Advertising vs. Public Relations | Differences 1 Page Guide

Differences Between Advertising and Public Relations

There are many differences between advertising and public relations. This post will attempt to touch on some of those differences, as this is a frequently asked question.

A major difference between advertising and public relations involves the sort of publicity that exists in either type. In advertising, the company pays for exposure of their brand or name, and in public relations the goal for the company is to find a way to get free exposure by having a feature article or news spot.

As such, there are many other differentiations that follow from this. For instance, paying for an advertisement guarantees a time when you know your ad will be aired or printed, and in public relations the time of your press release being mentioned is never a given.

Because you've paid for the advertising, your advertisement can be played as many times for which you've alloted. This notion alone makes public relations a much more price efficient method in contrast to paid advertising.

With a press release you can be highlighted on many different sites and other print sources at once as soon as it is released, however, your press release will not be mentioned more than the initial time it is featured. A website that shows business news won't mention your specific press release again.

Moreover, public relations allows for another individual to report on you and your company in the light that they choose. It is an outside report on the press release you sent out, and they may sway readers one way or another. For example, a reader of a particular website spotlighting your company may read something positive. Being that the article was written outside your firm, they may find this more reliable than advertising and as a result will view it differently than advertising.

Furthermore, advertising is a paid way to get viewers to recognize your brand, and public relations is a free way to get your image recognized.

"Advertising you pay for. PR you pray for."-Anonymous

Permanent Link: Advertising Public Relations

Tags: Advertising and Public Relations, Advertising vs. Public Relations, How is advertising differnet from public relations, how to manage advertising and public relations marketing