Introduction
Advertising is a marketing strategy that aims at persuading people to buy a certain product or use a certain service in the market. This aims at promoting the products in the market with the main goal of increasing the sales level. Traditionally, companies undertook their advertisements and involved various media for publication. This has become a complex area in the recent past and requires advance skills in the field (Plessis 2000). Advertising agencies were introduced with an aim of catering the complex market promotion needs. These agencies have a team of experts in all advertising aspects and create advertisements on behalf of other companies.
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Public relation relate to effective management of ethical imperatives using sharing of information with an aim of building better relationships with the public. This shows that communication is the core area for effective public relations. It is used as an interaction tool in managing conflicts for the benefit of the whole organization (Johnston and Zawawi 2009).
Similarity
Both public relation practitioners and advertisers target the public sharing same interests. This is because they aim at passing the message to the members of the public. They use various forms of communication in passing the message to the public such as mass media or direct communication. Advertisers and public relation practitioners should also have strong communication skills that may be appealing to the members of the public. This is used by both parties in promoting the organizational positive image (Plessis 2000)
Plessis (2000, p. 62) also suggested that corporate advertising aims at building a positive image towards the use of some products and not promoting products in the market. This aims at encouraging positive response towards the products offered by the company. Success in such advertisement is appealing to customers and creates a better relationship between the customer and the organization. An example of the government advertisement on conserving the environment may be costly but at the same time creating a better relationship with the viewers. This is because the government aims at enhancing the quality of living for individuals. Public relations also build in enhancing relationships between the associating parties (Johnston and Zawawi, 2009).
Differences
In advertising, agencies make profits from creating adverts which also engages the cost of the space such as the mass media and bill boards. Adverts also aim at increasing the organizations’ returns through persuading potential customers to buy the product while in public relation, the company aims at building its image in a news format. Public relation practitioners do not aim at enhancing sales and do not also pay for the space (Johnston and Zawawi 2009).
Adverts engage the most important message in passing the information. This ensures that there is control of the information to be put in an advertisement because of the cost associated in advertising. This aims at minimizing the advertising cost and at the same time increasing the returns. In contrary, public relation engages all the information that may be deemed important to the eyes of the public (Plessis 2000).
According to Johnston and Zawawi (2009), creativity is the most important part in the advertisement. This is because the advert must bring a new idea to market the product in the market. To make this happen, the company may involve an advertising agency in delivering creative adverts. Public relations do not require an agent. It aims at passing information to the public, hence only requiring an individual with better communication skills.
References
Johnston, J., & Zawawi, C. 2009. Public relations : theory and practice. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin.
Plessis, D. F. 2000. Introduction to public relations and advertising. Lansdowne: Juta.
