Public relations (PR) and marketing are distinctly separate activities. Understanding how these public-facing initiatives naturally converge, overlap, and complement each other is critical in shaping public perception and driving business growth. When new business owners or even experienced stakeholders confuse these strategic actions and fail to leverage the strengths of both properly, they set themselves up for inefficient resource allocation, misaligned goals, and poor results.
Defining PR and marketing
Public Relations: PR focuses on managing a brand’s reputation and building a positive public image. The best PR professionals are adept at maintaining honest relationships with relevant media members, company stakeholders, and the public through press releases, events, and other strategic communications.
Marketing: Marketing centers on promoting products or services to a target audience. The best marketing professionals know how to analyze customer behavior, market trends, and competitive landscapes to craft compelling messaging and other content that resonates with potential customers. Marketing efforts include advertising campaigns, content marketing, social media campaigns, and promotional initiatives aimed at increasing sales, building brand awareness, and increasing customer engagement.
Key differences between PR and marketing
While PR and marketing share the common goal of promoting a brand, they differ in several key ways.
- Objectives: PR is primarily concerned with cultivating a long-term positive reputation and fostering trust among audiences. It seeks to enhance a brand’s image and credibility over time. Marketing goals focus on driving immediate actions, such as generating leads, increasing sales, and achieving measurable business results through short-term campaigns with long-term goals.
- Target audiences: PR aims to engage a broad range of audiences, including the general public, media outlets, industry influencers, and even internal stakeholders. Its goal is to shape a positive image of the brand across diverse groups. Marketing efforts are more precise, using marketing campaigns to target specific customer segments based on market research.
- Strategies: PR leverages tactics including media relations, press releases, and public events to build long-lasting credibility and maintain a positive public image. Professionals use these strategies to secure earned media coverage and cultivate relationships with the media, influencers, and the general public. In contrast, marketing takes a more direct approach, focusing on reaching targeted audiences directly through paid media, social media strategies, and various digital initiatives. These methods should attract attention, generate interest, and ultimately drive customer actions like purchasing or engaging with the brand.
“The scratch-and-sniff packaging campaign for Humboldt Seed Co. successfully blended PR and marketing efforts,” said cannabis industry PR consultant Jaana Prall. “We launched a new type of packaging that was fun and buzzworthy, and we took the opportunity to educate on the topic of terpenes while highlighting exceptional Northern California growers. This allowed for the integration of advertising, shared media, educational content, and earned media at mainstream publications like Men’s Journal.”
When to use PR vs. marketing
Knowing when to use PR versus marketing can make a significant impact on your business. Use PR when you need to manage a crisis, launch a new initiative, or build long-term brand credibility. Lean on the marketing team when you want to increase sales, promote a product launch, or engage with customers through targeted campaigns.
Marketing vs advertising
All advertising is marketing, but not all marketing is advertising. This difference can lead to confusion among other business units and individuals.
Marketing is the process businesses undertake to identify a target customer’s needs and develop strategies to meet them. Advertising is a specific activity used to promote a product or service through paid messages with an expected return on investment.
Finding the right professional help
Once you determine your needs, whether it’s PR strategy, digital advertising, or social media marketing, seek out specialized professionals with proven experience in cannabis to ensure the best results. The right experience may be even more important on the PR side, where existing industry relationships can pay dividends.
28 cannabis-industry-focused PR and marketing agencies
For cannabis businesses in need of expert assistance with advertising, PR campaigns, or comprehensive marketing strategies, the following agencies offer specialized services tailored to the unique needs of the cannabis industry.
