Ok, Ok, Ok, we have been asked this essential marketing question far too many times, so we may as well clear up any conclusion about it now: what is the difference between Advertising and PR (Public Relations)? It’s a little more complicated than the difference between a Jacuzzi and a hot tub, so today your favorite PR Team will give you the tea. To be totally honest, though, the answer is quite simple: Advertising is directly paid for marketing; Public Relations is not, but it is so much more. PR is what we call in the industry “earned” media. I’m sure you are now wondering, “what is earned media?” Well, as the moniker suggests, it is just that, attention that earned or garnered. It means that you or your company has done something noteworthy, hopefully good, that has earned you media coverage. PR is a powerful corporate and branding resource and can mean everything
to the success of your company. You are who the public perceives your brand to be. Advertising may sway public perception, but it does not define who you are. A 2014 Nielsen study, commissioned by inPowered, on the role of content in the consumer decision-making process concluded that PR is almost 90% more effective than advertising: “On average, expert content (PR) lifted familiarity 88 percent more than branded (advertising) content…”
In our professional opinion, a viable business needs both advertising and high quality PR. You need advertising to tell prospective customers who don’t know your brand about your products or services and you need (PR) earned media as an endorsement of your brand. It’s one thing to tell someone how great you are, but it another for a complete an unbiased stranger to do so.
Hopefully, you have learned something from this, now better understand that advertising and PR are not synonymous; each plays a distinctly different role in getting more people to doing business with you. If you have any questions or are interested in schedule an appointment with us to discuss BGrace Media help in telling your brand’s story, give us a call! We would love to get people talking about you.
As always, Peace and many Blessings,
-BGrace
