Tesla eliminates its Public Relations department and José Manuel Velasco, undoubtedly one of the most authoritative voices in the field of reputation and corporate communication at a global level, returns to the (im)balance and the debate between communication and marketing. He does so in an interesting post on his blog, Fábulas de la Comunicación. From a communication point of view, of course. It was a few days ago. But it is a very old debate.
At Orestes Comunica we believe that everything adds up. Everything communicates. And the function, in both cases, is to communicate, to determine the relationship with the public -clients, media, collaborators, …-, to claim attention. Attract it
Communication and marketing are two distinct fields of work that obey different motives, logics and traditions. But they must start from the same strategy.
The positioning of an organization in the eyes of its public is built, among other factors, on the basis of both marketing and communication. If we were talking about fishing, we could think of the ancient art of pair trawling, in which two boats pull the same net. The marketing boat is specialized, as Velasco rightly points out in his post, in achieving fundamental, short-term results. The communication boat provides an organization with many of the attributes that shape its personality and positioning. It is, in many cases, a medium and long-term work.
The management of social networks in companies is a perfect example of the necessary integration of a 360-degree vision built from a single strategy. The conversion of proprietary media into authentic communities that generate value for organizations depends on three factors:
the strategy on the basis of which they are developed,
the quality of the content,
the organization’s ability to listen to community members, interact with them and respond to their expectations.
Is it dialogue and relationship with the public, and is it something specific to social networks? Not at all. It is something specific to the relationship between organizations and their current and potential audiences: listening, assisting, telling, promoting, selling… it has always been the same.
What is the solution? A bifocal approach – communication and marketing – and a single strategy. Because everything communicates.
© 2025 Orestes Comunica S.L. Communication and Marketing Boutique. All rights reserved.
