What is better ‘Advertising or Publicity’?

Both PR and advertising has its place – both help build brands and communicate with targeted audiences, but the difference is adverts are paid for and editorial is achieved by pitching in an idea or information to the press. 

It is a fact that people tend to pay more attention to editorial content than adverts because of the nature in the way PR content is communicated and absorbed.

Think about your own habits, do you watch the news for the adverts or for the stories, news bulletin and debates?

It is almost done unconsciously and indirectly by all of us.  Most of us tend to consume editorial content when we need a break from work or are relaxing in the evenings, for example. Have you ever browsed the papers, gone on Facebook or watched your favourite Youtuber?  You will undoubtedly have read or viewed editorial content – either directly (by reading the news) or indirectly (by viewing a post on your Facebook feed). 

What are the benefits of PR? Being editorially recommended by an Editor or trusted outlet gives a brand or personality more credibility.  The media exposure gives the person/product/brand/service authority through the media by third-party endorsement.

It can be so cleverly done, that to the untrained eye you wouldn’t pick up the feature as being a ‘PR’ article.

With online opportunities taking prominence the publicity generated will live in Google. Serving not just the benefits of being on a national newspaper homepage but when customers search on the internet for a product or service that falls within the client’s brand, a stream of consistent referrals exist and advantageous from an SEO perspective.​ This is why is it important to have a good PR team behind your name if you wish to engage in the media. Back in the days of print newspaper dominance, repercussions from a bad press article lasted for a shorter space of time, that bad press article now is online forever, so it is vital to manage your PR campaign strategically otherwise you risk your reputation.

These are just some of the main factors at play.