Public relations is actually the opposite of advertising… let me tell you why.

Advertising is pay to play. You pay to have your message placed in a newspaper, TV or radio spot.

PR is not. The article that features your company is not paid for. The reporter focuses on your company as a result of information he/she received and researched.

Publicity is MUCH more effective than advertising. Because..

1. It is more cost-effective than advertising. Even if it is not free, your only expenses are generally phone calls and mailings to the media.
2. Publicity has greater longevity. An article about your business will be remembered far longer than an ad among many.
3. Publicity reaches a greater audience. Your story may receive national attention – spreading word about your company all over the country. Would an ad do that?
4. Publicity has greater credibility with the public than advertising. Readers feel that if an objective third party is featuring your company, you must be legit! You’re not simply handing out cash for a highly circulated magazine to say you’re great.

And that’s why I work in PR, not advertising.  Much more strategic, don’t you think?

Agree, disagree? Let me know with a comment!

To see the difference between advertising and public relations it’s important to understand that one thing that advertising doesn’t deliver as well as PR is consumer trust. I think that branding is a huge part of this, and I’ll talk more later about how branding is important to create consumer confident in your company/brand/service….

For now, back to advertising – in a recent PR newsletter I read that TNS (a leading marketing information group) surveyed 1,000 US households on the subject of consumer trust late last year.  In that survey, only 35% showed any level of trust at all in advertising. Also, in a Nielsen Online Global Consumer survey, when asked what sort of advertising they trust more, 78% said they trust customer referrals over any type of advertising.

That is exactly what PR aims to deliver: trust, credibility and word of mouth promotion. The third-party endorsement that comes with appearing as a guest on TV show or the morning news, or to have a story written about you in newspapers and magazines, or even your words and advice quoted is absolutely priceless.  Somethings you can’t put a price tag on. This is what can be achieved with PR and at about one-half to one-fifth of the price of an advertising campaign.

This backs up my personal belief that public relations professionals should focus on branding, positioning and placement as a means for communication with your publics and audience, rather than pushing and selling (advertising).  Depending on what kind of PR environment you work  in – I think in some cases in can be easy to be pushed in with marketing/advertising/media relations. And while there is always an overlap to some extent… it’s important to decipher, and recognize the differences – in results, in effectiveness, in value and level of results etc.  And for PR pro’s it’s important to realize also – what it is that you are doing, what category it falls under, what effect you are having with it, and what you need to learn more about!

Next post will focus on branding, and where that fits into the PR spectrum…

Senior level marketers surveyed in 2005 by the Council of Public Relations Firms and Advertising Age said they perceive public relations to be most valuable in supporting product marketing and product launches.

Marketing executives surveyed that same year by PR Week were asked to compare the effectiveness of public relations to that of advertising and direct marketing for specific tasks. From the perspective of these executives, public relations is the most effective marketing discipline for launching a new product or service, building awareness, generating word of mouth, and building brand reputation.

Another important factor in explaining the value of our industry, is continually going BACK TO THE BASICS. (And let’s be honest, it’s always good to brush up on our ABC’s of PR so we don’t loose track in all the advertising/media/social web/etc, am I right?)  New comers to public relations need to understand that it is much more than a publicity or advertising effort alone.  So, the answer is to go back to the basics. In Glen Broom’s “Effective Public Relations” he highlights the following areas to be implemented (not including research and other areas of preparation) as points of focus for a successful Public Relations effort.

• Publicity: This is the most visible part of public relations. PR people must make judgments to providing the media with the information that they deem to be newsworthy.

• Advertising: Provides a more control over content and placement than publicity does. PR can sometimes join forces with advertising department to promote through multiple mediums including but not limited to print, radio, TV, and internet.

• Press Agentry: Public notice and attention (not necessarily public understanding). To a certain extent, any press is good press, and part of a successful PR plan would be to focus on press agentry.

• Social Media: Creating a social web presence is now key to almost any successful public relations effort. Gaining and online recognizable brand will allow you to connect to your more common or average customers. It will also provide the unique opportunity to engage in true 2 way communication with you audiences while learning the industry trends and consumer habits.

• Internal Relations:Keeping employees informed and motivated and promoting the culture and style of the company/brand. Internal newsletters are a good example of how to promote positive communication within an organization so that everyone is participating in effective communication.

• Public Affairs:Building and maintaining relationship with target publics who influence public policy. Relationships could be built through endorsements/interviews/etc with the appropriate political figures.

• Issues Management: Identifying issues early on with potential impact on your brand and forming a strategic response designed to capitalize on the consequences. The PR responsibility is to coach your company/brand spokesperson to respond to these potential problems before they become issues.

• Business Development: Focusing on working to locate new development opportunities for the company/brand.