Current UK drinks agencies often blur the line between PR and marketing. Orange PR, for example, currently combines launch PR with social media for drinks clients, while specialist drinks marketing firms such as Spirited Marketing offer broader brand, campaign, social and Meta advertising services.
That overlap is useful, but it means founders need to look beyond the agency label.
Ask what the agency is responsible for moving, not what it calls itself.
When a PR agency is the right choice
PR can be highly valuable when the brand needs credibility, launch coverage, media attention, founder profiling, trade press, product placement or a story journalists genuinely want to tell.
For brands entering retail or a competitive category, that credibility can support conversations with buyers, consumers and partners.
When broader marketing support is needed
If the brief also includes driving website traffic, generating direct sales, retargeting interested consumers, managing paid social, building email audiences, tracking acquisition or increasing repeat purchase, PR alone may leave important jobs uncovered.
PR vs marketing in one table
| Need | PR agency | Marketing agency |
|---|---|---|
| Earned media | Strong | May be included |
| Founder/profile building | Strong | Varies |
| Paid social | Sometimes | Common |
| CRM and retention | Rare | Common in broader scopes |
| Conversion and landing pages | Rare | Common |
| Trade PR | Strong specialist capability | Varies |
Can you use both?
Yes. A drinks brand can use a PR specialist for earned media and trade communications while a marketing partner handles paid demand, social, conversion and customer data. The danger is fragmentation, so roles and ownership need to be explicit.
THE COMMERCIAL TEST
What happens after someone hears about the brand?
If coverage creates awareness but there is no clear route to trial, purchase, stockist discovery or follow-up, the campaign may stop too early.
Questions to ask
- What part of the funnel do you own?
- How do you connect awareness to action?
- Do you handle consumer and trade audiences?
- What paid activity is included?
- Who owns customer data?
- How do you measure the work?
- What sits outside the retainer?
THE NO QUIET NIGHTS TAKE
Coverage is not the finish line.
Attention matters, especially for a new drinks brand. But if the objective is commercial growth, the plan needs to explain what happens between awareness and repeat purchase.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a drinks marketing agency and a PR agency?
A PR agency is primarily focused on earned media, reputation and communications. A broader drinks marketing agency may also cover paid media, social, creative, CRM, performance marketing, launch planning and conversion.
Can PR alone launch a drinks brand?
Sometimes PR can create valuable awareness and credibility, but many launches also need paid demand, content, retail or stockist support, conversion and repeat-purchase activity. The right mix depends on the route to market.
Should a drinks startup choose PR or performance marketing first?
Start with the commercial bottleneck. If nobody knows or trusts the brand, PR may help. If awareness exists but traffic and sales are weak, paid demand and conversion may deserve priority.