Everyone knows when they’re looking at or listening to an advertisement. It screams, “Pick me! Buy me!” And it has the company’s name written all over it. But how many people know when they’re looking at the work of public relations?

Advertising and public relations both have their roles in the media; however, the objective, method, control and style stand at opposite ends of the field.

Objective- Public relations practitioners’ goal is to help an organization (the client) by promoting its image, an idea or product. Advertisers try to persuade consumers to buy a product or use a particular service.

Method- Public relations can use several different methods to achieve its goal from event planning to social media. Oftentimes, public relations practitioners form a relationship with the media in order to gain coverage. Advertisers pay for coverage in whatever form they choose whether it be a billboard, commercial or newspaper ad.

Control- Because of these different methods, paid and unpaid, advertising often has more control over the message, longevity and format of the ad. In public relations, we depend on the media to pick up the client’s story and paint the client in a positive light. With this lack of control, it’s often more difficult for public relations practitioners to determine the results of their work.

Style- The different styles directly relate to the methods and objectives of these two diverse fields. In trying to reach the public through third-party articles and media, public relations must use a straightforward, journalistic style to pitch stories directly to editors. Since advertisers pay the media for space, they can use whatever style they see fit to sell their product or service.

Overall, the core objective of these two fields is similar: get people to positively respond to your company. From there they take completely different paths. Public relations practitioners must write skillfully, work well with others and communicate extensively. Advertisers need to know how to sell, sell, sell.

– Christina Gray, Account Executive