PR essay
Introduction
There has been a misconception that advertising is synonymous to public relations - this is not entirely true; confusion also exists as the functions of advertising and public relations which can be misconceiving. This essay seeks to explore into depth of the concepts - “public relations” and “advertising” in their differences and relationship. Comparative studies will also be conducted to look at and analyse the communication skills, cost and the controlling power of messages.
Contextualizing public relations and advertising
First, public relations is a process that involves many far-reaching aspects, such as research and analysis, communication, policy formation and feedbacks from public. Public Relations Society of America defines the concept as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics” (PRSA). The models of public relations, as coined by James Grunig, are widely used in the field and allowing public relations practitioners to better utilise and polish public relations skills to better serve the corporate and public interest (Mackey 2000). The models are “Press Agentry Model”, “Public Information Model”, “Two-way Asymmetric Model” and “Two-way Symmetric Model” - and the models dichotomized into two typologies - namely one way and two-way (Grunig & Todd 1985). These models help to establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding and cooperation between an organization and the public. On the other hand, advertising is a tool to promote products or services in which it is closely associated with spatial and time relations. Advertisements are broadcasted on television, radio, magazines and outdoor sites, it seeks to persuade consumers to take actions, such as purchasing products (Black 2002).
Both concepts are nearly identical by applying persuasive tactics to motivate consumers, but approaching objectives differently. Public relations is a
There has been a misconception that advertising is synonymous to public relations - this is not entirely true; confusion also exists as the functions of advertising and public relations which can be misconceiving. This essay seeks to explore into depth of the concepts - “public relations” and “advertising” in their differences and relationship. Comparative studies will also be conducted to look at and analyse the communication skills, cost and the controlling power of messages.
Contextualizing public relations and advertising
First, public relations is a process that involves many far-reaching aspects, such as research and analysis, communication, policy formation and feedbacks from public. Public Relations Society of America defines the concept as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics” (PRSA). The models of public relations, as coined by James Grunig, are widely used in the field and allowing public relations practitioners to better utilise and polish public relations skills to better serve the corporate and public interest (Mackey 2000). The models are “Press Agentry Model”, “Public Information Model”, “Two-way Asymmetric Model” and “Two-way Symmetric Model” - and the models dichotomized into two typologies - namely one way and two-way (Grunig & Todd 1985). These models help to establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding and cooperation between an organization and the public. On the other hand, advertising is a tool to promote products or services in which it is closely associated with spatial and time relations. Advertisements are broadcasted on television, radio, magazines and outdoor sites, it seeks to persuade consumers to take actions, such as purchasing products (Black 2002).
Both concepts are nearly identical by applying persuasive tactics to motivate consumers, but approaching objectives differently. Public relations is a
References: Black, C 2002, The PR Practitioner’s desktop guide, Richmond, Sydney. pp. 61-74 Dennis L. Wilcox, Phillip H. Ault, Warren K. Agee, and Glen T. Cameron, Public Relations, Strategies and Tactics, 9th edition, United States of America, Allyn & Bacon Grunig, JE & Hunt, T 1984, Managing public relations, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Mackey, S. 2000, J. Johnston and C. Zawawi (eds) Public Relations Theory, public relations: theory and practice, Sydney, Allen & Unwin. Public realtion society of America,2013. Available from: .[24th August 2013].