The words public relations (PR), advertising and marketing are often grouped together—used synonymously by individuals both inside and outside of the broader communications industry. However, PR, marketing and advertising refer to vastly different practices, each of which provide their own specific and vital contributions to a company’s success. Rather than being three in the same, public relations, marketing and advertising are three separate entities that work together, much like how puzzle pieces fit together.
Below, we will go into a detailed breakdown of what makes PR, marketing and advertising distinct from one another.
Public Relations (PR)
The purpose of public relations is to create and maintain a positive image for an individual, business or organization. Public relations strategists focus on managing communication between the public and an organization, focusing mainly on reputation and credibility. These interactions are planned and purposeful with the goal of influencing public perceptions.
Public relations uses earned media, which is when a brand receives unpaid publicity from a third-party source. This publicity relies solely on relationships, such as media relations and influencer relations, where sending press releases and products to contacts is crucial for outreach. Some examples of earned media include:
- New Coverage
- Social Media Mentions
- Reviews and Testimonials
- User-Generated Content
- Influencer Endorsements
- Word-of-mouth
Advertising
The goal of advertising is to persuade an audience to take a specific action—aiming for direct sales and brand awareness. Advertisers work to create short-term visibility and conversation around a specific product or service.
Advertising uses paid media, where a company pays to have its message delivered to a specific target audience through various channels. Channels such as social media platforms, search engines, display networks and traditional print, television and radio allow for the following paid media:
- Pay-per-click Advertising (PPC)
- Influencer Marketing
- Video Advertising
- Print Advertisements in Magazines
- Television Commercials
- Social Media Advertising
Marketing
The purpose of marketing is to promote a product or service with a specific focus on connecting with a company’s target audience and making sure their needs are met. Marketing encompasses a large variety of responsibilities that marketers must complete to effectively promote products and retain customers. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to market research, campaign planning, brand management, content creation and sales generation.
Marketers use paid, earned and owned media in their marketing strategies. In terms of paid media, marketing intertwines with advertising through paying for advertisements on social media, search engine marketing (SEM) and traditional television ads. Owned media refers to brands directly controlling channels and content such as blogs, social media profiles, websites and email newsletters. Lastly, the earned media that is also used by public relations refers to exposure received from third-party sources, social media interactions, reviews and word-of-mouth are all examples of this.
Public relations, marketing and advertising are important assets for businesses in the trades industry because they help build trust, credibility and brand awareness. Organizations and brands within the trades often rely heavily on customer loyalty and referrals, both of which are born from the trust of their audience. The utilization of all three communication approaches allows for a brand to create an all-encompassing and well-rounded strategy that maximizes reach and impact.
