Advertising Versus Public Relations

These are two very commonly mistaken terms. Many think the two are interchangeable. Though advertising and public relations go hand in hand, they are not the same entity. The difference between them is very crucial. Without one, the other would likely not succeed. So what’s the difference?!

I learned how to differentiate between the two from my public relations professor, Lindsay Hudock. She said that advertising is paid space promoting a certain product or thing, whereas public relations is a process of creating positive relationships and positive behavior. In fact, advertising is a public relations tool. PR uses advertising to merge or change a brand, do good will, or address criticism in the media. In public relations, any coverage is unpaid and from a third party source. In advertising however, the featured product is always displayed on a purchased space.

When public relations and advertising do not work together, bad things can happen. One example is R.J. Reynolds and Camel cigarettes. Per Professor Hudock, in 1987, Reynolds created a mascot to represent these cigarettes- Joe Camel. Unfortunately, Reynolds, an advertiser, did not consult any public relations agencies before releasing the camel. The results were disastrous. By 1991, Reynolds was accused of targeting children to smoke. He had to change his very successful image, and afterwards never fully recovered from the loss of Joe Camel. Nonetheless, if R.J. Reynolds would have consulted PR with his decision for this public image, this situation would not have occurred. Public relations, in charge of keeping good relationships, would have certainly declined the idea and saved Reynolds the heartache. You can read more about RJ Reynolds and the Joe Camel incident here: http://brandfailures.blogspot.com/2007/02/rj-reynolds-joe-camel-campaign.html.