PR versus advertising – Who wins?

5 November 2024

If public relations (PR) and advertising were going up against each other, who would come out on top? Some might argue PR, others might say advertising. Here are the pros and cons for both:

PR pros

  • Credible as you’re receiving third-party endorsement from a journalist, blogger, or influencer and consumers tend to trust their opinion.
  • Much harder for consumers to spot a PR generated news story.
  • When you have a great story you can reach audiences in a different tailored way and can be more reactive to current news headlines.
  • In most instances, it can be cheaper than advertising.

PR cons

  • You need a newsworthy hook and story to get your business, brand, or charity to stand out and convince a journalist, blogger, or influencer to write about you.
  • We disagree with what some other PR agencies say when they promise media coverage in a particular media outlet. We don’t believe any PR agency can guarantee earned media coverage, as unlike advertising, you have not paid for the space. You are also competing against other news headlines and sometimes through no fault of your own, timing goes against you and a breaking news story suddenly takes priority over your story.

Advertising pros

  • Guaranteed media space in the type of media you requested (as long as you have the budget to pay for it!).
  • You have control of your message and the look and feel of your advert.
  • Endless choices of where you can advertise.

Advertising cons

  • Consumers are inundated with adverts every day and spot when they are being ‘sold to’ and may switch off.
  • Can be very expensive especially if you want to advertise nationally.
  • One-way communication to the masses.

Summary

There are pros and cons to both. Of course, we’re biased and believe PR can be more powerful than advertising. However, for PR to be most effective and impactful it needs to be fully integrated into your overall business plan and marketing strategy and work in conjunction and complement any advertising you may be doing.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of PR then give us a bell or drop us an email.