Difference between Advertising and Public Relations

Difference Between Advertising and Public Relations

Advertising and Public Relations are the two important tools for promoting
products and services offered by the company. Advertising alludes to a form
of communication, which a firm uses to instigate prospective customers to
choose the product offered by the company, over other products.

On the other hand, public relations is about building and maintaining good
relations, with company’s stakeholders, by gaining favorable publicity,
having a good reputation and so on.

The primary motive of any business is profit maximization, and it can only be
achieved by increasing sales. The firms apply many strategies, tactics, tools,
plans to gain maximum customer attention and grab a competitive position in
the market, that comes under promotion mix. There are four aspects of
promotion, i.e. advertising, direct selling, sales promotion, and public
relations.
Due to some similar traits, people have confusion in understanding
the difference between advertising and public relation, but as per an old
saying ‘advertising pays, public relation persuades’.

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion
Comparison Chart
BASIS FOR PUBLIC
ADVERTISING
COMPARISON RELATIONS

Meaning A technique of Public Relations is a

drawing public practice of strategic
attention to products communication that
or services, mainly aims at building
through paid mutually beneficial
announcements, is relationship between
called Advertising. the company and the
public.

Media Purchased Earned

Communication One way Two way

Focuses on Promotion of product Maintaining a

or services, with an positive image of the
aim to induce the company in the
intended audience to media.
buy.

Control The company has full The company can

control over the ad. pitch the story, but
has no control over,
how media uses or
does not uses at all.

Placement Guaranteed No guarantee

Published As long as you are Only once

willing to pay for.

Credibility Less High

Definition of Advertising

Advertising is described as a paid, non-personal, one-way public

communication that draws public communication towards a product, service,
company, or any other thing through various communication channels, to
inform, influence and instigates the target audience to respond in the manner
as desired by the advertiser.

Advertising can be done through print ads, radio or television ads, billboards,
flyers, commercials, internet banner ads, direct mails and so on.
The advertiser has exclusive control over what, how and when the ad will be
aired or published. Moreover, the ad will run as long as the advertiser’s
budget allows.

As advertising is a prominent marketing tool, it is always present, no matter

the people are aware of it or not. Nowadays, advertising has not left a single
medium to spread the message to the target audience.
Definition of Public Relations

Public Relations is a strategic communication tool that uses different

channels, to cultivate favourable relations for the company. It is a practice
of building a positive image or reputation of the company in the eyes of the
public by telling or displaying the company’s products or services, in the
form of featured stories or articles through print or broadcast media. It aims
at building a trust-based relationship between the brand and its customer,
mainly through media exposure and coverage.

Public Relations can be called as non-paid publicity earned by the company

through its goodwill, word of mouth, etc. The tactics used in public relations
are publicity, social media, press releases, press conferences, interviews,
crisis management, featured stories, speeches, news releases.

Key Differences Between Advertising and Public Relations

The difference between advertising and public relations can be drawn clearly
on the following grounds:
1. Advertising is a technique of drawing public attention to products or
services, mainly through paid announcements. Public Relations is a
practice of strategic communication that aims at building a mutually
beneficial relationship between the company and the public.
2. Advertising is a purchased or paid media, whereas public relations is an
earned media.
3. Advertising is a monologue activity. Conversely, public relation is a
two way communication process, wherein the company listens and
responds to the public.
4. Advertising is done to promote product or services, with an aim to
induce the intended audience to buy. On the other hand, public relations
aims at maintaining a positive image of the company in the media.
5. In advertising, the advertiser has full control over the ad, i.e. when, how
and what will be displayed to the people. As opposed to public
relation, where the company can pitch the story, but has no control
over, how media uses or does not use at all.
6. In advertising, the placement of the ad is guaranteed, but there is no
such guarantee of placement in case of public relations.
7. In advertising, the ad is published or aired as long as you are willing to
pay for. On the contrary, in the case of public relation, the story is
published only once.
8. Credibility is higher in public relations than in advertising because in
the case of advertising savvy consumers, know that it’s just an ad and
do not believe easily, and so they remain sceptical. Unlike Public
Relations where third party validation improves the credibility.