Drawing the line on CSR and PR Functions

A quick question for you: Does your boardroom share the belief that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is simply another arm of Public Relations (PR)?

To put it straight, this quiet but persistent misunderstanding has cost brands both credibility and consumer trust. It is the singular reason, some companies roll out grand community projects only when they are fighting a reputational crisis or chasing a headline in the media. To drive it home, it is the reason many Nigerians roll their eyes when they see a convoy of branded buses and TV cameras descending on a rural school to “commission” a borehole that has already broken down two months later.

The truth is, CSR and PR may shake hands often, but they do not live in the same house.

CSR is not about getting people to clap. It is about getting people to trust. While PR focuses on what people hear about you, CSR focuses on what people feel about you. PR crafts a story but it is CSR that creates the reality that gives that story meaning. In Nigeria’s context, this distinction is critical, because the average consumer has grown far more discerning. Nigerians may not use the word “greenwashing,” but they can smell it a mile away when a brand’s social gestures feel too convenient, too staged, or too disconnected from the communities it claims to serve.

Take the example of Access Bank’s consistent investments in women’s empowerment and sustainability. Over the years, the bank has built credibility not because it shouts the loudest about its initiatives, but because it does the work with continuity and coherence. Its CSR is not a press release, it is a system. Now compare that with the occasional brand that rushes to donate palliatives or stage a cleanup drive each time it needs good press. The difference is night and day. The first earns loyalty, the second earns likes.

Many corporate communication teams across Nigeria, often under pressure to justify budgets or impress management, blur the line between CSR and PR because it’s easier to measure publicity than purpose. You can count newspaper mentions and TV airtime, but you can’t easily quantify restored dignity, improved livelihoods, or community trust. And so CSR sometimes becomes a publicity performance, polished press photos, branded T-shirts, oversized cheques, and a fleet of SUVs parked in front of an orphanage that barely has enough food. It is not always bad intention, sometimes it’s just bad structure.

The line between CSR and PR becomes clearer when you look at their timelines. PR is immediate. It is designed to control a narrative or maintain visibility. CSR is long-term, it’s designed to build legacy and resilience. The brand that understands this plays the long game. Nestle Nigeria’s investments in health, nutrition and education, for instance, are not about short-term applause, they are about creating the kind of social stability that allows its business to thrive sustainably. CSR, at its best, is enlightened self-interest.

Another Nigerian example: During the 2022 flood crisis, a few companies rushed to make quick donations and splash them across front pages. But companies like MTN and Nestlé, which had pre-existing community partnerships and response frameworks, didn’t need to stage-manage their interventions. Their CSR systems were already functional, allowing them to respond naturally and meaningfully. That’s the difference between publicity and purpose, one waits for the cameras, the other doesn’t need them.

The irony, of course, is that when CSR is done right, it automatically becomes good PR. You don’t need to chase the story. The story chases you. When a company’s impact is real, communities talk. Employees share. Beneficiaries post their gratitude organically. Media houses pick up stories not because they were paid to, but because the impact is impossible to ignore. That’s how true CSR feeds into authentic PR: Not by scripting emotion. It is earned.

This is where CSR REPORTERS comes in, as the bridge between impact and visibility, between doing good and being seen doing good for the right reasons. In Nigeria’s complex business milieu where reputation can make or break a brand, CSR REPORTERS exists to remind companies that communication is only powerful when it reflects truth. We help brands tell their sustainability stories in ways that honour both their efforts and the realities of the communities they serve.

In the end, the smartest brands are learning that PR can get you attention, but only CSR can get you affection. You can buy airtime, but you can’t buy trust. The Nigerian consumer, sharp, emotional, and deeply aware, can now tell the difference between a company that shows up only for the cameras and one that shows up when the cameras are gone.

You see? CSR is not what you do when people are watching. It is what people say about your brand when you are not in the room.