Advertising and PR are often confused as one, and yet, the two disciplines are extremely different. For PR practitioners, businesses who come to them with requests that are clearly tailored for an adman, can get frustrating. Whether you plan to delve deeper into the PR world, or wish to explore the marketing arena in general, below are five main differences that will lay down some foundation for you.
Advertising is paid while PR is “free”
This is by far the biggest difference between the two disciplines that far too many people aren’t aware of. PR can have a powerful impact but at the end of the day, you don’t enjoy the perks from paid messaging such as control or longevity, which we address in the coming points. The reason why we slipped the word free into quote marks is because while you don’t directly pay money for PR, you invest a whole lot of time and effort in things like media relations, press events etc. – and that’s not free.
Advertising gives you control while PR takes that control and throws it out the window
Since advertising is paid, you get full control. You are guaranteed the space to say what you need to say. With PR however, it’s not as controllable or as guaranteed. The media may choose to tweak your story before publishing it or may not even publish it at all. Whatever it is you expect from them, there’s no obligation for them to do it.
Consumers will pay attention to both advertising and PR but they’re more likely to believe a PR message
We’ve just mentioned that a great perk to advertising is that you have control over the message. The downside to that perk though is that consumers know it. They know the ad is made by a brand whose main goal is to sell, and when a brand is keen to sell, it doesn’t always adopt an authentic tone of voice. PR on the other hand is not tied up to sales targets, it’s tied up to brand image, and so, a genuine message that speaks to the brand’s credibility is right at the core of a PR strategy.
Advertising allows you to speak for however long you want. PR, not so much
If you’re launching a product today, your advertising campaign can begin today and end six months from now but your PR campaign will start today, and end two days from now. The duration of a brand’s message in the market can last as long as you want it to with advertising but with PR, any existence after the first day or two from the announcement is just playing on borrowed time.
Advertising = blunt whilst PR = subtle
The way you craft your message is extremely important. With advertising, you have the freedom and authority to literally say anything you want (within borders, of course). With PR, your message needs to be much subtler and relevant to what’s going on in the market at the time. It might sound more challenging than advertising but it can have a louder impact. For example, an interview with a brand’s CEO about industry trends and consumer preferences – that positions the brand as a leader – can resonate better with a reader than a “Buy Now!” ad about a new car.
