PR and Publicity – Stop mixing them up!

The phrases “publicity” and “public relations” are commonly used interchangeably. However, because they are two distinct fields, it is vital to correct this. Publicity is one of many elements of public relations, which includes a variety of other characteristics. This is equivalent to how advertising is only one part of a larger marketing scheme.

The term “publicity” refers to the process of raising public knowledge about a product, brand, or corporation. Public relations, on the other hand, is a considerably bigger field that encompasses a variety of tactics that companies employ to achieve their goals by disseminating messages to appropriate audiences. Following that, more information on the two themes will be offered.

Explanations and definitions

Publicity

Publicity is the process of presenting information to the general public, primarily through the media, such as news stories, event coverage, stories, interviews, blogs, and so on, with the goal of increasing public awareness of the product, brand, or company offering these, as well as increasing its authenticity.

A PR campaign’s goal is to get as much information or news from as many audiences in a short amount of time. Because it is a form of non-paid communication, it can be either negative or positive, depending on how the media wishes to depict news or events. The enterprise whose information or news is being disseminated has no influence over what is said about it. It might be a review of a company’s most recent product, such as a television, phone, or wearable device, or an experience shared by a customer who has used the product.

Public Relations

Public relations (PR) are a strategic approach to managing relationships and communication with the goal of fostering goodwill and common understanding between a company and its customers. In this context, the term “public” refers to any groups or individuals who are interested in or have an impact on the company’s capacity to achieve its goals.

The aim of public relations efforts is to not only draw public attention, but also to help organizations achieve their goals by expressing their message to the right people. Public relations operations are carried out to ensure that the public views the company favorably and that strong relationships with the public are developed. In this context, the term “public” refers to all stakeholders who are impacted by the organization’s actions in some manner, such as employees, investors, consumers, suppliers, and partners. Crisis management, reputation management, event management, news releases, social media, public service announcements, and other activities are all part of public relations.

A public relations department is established in many businesses to monitor how the public behaves and communicates with them with the purpose of improving their image and increasing their goodwill. Corporate communications, press relations, product publicity, and other functions are all undertaken by the PR department. A public relations department’s job is to respond to any bad reviews, remarks, or news about the firm that appears in the media, in order to clean the public reputation and maintain positive public perceptions.

So, what is the difference between both?

Meaning

The term “publicity” relates to acquiring public recognition. This is accomplished by disseminating information or news updates through the media with the goal of raising public awareness and establishing credibility. Public relations, on the other hand, is a strategic process that aims to improve a company’s image and reputation in the marketplace.

Objective

The objective of publicity is to get the media’s attention so that they can deliver information or updates to the general public about a product, service, brand, company, or other topic. The aim is to earn public awareness about the issue. The goal of public relations, on the other hand, is to attract the target market’s interest in order to improve the company’s sales.

Nature

Since the corporation has little control over publicity, it may not always be positive. For example, depending on their experience, a consumer may write a positive or negative review of a company’s product or service. Similarly, it’s possible that the corporation has been embroiled in a scandal. Public relations, on the other hand, is always positive because it is a strategic activity that is managed by the company’s public relations department.

Type of accommodation

A corporation does not pay the media for publicity; it is provided free of charge. On the other hand, a corporation must pay for the many events it may have to organize or sponsor, as well as the various third-party endorsements it will make as part of its public relations effort.

Carried out by

A firm has no control over public relations, which is handled entirely by the media. A firm, on the other hand, is in charge of its public relations initiatives and so has complete control over them.

In conclusion

To summarize, it is now clear that publicity and public relations are not synonymous. Both are necessary for organizations to communicate their message to the general public. Public relations, on the other hand, plays a more thorough function in ensuring that the company’s image remains good. It is in charge of dealing with any negative press that has surfaced. It also ensures that the company maintains positive relationships with all important stakeholders, including the government, consumers, suppliers, and shareholders.