- 5W Public Relations
5WPR is a full-service New York public relations agency that partners with emerging and established brands to help them define and achieve their strategic PR goals. The agency leverages its expertise in media relations, influencer partnerships, and creative marketing to build brand awareness and credibility for its clients. - Avaans Media
Avaans Media is a boutique agency that serves clients in emerging industries like cannabis. The firm specializes in providing bespoke public relations strategies for growth-stage brands. - Cannabis Creative Group
The agency emphasizes its clients’ short- and long-term goals with the “end in mind.” CCG has extensive experience with social media, localizing SEO, and Google search advertising. - Chapter 2 Agency
New York-based Chapter 2 works to craft PR narratives like chapters in a book to form a cohesive and compelling brand story. The company believes in diversity and representation within the industry and hires based on the culture it serves. - DPA Communications
DPA Communications offers public relations and marketing strategies designed to get audience attention through impactful media coverage and strategic alliances. DPA focuses on creating long-term marketing strategies to drive long-term growth. - Durée & Company
Durée & Company is a full-service public relations and marketing firm headquartered in South Florida. D&C works with publicly-traded cannabis brands including Cresco Labs and Veritas Farms. - Grasslands
Grasslands takes a journalism-inspired approach to PR. Founded by former The Denver Post journalist Ricardo Baca, the agency aims to create deep, forward-thinking collaborations with media professionals. - Green Lane Communication
Green Lane Communication is a full-time cannabis PR firm built to serve as an extension of a brand’s marketing and communications team. The Green Lane team can help train stakeholders to speak to the media, secure valuable media opportunities, and submit clients and products for industry awards. - GVM Communications
A woman-owned agency, GVM Communications specializes in internal and external communication strategies. The agency specializes in helping clients find the right messaging for their ideas. - Inov8 Communications
Innov8 is a boutique PR agency with experience representing major brands including Toyota, IBM, AT&T, Nestle, and Disney. The company shifted its focus from serving large-cap, international corporate clients to plant-related businesses and takes credit for being one of the earliest cannabis agencies. - Jaana Prall
Jaana Prall specializes in personalized, boutique PR services for companies in international markets. She provides management of interviews, events, and speaking engagements in real-time with 24/7 on-call service for reporters worldwide. - KCSA Strategic Communications
KCSA blends public relations, social media, and investor relations to tell a comprehensive brand story. Their expertise lies in connecting brands with investors and creating a balanced communication strategy for growth. - Kip Morrison & Associates
With over 30 years of experience, Kip Morrison’s PR firm has deep industry connections, particularly in cannabis over the past 16 years. The agency’s tight-knit team provides global insight into industry development, maintaining strong ties in both national and international markets including Israel and Spain. - Marino PR
Marino specializes in PR, public affairs, and creative campaigns for paid media, social media, and other digital services. Marino’s clients include everything from women-led cannabis brands to airport terminals and the New York University Tandon School of Engineering. - Mattio Communications
Founder Rosie Mattio transitioned from food and tech PR to cannabis, breaking ground with mainstream media coverage in outlets Forbes. Mattio Communications focuses on educating media through hands-on experiences with cannabis products. - Maverick Public Relations
Founder Shawna Seldon McGregor pivoted to cannabis PR after Colorado passed adult-use cannabis legislation in 2012. Maverick focuses on education and helping brands shape their narratives. - NisonCo
NisonCo started as a cannabis advocacy-driven PR firm and organically grew through referrals based on media connections. The firm specializes in public relations and SEO for emerging industries. - Proven Media
Proven Media is a woman-owned and -staffed strategic marketing communications agency based in Arizona. Since 2014, the full-service agency’s story-driven approach and media placements have helped amplify brands in the cannabis, lifestyle, and tech industries. - PufCreative
PufCreativ emphasizes equity, social justice, and sustainable practices in its approach to the industry. The agency’s passion for client success comes from long-term partnerships, supporting businesses with a complete set of creative services. - Pulp + Wire
Based in Maine, Pulp + Wire is a woman-owned branding agency specializing in natural and organic lifestyle brands. The team prides itself on trend forecasting and creating future-proof brand identities. - Red Antler
Red Antler helps emerging businesses build strong brand identities, working with both startups and cannabis companies to achieve rapid recognition. The agency helped propel Casper and Allbirds into household names. - Rio PR
Brooklyn-based Rio PR’s client list mixes high fashion with cannabis and tech, including Berner’s Vibes, Highsman by Ricky Williams, and Stündenglass. This image-conscious agency focuses on building brand awareness, generating buzz, and positively impacting its clients’ sales objectives. - Rosen Group
With a background in Washington, D.C., image management, Rosen Group brought its policy-driven approach to cannabis PR as adult-use cannabis took off. The agency has significant experience working with policy-driven and highly regulated industries. - The 9th Block
The 9th Block is a boutique PR, branding, and digital marketing agency with decades of experience working in highly regulated industries. The agency’s client list touches nearly all aspects of the cannabis industry, including manufacturing, software, retail, and financing. - Trailblaze PR
Trailblaze PR is known for helping companies build trust and credibility in emerging industries. The agency helps clients stand out in a crowded market by spotlighting their unique value propositions. - Upraise PR
Upraise is a full-service PR and marketing agency with multinational brand clients including Adidas, Amazon, Mastercard, Microsoft, and Pixar. The San Francisco-based agency helps cannabis brands like BDSA stay on top of industry trends, developments, and the opening of new markets. - Wick & Mortar
Wick & Mortar offers end-to-end branding and strategy services for cannabis businesses. The full-service agency provides branding, copywriting, packaging design, packaging production, strategy, and website design services. - Zoe Wilder
Zoe Wilder is a public relations strategist specializing in lifestyle, culture, and wellness, representing A-list celebrities, New York Times bestsellers, and cannabis brands. Her experienced team crafts and executes innovative promotional content and campaigns designed to captivate global tastemakers and influencers.
