becoming less distinct and, as we shall observe in chapter
seven – digital media and PR – there are several newer techniques which fall into both
areas, making the differential even more confusing (Nicoli and Komodromos, 2013).
This literature review research paper seeks to offer the reader a clear understanding of
the main corporate communication forms in use today while at the same time addressing
their differences and usage. Also, it has touched upon the various types of integrated
approaches to corporate communication. It is important to reaffirm that without an
understanding of all communications tactics and their philosophies as a whole, no
integrated approach will succeed. In conclusion the concepts of marketing, advertising
and promotion are often perceived as being the same, or at least very similar to PR.

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