Using Public Relations for advertising

In today's fast paced world of media advertising it has become a challenge for companies and other organizations to come up with new and different ways to stay ahead in their search for a market share. Companies constantly have to find innovative ways to attract their target market and gain the notice they want. With this ever changing world many organizations are turning to using public relations for their advertising. This presents some unique challenges and rewards. But before discussing the ramifications of this avenue of media marketing it is first critical to understand the differences between public relations and advertising. These two industries are very different even though they are commonly confused as being one and the same. But there are crucial points that just scratch the surface of the many differences between advertising and public relations. Here are the basic differences:

1. Paid Space or Free Coverage

• Advertising: When advertising is used the company pays for the ad space. Users generally know exactly when their ad will air or be published.
  
• Public Relations: In this area the goal is to get free publicity for the company. From news conferences to press releases, the focus is on getting free media exposure for the company and its products/services.
  

2. Creative Control Vs. No Control

• Advertising: The company or organization has creative control of what goes into the ad since they are paying for it.
  
• Public Relations: P.R. managers have no control over how the media presents the information, or if they decide to use the information at all. The press is not obligated to cover an event or publish a press release just because they were sent something.
  

3. Shelf Life

• Advertising: Since the ad space is paid for it can be run over and over for as long as the budget allows. One ad will generally have a much longer shelf life than one press release.
  
• Public Relations: Press releases can only be submitted about a new product once. In addition P.R. managers only submit a press release about a news conference once. Whatever PR exposure you receive is only circulated once. In addition an editor won't publish your same press release three or four times in their magazine.
  

4. Wise Consumers

• Advertising: Consumers know when they are reading an advertisement that they're trying to be sold a product or service. The consumer understands that the company has paid to present a selling message to him or her, and unfortunately, the consumer often views the selling message guardedly.
  
• Public Relations: When the consumer reads a third-party article written about a product or views coverage of an event on TV, they are seeing something that the company or organization did not pay for with ad dollars and view it differently than they do paid advertising. Public Relations managers work to where they can generate some sort of third-party 'endorsement' by independent media sources, so they can create greater credibility for their client's products or services.
  

5. Creativity or a Nose for News

• Advertising: Managers in advertising, get to exercise creativity in creating new ad campaigns and materials.
  
• Public Relations: In using public relations, P.R. executives have to have a nose for news and be able to generate buzz through that news. You exercise creativity, to an extent, in the search for new news to release to the media.
  

6. In-House or Out on the Town

• Advertising: Working at an ad agency, the main contacts are co-workers and the agency's clients. If you buy and plan ad space on behalf of the clients then also interact with media sales people.
  
• Public Relations: Those working in P.R. interact with the media and develop a relationship with them. Contact is not limited to in-house communications. P.R. employees are in constant touch with contacts at the print publications and broadcast media.
  

7. Target Audience or Hooked Editor

• Advertising: This aspect of marketing focuses strictly on finding a target market and advertising accordingly.
  
• Public Relations: Those working Public Relations must have an angle and hook editors to get them to use info for an article, to run a press release or to cover an event.
  

8. Limited or Unlimited Contact

• Advertising: Some of those in the advertising agency work directly with clients while others like copywriters or graphic designers in the agency may not meet with the client at all.
  
• Public Relations: In public relations, employees are very visible to the media. PR pros aren't always called on for the good news. Those in P.R. may represent their company as a spokesperson at an event. Or they may work within community relations to show that their company is actively involved in good work and is committed to the city and its citizens.
  

9. Special Events

• Advertising: This area has limits to how far you can go to promote your good works. For example: If a company sponsors an event, advertising wouldn't want to take out an ad giving themselves a pat on the back for being such a great company. This is where the PR department steps in.
  
• Public Relations: If a company is sponsoring an event, P.R. can send out a press release and the media might pick it up. They may publish the information or even cover the event.
  

10. Writing Style

• Advertising: This area of marketing uses a specific type of language that focuses on buzz words to motivate the target market to buy a product or service.
  
• Public Relations: This area focuses on strictly writing in a no-nonsense news format. Any blatant commercial messages in P.R. communications are disregarded by the media.

The role of public relations in advertising
So now that the differences between public relations and advertising are understood it is time to explore the role of public relations in advertising. The application of public relations and the use of advertising are sometimes overlooked which ignites a series of unanswered questions for companies needing to create awareness for themselves. When do you use public relations? When should you advertise? The best answer for both questions is, "It depends on what you're trying to accomplish." Using public relations and advertising together as well as separately is appropriate when the situation calls for it.

Message Control
A distinct difference between PR and advertising is their extent of message control. The when, where, and how an advertisement runs is quite controllable. Ad space is purchased in the right format (i.e. broadcast, radio, print, online, sky writing, etc.) means one has inherent control over what messages are communicated. Conversely, while the process of creating messages through public relations is controllable, what occurs after the message has been delivered is often uncontrollable. The most common uncontrollable factor is whether the media will view the information as newsworthy. In advertising there is no question whether the information will be publicized the bottom line is if the check cleared, you're in. But before you decide that advertisement is the only way to go there are several other factors to consider.

So to control the message each tool needs to be used in the right way. Because no matter how interesting an advertisement might be, it is recognized as a self-serving communication. The only implication here is that the seller paid to have a message filtered directly to a consumer. There is no third-party endorsement and no filter before it reaches the consumer. On the other hand Public Relations afford the credibility of indirect third-party endorsements. This means the company is not paying to get advertising placed, but a publication is freely giving space to a story about a company. An endorsement such as this is a powerful tool in shaping public opinion.  Consumers today are far more cynical and tech savvy than previous generations, with only a small percent saying they have a great deal of confidence in any advertising messages. Nothing confers credibility more quickly than a third-party citation. Simply being mentioned in the media gives a product, company or person an instant legitimacy. Despite rampant distrust of the media it has been shown that consumers still trust what a journalist says about a company more than what the company says about itself.  Anyone can buy visibility, however PR plays a critical role in sorting out the truth from the hype.

Costs
The amount of advertising exposure is often proportional to the amount of money spent on the advertisement. Whether an ad sits on a billboard overlooking the highway or plays during prime time television, advertising will consume the marketing budget faster than a well-positioned, well-written press release. For smaller companies, public relations are the better method for direct and personal communication with a target audience. For larger companies with a sufficient marketing budget, advertising along with public relations may be the right combination for success

In conclusion many marketing professionals feel that PR provides the rock solid base while the ads offer the sizzle. By using both P.R. and advertising together companies can create a more cohesive marketing plan that extends even beyond their target market in a more cost effective and timely manner. A smart marketer combines both parts strategically.