By: Kendall Weishaupt
What is the difference between advertising and PR? As an IPR student, I still sometimes ask this question. These fields have some similarities, but there are many differences.
Advertising is paid media. This means companies and brands pay to promote their products and services. TV commercials, internet/social media advertisements and radio advertisements are a few examples of advertising. These messages are paid for by the company or brand, so the image and message are controlled. The purpose of advertising is to sell and promote.
PR is earned media. This means that there is no payment involved in getting the message out. The message a PR professional is sending comes from the brand or company through press releases, press kits, social media and more. The purpose of PR is to get a message out to the public.
The difference between advertising and PR can be summed up in a few words. Paid media vs. earned media.