Most companies generally opt for marketing and public relations services as part of the same package, so it can be tough to distinguish one from the other. There are many ideas and opinions on the differences between the two concepts, the line separating them becoming more blurred as time goes on. Official trade body descriptions of both concepts are as follows: • Marketing - The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines it as a management process designed to identify and meet customers’ needs, • Public Relations - This is described by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations as a reputation-enhancing strategic management function for businesses What it all boils down to is that whilst marketing relates to reaching consumers through the branding, pricing and promotion of products and services, PR is all about influencing reputation and what it can do for your organisation. Despite the differences between the two concepts, it is clear that they perfectly complement each other as part of a promotional campaign. For example, a great company reputation (created by an effective PR team) has the power to make a marketing campaign much more successful. This is because when it comes to buying behaviour, consumers will be more receptive to an organisation they already perceive positively.