Distinct Roles, United Goal: Building a Stronger Brand -- The Role of Communications, Marketing and PR in the Poultry Industry

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While scrolling through my LinkedIn feed the other day, I came across a post from a fellow marketing and communications director. She described the post as “One Brand, Different Roles” about marketing, communications and public relations (PR). She gave a simple example of how the three roles work together – “Imagine they all walk into a bar,” she led with… 

Marketing  — Organizes a themed event, promotes it on social media and fills the bar with guests by 9 p.m.
The Goal: Drive engagement and increase demand. 

PR — Connects with the bartender, builds relationships and ensures everyone leaves with a positive impression of the bar. 
The Goal: Shape public perception and build trust.

Communications  — Edits the menu for clarity, aligns the messaging across the team and ensures no one mistakes the drinks.
The Goal: Deliver clear, consistent brand communication.

While some may assume that marketing, PR and communications roles are interchangeable, each serves a distinct function and contributes uniquely to the overall strategy, like pieces of a puzzle. In the poultry industry, like other agricultural and food production sectors, these roles share a common focus: informing consumers and the public on the unique nature of poultry as a product that is affordable, perishable and highly regulated while promoting the industry in a way that is factual, research-driven and sustainability-focused. The three sectors work together to promote products, manage reputation and ensure consistent messaging across all stakeholders and platforms to build public trust, support informed decision-making and maintain a positive, transparent image of the poultry industry. 

Marketing plays a critical role in bridging the gap between producers and consumers. While the marketing team is filling the bar with guests by 9 p.m., it is driven through market research to understand consumer preferences, trends and the ever-changing marketplace. It focuses on increasing the demand for poultry products through brand development, packaging and promotional activities, all while targeting consumers, businesses, allied companies and more. Marketing also places a strong emphasis on educating consumers about the nutritional value of poultry and positioning products as healthy, affordable and responsibly produced. The Goal: drive engagement and increase demand over a wide audience. 

The PR team is connecting with the bartender, building relationships and ensuring everyone leaves with a good impression. Compare that to the poultry industry – PR focuses on maintaining a positive image of both individual companies and the entire industry. PR teams work proactively and quickly to share insightful and positive stories about animal welfare, food safety, environmental responsibility, quality research and more. They also have plans in place to manage crises, such as disease (highly pathogenic avian influenza, Newcastle, infectious bronchitis, etc.) outbreaks and product recalls. Through engaging with the media, fostering open dialogue, building relationships with government agencies, trade associations, charities, non-profit organizations and more. The Goal: shape public perception and build trust within the poultry industry. 

Then you have communications – the piece that aligns everything and connects all the pieces, adding a nice little bow on top of the present. They are editing the menu for clarity, aligning the messaging across the team and ensuring no one makes mistakes with the drinks. Communication teams ensure that the messaging is clear, accurate and aligned with company values, whether it is for the public, internal teams or regulators. This content includes internal communications with employees, members, farmers, educational outreach programs, customer service responses and public-facing materials. Communication professionals play a critical role in translating complex scientific or regulatory topics into understandable language for broader audiences. In times of crises, they work in tandem with PR and marketing teams to manage the narrative, clarify facts and maintain trust. Communications acts as the foundation that supports effective engagement, informed decision-making and transparency across the poultry sector. Without clear communication, marketing campaigns can be misunderstood or misaligned and PR efforts might waver during crises. The Goal: deliver clear, consistent brand communication.

Marketing, PR and communications have never been more vital, as the poultry industry faces increasing scrutiny over food safety, sustainability and animal welfare, These teams are essential in building trust, shaping perceptions and supporting the long-term growth of the poultry industry. So, next time you see a marketing, PR or communications professional, remember they’re the ones working behind the scenes to create a successful brand story. And a fun after party! 

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• Poultry
• Research
• Communications
• Marketing
• Public Relations
• Social Media