Whether you’re a marketing pro or looking to learn some of the lingo used in your organization’s marketing department, being clear on the terminology is vital to building effective brand strategy and output. Below, we dive into five pairings of key terms and concepts that float around in the marketing world and definitively identify the differences between them.
1. Marketing vs. Integrated Marketing
This is probably one of the most misunderstood pairings for non-marketers, so we’re starting here.
Marketing is the umbrella term used to describe the processes, procedures and activities involved in identifying target markets and promoting your products and services to them. The overall goal of marketing is to create brand awareness and drive interest in your business’ offerings. Marketing includes activities such as market research, advertising, communications and reporting.
Integrated marketing is a specific strategy where all facets of marketing work together rather than in isolation. A unified message about your brand intertwines all communications platforms to create a consistent and streamlined experience of your business, regardless of how individuals interact with it. Ultimately, integrated marketing optimizes brand management and improves brand loyalty. Advertising, social media, email communications, public relations (PR), partnerships, events and sales promotions all ladder up to an integrated marketing strategy.
2. PR vs. Marketing
This is another conceptual pairing whose distinction is often not appreciated by those outside of the marketing department.
We defined marketing above, but in comparison to PR, a more appropriate definition of marketing is the business function of reaching customers and prospects to increase sales for a company. The end goal of marketing is to generate leads for conversion.
PR focuses on building company credibility and a favorable image with external stakeholders. This has historically happened through cultivating positive relationships with media who characterize or promote your brand and executives in the public sphere. The end goal of PR, according to the Public Relations Society of America, is to protect the reputation of a company and “build mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”
3. Sales Enablement vs. Content Marketing
Sales enablement is pretty straightforward: it’s the process of providing an organization’s sales team with the tools they need to successfully close deals. This includes resources like training, lead lists, data reports and collateral. At virtually every company, sales enablement is owned by both sales and marketing because each department provides valuable information and insights needed to develop sales enablement resources.
Content marketing is material developed to educate your target audience about brand products and services. This includes white papers, blogs, advertorials, case studies, decks or presentations, videos, webinars, e-books and more. Content marketing material is important collateral to share with the sales team because it supports sales enablement. It also helps sales reps demonstrate to prospective customers how your products or services can or have been successfully applied and drives the customer journey.
4. Brand Story vs. Brand Narrative
The distinction between brand story and brand narrative is nuanced, but an important one to understand.
Brand story is a business’ explanation of why it exists. It’s a summary of the things that would typically inform an “About Us,” such as how the brand started, the people behind it, what the business does (the problem it solves or addresses), why the business does it (or, its mission) and how it works. Brand story has a beginning, middle and end, and exists as one-way communication from sender to receiver: it’s a message from a brand to generate connection to a particular audience. Funboy, a pool floaty company, is an excellent example of a business with a solid brand story.
Brand narrative, on the other hand, is the brand story in action. Where brand story is business-centric and finite, brand narrative is ongoing, flexible and shaped by dialogue between the business, its product and customers. Eventually, brand narrative extends to include other companies, competitors and collaborators in a larger cultural conversation. The ultimate goal of brand narrative is to foster an emotional and personal connection to the brand that drives demand. Funboy, whose mission is to provide playful products that make time off more enjoyable, personalizes its brand story with experiential marketing campaigns and collaborations with artists, influencers and brand-adjacent companies—Drake, Mattel’s Barbie, Tito’s Vodka, Aviator Nation, Gray Malin, Missioni and more have all partnered with Funboy to create limited edition floats.
5. Thought Leader vs. Influencer
Thought leaders and influencers have become conflated in recent years with the inception of social media. However, there is a strong line of demarcation between the two.
An influencer is anyone who has the capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of another. Recently, the concept of an influencer has come to be associated with a person who is able to generate interest in something by promoting or recommending it on social media. In marketing, influencers promote products and services in exchange for them. Jane Ko, an Austin-based food and travel influencer, is a quintessential example.
Thought leaders are subject matter experts who are leaders first and influencers second. Thought leaders aim to inspire and innovate, and they share ideas with the public that work toward positive change. They typically have deep experience in the subjects they build their public communications platform upon and are recognized by respected industry voices as authority figures. Along with gravitas, the best thought leaders have a unique point of view. Thought leaders are found throughout industries—Steve Jobs and Brené Brown are modern-day examples.
Interested in meeting with our team to discuss how to incorporate any of the above terms or concepts into your organization’s marketing strategy? Book your free 20-minute consultation here!
