Public Affairs is Not Marketing, and Vice Versa

Recently, we were planning our 2025 marketing plan and reached out to a few different trade groups to inquire about partnerships. One aspect of our strategy is to seek sponsorship agreements where we can reach members with a webinar or some other educational component. In some cases, we didn’t hear back from the organizations despite being ready to put a check in the mail, which made us curious in an era of shrinking professional memberships and organizations becoming increasingly cautious about spending why we weren’t being asked to immediately sign on the dotted line. 

Well, simply put, it came down to territory. In one instance, we found out our partnership was not possible because there was a marketing organization already involved as a sponsor. Which made us realize that there’s a fairly significant misconception about firms that claim to offer communications services and the professional services group willing to take their money as boosters. The simplest way to phrase it is as follows:

Public affairs is not marketing; marketing is not public affairs. 

Pedigree Public Relations is a public affairs firm, full stop. Our leadership team has worked both as in-house counsel and in an external lobbying capacity for various trade groups. The work we do is intended to not only bolster our clients’ public profile but also to help circumvent potential crisis, be it a jobsite accident or a work stoppage due to supply chain issues (we expect to see some ongoing concerns related to tariffs, on that note.) In addition, we proactively pitch our clients as subject matter experts for opportunities in the media that aren’t necessarily listed on an editorial calendar; this is where our background as newsroom journalists comes in handy, both in terms of connections and in knowing what reporters are looking for (which may not be something you can simply look up online.) For instance, do you have an informed opinion on the impact of the Davis-Bacon Act or other construction regulations? This is an excellent arena for construction experts, consultants, and associations to weigh in on. 

We operate in a unique space that hovers between a public relations agency and a lobbying firm. And it’s a cavity we thrive in. 

What we are not is a marketing firm. A marketing agency designs logos. They overhaul websites. They recommend fonts and colors and templates. They design email signatures. And it’s all valuable work. But you can’t count on a marketing agency to know how to navigate your local statehouse for insights on an affordable housing bill that’s working its way through the upper chamber. Nor can you call a marketing agency to help design your way out of a protest from a trade hall that doesn’t like it when firms choose to go the open shop route. If you’ve ever dealt with affordable housing regulations - whether as a builder or as part of a developer-driven team - you know missing a crucial vote or amendment can have serious consequences. 

This is not intended to be derogatory towards marketing agencies - they provide valuable skills - but it’s shortsighted to lump all communications firms into one big pile, because it may result in a serious mismatch of services, all of which come at a cost. It’s also important to consider this: a public affairs firm can easily tag in a colleague or fellow consultant to assist with a design project, but you’re unlikely to find a marketer that can do the same when the need for help with local government affairs or navigating federal and state construction policy arises. 

While it can be tempting to assume that any outside consultant you hire can do all the same work, a few minutes spent understanding the different scope of services is essential to preserving valuable budget dollars and not wasting precious hours on partnerships that miss the mark.