Do you know the difference?
Often times when an individual hears the term “public relations,” the idea of advertising is what comes to mind. This comparison is not completely far fetched as the two concepts are closely related in many ways, however, the main points of each differ greatly in how and why they generate creative ideas. It is not out of the ordinary to find a public relations firm that offers full service advertising and vice-versa which has a tendency of blurring the differential line between these two disciplines. In this blog post, we will identify four ways in which public relations and advertising differ in hopes of clearing your mind and putting your confuse to rest.
They are:
- Cost: Advertising is usually a paid service that is very costly to create and maintain, while media coverage generated by public relations efforts (if done correctly) should not cost anything out of pocket if you do it yourself. This is a fundamental difference between the two concepts.
- Story telling vs. product salesman: Pubic relations pros will use products or people to generate creative ideas in storytelling without attempting to directly sell anything to a particular person. Advertising concepts and campaigns can cross into the PR stories being created,however, the main goal is to create a well informed audience rather than sell a product.
- News value: It is no secret that the ads that we see everyday are meant to stimulate our brains and spark a specific reaction, but this is where a difference between the public relations and advertising disciplines can be found. While ads are releasing their own creative ideas and images into the world with the pure goal of inspiring sales, public relations efforts are generating stories and messages that are newsworthy and worth being picked up by the media throughout various media outlets.
- Who tells the story to the public: Public relations efforts are not usually delivered in direct messages to the target demographic in the ways that paid advertising spots are. PR story telling requires just as many creative ideas as advertising though. Public relations hopes of find outside individuals spread the world about the story throughout their circles. This concept is highly effective in creating credibility in contrast to the often questioned credibility of ads.
Here at Three Girls Media, we specialize in putting all four of the PR concepts listed above into practice effectively. If you or anyone you know is looking to grow their business with a high quality public relations team, we encourage you to contact us today! We can’t wait to help spread your story!
Special Offer: Complimentary Consultation
Three Girls Media, Inc. is a public relations and social media management agency with teams in Silicon Valley and the Seattle area. We love working with small and emerging companies across the nation to raise their brand awareness and name recognition. We offer a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation with our CEO and can answer your questions and discuss your specific marketing needs.
Call 408-218-2391 or Contact us today to arrange yours!
Photo Credit: KDRZPNR