A colleague recently asked me, “What’s the difference between advertising and public relations?” Isn’t it one and the same?
Good question – that must be a pretty smart colleague. Here’s the answer in a nutshell – there is a big difference between the two! But while they’re different, the bottom line is that they both work together synergistically, and complement one another in terms of impact on your target audience. The truth is, you should really have both an advertising plan AND a public relations plan in place to ensure your marketing is running at maximum effectiveness.
The biggest difference between PR and advertising is that most, if not all advertising is paid. You buy advertising. You can’t “buy” PR. You can purchase the services of a PR specialist or firm, but you can’t buy the space that the PR is placed in. Most public relations activities revolve around a press release – those blurbs you see all the time in newspapers and magazines. They can appear to be a story, an “official” looking article or just facts and figures about a company or upcoming event, but most of the time they’re placed by a company or PR expert to appear in those publications. They don’t cost a penny to appear; but you have to know the channels and protocol to follow if you really hope to see your stories in print. It wouldn’t hurt to have some contacts in the media, either – which is why hiring a PR specialist is a good idea.
In addition to press releases, there are a myriad of other public relations activities – from event planning like a signature golf tournament to “damage control” in the event of a company or executive who is in the news for a negative reason. For example, let’s say the CEO of a major company was arrested for a crime, and it was on the news. The company MUST do some major “damage control” to distance itself from the executive, and to assure the public, customers and stockholders that the company will come out of this event in one piece. It’s not easy to do – and many companies have a “damage control” plan in place for all types of scenarios. “Just in case.”
Other types of PR activities include developing charitable affiliations, community outreach activities, promoting new products and services, generating press coverage of employee promotions, company moves, etc. But the most important aspect of the public relations activities is that they must work in tandem with the advertising, so that there is a unified message and consistent tone put forth to the public.
Public relations may seem easy, but it’s a very comprehensive process that is best left to those with expertise and experience in the field.
