Book Report: The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR
“The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR”: Book Report
The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR by Al and Laura Ries demonstrates the dramatic shift from traditional advertising-oriented marketing to public-relations-oriented marketing. The age of advertising, they claim, is in the past. Advertising was once considered an effective way to encourage consumers to purchase new products, however, that is no longer the case. Advertising has not only become rampant, but it lacks credibility and is too expensive, thus being ineffective for the introduction of new brands. It would be inaccurate to claim that advertising serves no function, because it does, just no longer a dominant one. Public Relations, on the other hand, allows one to tell their story indirectly through third-party outlets, primarily the media. It has been shown to be the most effective way to truly and successfully launch a new brand. Advertising is dead. Long live PR.
The book opens with the results of a survey regarding public perception of honesty. Consumer mistrust in advertisers came as no surprise, as they ranked them between insurance salesmen and car salesmen (Ries 3). So, if you don’t believe what a car salesman tells you, why would you believe what you see in an advertisement? You wouldn’t. Both sources have the same degree of credibility. None. Advertising is taken exactly for what it is – a biased message paid for by a corporation with a selfish interest in what the consumer consumes (Ries 5).
It doesn’t matter how creative or original an ad is, advertisements inherently lack credibility. This can be attributed to the fact that advertising considered to be the self-serving voice of a company anxious to make a sale. Consumers don’t trust corporations and often reject ad messages. Then again, a brand that no one has heard of has no credibility either, “they can’t be any good if I’ve never heard of them,” is the attitude of many consumers upon being introduced to new, unfamiliar
The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR by Al and Laura Ries demonstrates the dramatic shift from traditional advertising-oriented marketing to public-relations-oriented marketing. The age of advertising, they claim, is in the past. Advertising was once considered an effective way to encourage consumers to purchase new products, however, that is no longer the case. Advertising has not only become rampant, but it lacks credibility and is too expensive, thus being ineffective for the introduction of new brands. It would be inaccurate to claim that advertising serves no function, because it does, just no longer a dominant one. Public Relations, on the other hand, allows one to tell their story indirectly through third-party outlets, primarily the media. It has been shown to be the most effective way to truly and successfully launch a new brand. Advertising is dead. Long live PR.
The book opens with the results of a survey regarding public perception of honesty. Consumer mistrust in advertisers came as no surprise, as they ranked them between insurance salesmen and car salesmen (Ries 3). So, if you don’t believe what a car salesman tells you, why would you believe what you see in an advertisement? You wouldn’t. Both sources have the same degree of credibility. None. Advertising is taken exactly for what it is – a biased message paid for by a corporation with a selfish interest in what the consumer consumes (Ries 5).
It doesn’t matter how creative or original an ad is, advertisements inherently lack credibility. This can be attributed to the fact that advertising considered to be the self-serving voice of a company anxious to make a sale. Consumers don’t trust corporations and often reject ad messages. Then again, a brand that no one has heard of has no credibility either, “they can’t be any good if I’ve never heard of them,” is the attitude of many consumers upon being introduced to new, unfamiliar