My advertising brothers and sisters are going to hate me for saying this, but...
Ad agencies are finally realizing what PR can give that they can’t – third-party credibility. Which may be why some of them are starting to offer services blurring the line between advertising and PR. And which may be why, over the past few years, a couple of ad agencies have spoken to me about starting up Public Relations departments for them.
Let’s face it, advertising – particularly broadcast – has never been more visually smashing or interesting than it is today. Yet, it often comes off as “eye candy.” Particularly in times such as this, it just doesn’t seem, in many cases, to generate the appropriate sales. Take the Super Bowl ads, for instance. A few days after the Super Bowl, I often ask people if they can remember which products that specific ads – even the most interesting ones – were for. And many of them can’t remember.
Experts say we probably receive 5,000-10,000 messages a day – and some say up to 15,000. Many of them, perhaps most of them, are marketing messages. And many of those messages are only 30 or 60 seconds, flashing by us in a frantic 24/7 whirl, only to be replaced by the next mini-message.
Public relations, though – when done correctly – has the innate ability to generate top-of-mind consciousness that can stay top-of-mind. Rather than getting lost in the never-ending swirl of messages, an effective public relations campaign or message has “legs” – it can serve to continually reinforce the original message. And, when that happens, that message is hard to forget. And it usually generates business.
Bottom line? I’ll be the first to say there’s definitely a place for honest, ethical, creative advertising in this world. But one inescapable truth remains.
Advertising is bought and paid for. Public relations is earned.