It is time to clear up the confusion around the ever going debate called ‘Public Relations vs Advertising’. PR professionals are responsible for a brand’s image, reputation and business results. Advertising is an aspect of the Public Relations strategy.
The main differences in Public Relations VS Advertising are:
- Messaging and identity: perhaps the most important duty of public relations professionals is to create essential messages. They can get to the heart of a brand’s identity and establish what separates them from competitors. PR develops the language and personality of a brand. The commercial area can use this structure to create advertising messages.
- Content and narration: Public relations teams work closely with commercials teams to develop compelling content. The goal is to tell the story of a brand and encourage consumer interaction.
- Monitoring and reputation management: advertising is not always a good thing. It depends on a good PR to monitor a variety of communication channels to avoid negative attention. PR teams must ensure that a brand’s reputation remains positive, they must decide how to respond to negative comments and ensure that positive feedback outweighs negative responses.
- Competitive analysis: Public Relations teams must understand what the competition says about their brand and how they’re constructing their messages.
Similarities Between PR and Advertising
Both advertising and PR aim is to help build brands and allow for organizations to communicate with target audiences. The most basic difference between them is that advertising space is paid while the Public Relations provide the media – press releases, pitches, proposals – with information in order to produce results.
An ad implies a purchase of an online banner, or space in a newspaper, or time on the radio, while PR pitches a story to a media outlet for its decision to editorialize it. PR also works with “owned” media, that is, content created for a website or produced for social media.
Both Advertising and Public Relations use communication to inform and influence the stakeholders and general public. While advertising is a highly expensive marketing tool, Public Relations is cost controlled. Count on our expertise to help you select the most adequate PR for your strategic goals.
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