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1. Paid Space or Free Coverage
Advertising:
The company pays for ad space. You know exactly when that ad will air or be published.
Public Relations:
Your job is to get free
publicity for the company. From news conferences to press releases, you're focused on getting free media exposure for the company
and its products/services.
2. Creative Control Vs. No Control
Advertising:
Since you're paying for the space, you have
creative control on what goes into that ad.
Public Relations:
You have no control over how the media presents your information,
if they decide to use your info at all. They're not obligated to cover your event or publish your press release just because you sent
something to them.
3. Shelf Life
Advertising:
Since you pay for the space, you can run your ads over and over for as long
as your budget allows. An ad generally has a longer shelf life than one press release.
Public Relations:
You only submit a press release
about a new product once. You only submit a press release about a news conference once. The PR exposure you receive is only circulated
once. An editor won't publish your same press release three or four times in their magazine.
4. Wise Consumers
Advertising:
Consumers know when they're reading an advertisement they're trying to be sold a product or service.
"The consumer understands that
we have paid to present our selling message to him or her, and unfortunately, the consumer often views our selling message very guardedly,"
Paul Flowers, president of Dallas-based Flowers & Partners, Inc., said. "After all, they know we are trying to sell them."
Public
Relations:
When someone reads a third-party article written about your product or views coverage of your event on TV, they're seeing
something you didn't pay for with ad dollars and view it differently than they do paid advertising.
"Where we can generate some sort
of third-party 'endorsement' by independent media sources, we can create great credibility for our clients' products or services,"
Flowers said.
5. Creativity or a Nose for News
Advertising:
In advertising, you get to exercise your creativity in creating
new ad campaigns and materials.
Public Relations:
In public relations, you have to have a nose for news and be able to generate
buzz through that news. You exercise your creativity, to an extent, in the way you search for new news to release to the media.
6.
In-House or Out on the Town
Advertising:
If you're working at an ad agency, your main contacts are your co-workers and the agency's
clients. If you buy and plan ad space on behalf of the client like Media Director Barry Lowenthal does, then you'll also interact
with media sales people.
Public Relations:
You interact with the media and develop a relationship with them. Your contact is
not limited to in-house communications. You're in constant touch with your contacts at the print publications and broadcast media.
7. Target Audience or Hooked Editor
Advertising:
You're looking for your target audience and advertising accordingly.
You wouldn't advertise a women's TV network in a male-oriented sports magazine.
Public Relations:
You must have an angle and
hook editors to get them to use info for an article, to run a press release or to cover your event.
8. Limited or Unlimited
Contact
Advertising:
Some industry pros such as Account Executive Trey Sullivan have contact with the clients. Others like copywriters
or graphic designers in the agency may not meet with the client at all.
Public Relations:
In public relations, you are very visible
to the media. PR pros aren't always called on for the good news.
If there was an accident at your company, you may have to give a
statement or on-camera interview to journalists. You may represent your company as a spokesperson at an event. Or you may work within
community relations to show your company is actively involved in good work and is committed to the city and its citizens.
9.
Special Events
Advertising:
If your company sponsors an event, you wouldn't want to take out an ad giving yourself a pat on
the back for being such a great company. This is where your PR department steps in.
Public Relations:
If you're sponsoring an
event, you can send out a press release and the media might pick it up. They may publish the information or cover the event.
10.
Writing Style
Advertising:
Buy this product! Act now! Call today! These are all things you can say in an advertisement. You
want to use those buzz words to motivate people to buy your product.
Public Relations:
You're strictly writing in a no-nonsense
news format. Any blatant commercial messages in your communications are disregarded by the media.
For small business or even
individuals, managing your public relations campaign may seem impossible. Don't ignore the many opportunities you have to get free
coverage with your own PR campaign, though.
