Does the Success of Public Relations Mean the Death of Advertising

Just about a decade ago, some people involved in the public relations (PR) industry were asking marketers to stay out of their domain. These tra

ditional PR people were arguing that marketing and public relations always have been separate communications functions and that they should forever stay that way. My how things have changed!

Recently, two very well known marketing consultants released a book titled The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR. The gist of the book is that while advertising is still the most dominant medium used by marketers, declining advertising effectiveness means that this communications tool is no longer effective for introducing and building new brands. The only way to build a brand now, they contend, is through public relations. While this obviously led to book burnings in advertising agencies around the world, what made it worse is that the authors—Al Ries and his daughter Laura Ries—are well known and respected marketers! Al Ries (along with a former coauthor, Jack Trout) is best known for first introducing the concept of positioning. And what could be more marketing than that? But now, say the Rieses, consumers have changed, and the communications program and the way we think about branding must change with it. Consumers now learn about products and brands through means other than advertising—the Rieses contend that some brands including Palm, Starbucks, and the Body Shop have succeeded with no advertising—and advertising has lost credibility. The Rieses contend that companies now must create brand images through publicity and media that consumers rely on for more "objective" information. The role of advertising, they say, is to maintain the brand image. And the Rieses are not the only ones who feel this way. Linda Recupero, vice president of the brand marketing company Burson-Marsteller, in New York—which was responsible for the successful PR launches of Botox and Segway—agrees with the premise that PR is more effective in building a brand in the introduction stage. Executives from large marketing companies like Gillette, Unilever, and Georgia-Pacific have also weighed in on the side of public relations.

But not everyone is buying the death-of-advertising argument yet—including some PR executives. Thomas Harris, a public relations consultant, calls the book "a gross generalization" that overlooks other public relations functions beyond publicity. Harris argues that publicity can be a powerful tool for mature brands—not just introductions—citing the Pillsbury Bake-Off as just one example. Others have taken issue with the Rieses' contention that advertising is now only useful for promoting mature brands, citing their own examples of successful brand introductions supported heavily by advertising. Many advertising and PR people feel that it is hard to control the message disseminated through PR channels. Heinz's introduction of green ketchup in an EZ Squirt bottle is one such example. While Heinz got $10 million worth of free publicity— three times what was to be spent on advertising— the publicity hijacked the marketing plan when word of the launch leaked out two months before Heinz was ready. Heinz's marketing plan called for the emphasis to be placed on the bottle design, while the publicity focused on the green color of the ketchup. While it all ended up okay, Heinz marketing managers admit they were lucky that the green color didn't turn kids off.

So will public relations replace advertising as the mainstay of the communications budget? Not likely, say Jack Neff and others writing in Advertis ing Age. They note that even with major declines in 2001, advertising spending dwarfed that of PR— $31.74 billion to $4.31 billion—and that PR spending actually declined more than did advertising spending. Rance Crain, also of Advertising Age, sees advertising and PR working together as a "one-two" punch, with PR as the relationship builder. Crain notes that "integration seems to be the way of the future," arguing that "whatever the disciplines used, they all must work together to give a unified message to the consumer." While opinions differ, no one seems to be saying that public relations should return to its traditional function. Wonder what those PR people who told marketers to stay away are thinking?

Sources: Rance Crain, "Marketers Look at New Ideas, and PR Becomes the 'Closer,'" Advertising Age, July 29, 2002, p. 15; Jack Neff, Cara Dipasqule, and Jean Halliday, "Ries' Thesis: Ads Don't Build Brands, PR Does," Advertising Age, July 15, 2002, p. 14; Jack Neff, "Will PR Kill Advertising?" advertisingage.com, July 16, 2002, pp. 1-6.

Regardless of which side you take in the advertising-public relations argument, one thing is clear—the role of public relations in the communications program has changed. While some people may disagree as to the importance and/or power of this program element, few, if any, would contend that it is business as usual.

Publicity, public relations, and corporate advertising all have promotional program elements that may be of great benefit to marketers. They are integral parts of the overall promotional effort that must be managed and coordinated with the other elements of the promotional mix. However, these three tools do not always have the specific objectives of product and service promotion, nor do they always involve the same methods you have become accustomed to as you have read this text. Typically, these activities are designed more to change attitudes toward an organization or issue than to promote specific products or affect behaviors directly (though you will see that this role is changing in some organizations). This chapter explores the roles of public relations, publicity, and corporate advertising, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and the process by which they are employed. Examples of such efforts—both successful and unsuccessful—are also included.

PublÍC Relations What is public relations? How does it differ from other elements of marketing discussed thus far? Perhaps a good starting point is to define what the term public relations has traditionally meant and then to introduce its new role.

Continue reading here: Determining and Evaluating Public Attitudes

Was this article helpful?