One web definition of “public relations” is “A promotion intended to create goodwill for a person or institution.”

Clearly that’s what DS Simon Productions in New York City is trying to do in its announcement of being granted a trademark in the US for the term “PRketing.”

From their email I received the other day:

US Patent Office Grants D S Simon PRketing® Trademark
A New Discipline at the Crossroads of PR and Marketing

D S Simon Productions has received trademark approval for PRketing® from the US Patent and Trademark office. “PRketing® is a new approach to brand building that relies upon content creation and distribution to achieve business and marketing goals,” said CEO and President, Doug Simon.

As the name suggests, the content has to be good enough that journalists (and individuals in our opt-in culture) will air, post, watch and share the content across all media platforms. That’s the PR part. At the same time, you need to be achieving goals of the organization with your initiative and communication efforts. That’s the marketing part.

[…] The power of PR has long been the ability to attain third-party endorsement from credible sources by creating content that appeals to their viewers and audience. The fragmentation of traditional media and expansion of consumer’s content consumption habits to include social media, blogs, online video, word of mouth and traditional media outlets and their companion web sites creates a challenge for marketers and an enormous opportunity for the PR function. PRketing® makes the PR function the driver of the integrated marketing/communications team and increases the power of PR to the C-Suite.

PR Week US edition has more (you need to log in through a subscriber paywall).

PRketing? Sorry, “PRketing®”?

This is one of the ugliest words anyone’s associated with two distinct business functions. I’m unsure even how to pronounce it. “Parketing” perhaps? Surely better than “PR-keting.”

Reactions from some in my Twitter community were a bit less than glowingly positive when I tweeted the news.

“Ugh. NO!” said Will McInnes. “PRketing – Oh good grief, put me out of my misery now :(” said Gabrielle Laine-Peters. “Is that a joke?” asked Ben Roome. “Patent approval?!” Ben Ayers’ simple comment was “no.”

And to my later comment that’s it’s a PR stunt, Ben Roome coined the smart contraction “a PRunt.” At least that’s easier to pronounce.

While DS Simon’s proposed ‘fusion’ of PR and marketing in its views of brand building may have some merit – although I suspect subject-authorities like Olivier Blanchard will have some trenchant opinion – I wonder if such an ugly label will catch on in the broad sense. Good luck and congrats to DS Simon if it does. I just can’t see it, not even in America. Can you?

Related post:

• Public Relations redefined