Advertising & Public Relations are different, yet both are vital to an effective marketing strategy
Fact: Public relations (PR) and advertising are not the same thing. Wait, what?
Many people—even those working in the marketing industry—often mistake these two activities as the same thing with both having the same goals. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Yes, advertising and PR share many similarities. But each has a unique differentiator when it comes to the end goal.
“When you look at marketing goals, they are almost always based on generating qualified leads and feeding the sales team what they need to close deals,” explains Forbes Council Member Scott Samson. “PR, on the other hand, is a long-term process that drives the credibility of your company and the visibility of your executives.” Though Samson has a point about the long-term objective of PR, there are also some short-term lead generation benefits that can be generated by an informational press release.
Take for example, a press release about a new medical device that can reduce the space needed to take x-rays in a doctor’s office. There’s a mix of credibility for the company being innovative enough to design such a machine that will help medical providers, while announcing the product is available for purchase and how to contact the company for a demo (lead generation).
In the same example above, there are no guarantees that the press release will be picked up or at least published at a time that works with the launch of the device. The press release may be published, but with important information removed because of space considerations. Therefore, there is more risk associated with this form of lead generation.
That’s where advertising comes in. Because you can choose the content, placement (usually) and time your advertising will be placed, it reduces the risk that PR offers. It also reduces the credibility PR offers, so there’s no perfect formula; this is why it’s important to include both in your marketing strategy.
So why can’t we cram a press release into an advertisement space? Enter the Advertorial. The Advertorial can still offer credibility even though the words “ADVERTISEMENT” or “SPONSORED CONTENT” appear at the top of the space. An Advertorial is a paid ad that looks like an article. The trick is to make the content read like an article and not an advertisement. As soon as your readers sense you’re trying to sell them, you’ve lost them.
Back in Marketing 101 days things were pretty cut and dried: advertising supports the sales team; PR supports the overall brand. Marketing handles advertising; PR handles press.
Now that so many companies are using social media platforms in their strategy, the differences between advertising and PR have become somewhat fuzzy. Understanding the unique aspects of each is key as both play an important role in promoting your brand.
Working Together to Promote Your Brand
Now that you understand the differences between advertising and PR, let’s talk about how collaborative they are! Most corporate departments don’t marry the two because advertising is often tied closely to sales while PR is a community effort internally and externally. However, they are synergistic.
“Both leverage company strengths to build awareness, trust and a solid brand,” explains Marialuisa Curran, Lead Marketer, Marketing Direction. “They both strive to share positive news in order to move audiences to action – from gaining a follower to gaining a customer.”
Despite their differences, advertising and PR work in tandem to achieve overlapping objectives. Here are some specific similarities between the two:
- Both share a common goal to influence prospects to boost awareness and turn leads into customers.
- Both use persuasive communication to build trust with potential customers and enhance the appeal of the products and services being offered.
- Both efforts have the best interests of the company in mind.
The relationship between advertising and PR is cyclical. Although both marketing and PR may work to create content, such as writing or designing support materials, they will use them differently. PR will write a press release or design a fact sheet to pitch to a journalist. Marketing might use that same material in an advertising email campaign to prospective customers.
“Both play an important role in the overall marketing plan because one focuses on sales as an end goal and the other focuses on reputation,” Marialuisa says. “A good company reputation will position a potential sale, so without it, prospects are more reluctant to trust a company all the way to committing to buy.
“On the reverse, PR teams leverage market positioning, branding creative, campaign message angles and customer testimonials to create timely, relevant stories that industry publications want to cover – and their readers (prospective customers) want to read. Without those foundational marketing assets and the framework, the PR team would find it difficult to publicize and humanize a brand to the public.”
Advertising and public relations are not interchangeable; rather they are intertwined. Your advertising is more credible with good PR, and your PR is reinforced by advertising. Both are needed to achieve the end goals of selling products and services and connecting with prospects.
Find out more about the benefits of incorporating advertising and public relations into your organization’s marketing strategy by contacting the fractional marketers at Marketing Direction.
