Public Relations

Advertising And Public RelationsProducts Relating to 'Advertising And Public Relations'

Advertising and public relations appear to be similar at first glance, but upon further examination, it is clear that there are significant differences. The crafting of language and its effective delivery is important in both advertising and public relations, but there are differences that are important to understand.

Here are six areas that differentiate advertising and public relations:

1. The people you work with- In an ad agency you interact with your colleagues and clients. Public Relations professionals interact with print, broadcast, and electronic media people. There are different relationships in advertising and public relations work.
2. Your audience- In advertising, you are appealing to people who will hopefully purchase your product or service. In public relations, you are conveying information to the public in a meaningful wanting a favorable impression.
3. Getting coverage- In advertising, you are paying for the coverage, whereas in public relations you are looking for free coverage, so you need to find a way to get the media to use your articles or to come up to cover your event. Your public relations efforts may or may not be put to use, whereas, in advertising, you are paying to insure your message is sent. The results you are seeking are different in advertising and public relations.
4. Selling vs. damage control- Sometimes, the role of the public relations officer is to protect a company or an individual when there is a disaster, tragedy,accident, or scandal. That careful use of language can be far different than the approach to advertising and spreading the word about your product or service to promote sales.
5. Writing purpose, tone and, style - In advertising, you select words to motivate people to take action, such as to buy your product or to use your services. In public relations, you use a tone and style to fulfill your purpose of providing information. Word choice, sentence structure, and writing style will distinct in advertising and public relations.
6. Control and Creativity - In advertising you pay to get what you want. In public relations, you don't have total control over how your message ends up being delivered. Part of the control issue is that in advertising, you have opportunities for creativity that you don't get in the public relations role. This is a major factor to think about if you as you consider advertising and public relations as possible careers.

The tools of these two professions of advertising and public relations appear very similar at first glance, but in reality, their approaches and challenges are quite different.

Article Published: Sunday 11th November 2007