Advertising and Public Relations

Many people not in the journalism field get advertising and public relations confused. Aboutpublicrelations.net claims one of the main differences between public relations and advertising is the extent of the message control. Public relations practitioners differentiate themselves from advertising by controlling their message after it has been released to the world. Advertisers, however, cannot control their message once it has entered the wide world of media, or the sales it produces.
A specific way both advertisers and public relations practitioners can get their message out, is by using other events to promote their product or organization. For instance, just recently were the Academy Awards. Havaiana Shoe Company paired with the film awards show to promote their casual footwear. Each award nominee was not only hoping for a chance to win the “Gold Man”, but also received a golden pair of sparkling Havaiana flip flips in a gift package which give homage to the 65 years of Oscar.
These baskets can add up to quite the hefty price. Companies send these freebie gifts to nominees in the hope they will be photographed with a famous star or starlet. By directly giving the gifts to the stars, it ensures that it will go directly to the hands of the person intended. Though, celebrities are not the only ones who desire these pricey baskets. Auctions for the gifts can go on sale more than six months before the event and can cost up to twice the net worth of the items.
Public relations practitioners can use big events, such as the Oscars to promote an object or company if needed. By attracting celebrities, certain organizations can obtain their end goal.