There are vast differences between public relations and advertising, but unless you stop to think about what those differences are, it's not always immediately evident.

The simple definition is: Advertising is space you pay for. Public Relations is an unbiased opinion, written by a third party, in space you do not pay for.

Advertising people talk a lot about impact! They want to put crazy angles, loud rock music, and jump cuts in their commercials. These are exactly the attributes that scream to a prospect "I'm an AD!". The harder the ads try to force their way into a consumer's mind, the harder people reject or ignore it.

Public Relations can't be forced. You can't make the media run your article.  Every decision about whether or not your company or product gets coverage is up to that editor, reporter or producer. It's up to your PR person to smile, make friends and make sure that everything they do makes that editor, reporter or producer's job as easy as possible.

The good news is, your consumers don't perceive any force or attention getting techniques in the editorial coverage. In fact, it's just the opposite - your consumers think the media are simply trying to be helpful by alerting them to a wonderful new product!

This was written in 1885 about advertising's impact on consumers, and now, more than 120 years later, it still rings true.

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

  1. The first time a man looks at an advertisement, he does not see it.

  2. The second time, he does not notice it.

  3. The third time, he is conscious of its existence.

  4. The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it before.

  5. The fifth time, he reads it.

  6. The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.

  7. The seventh time, he reads it through and says, "Oh brother!"

  8. The eighth time, he says, "Here's that confounded thing again!"

  9. The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.

  10. The tenth time, he asks his neighbor if he has tried it.

  11. The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes it pay.

  12. The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.

  13. The thirteenth time, he thinks perhaps it might be worth something.

  14. The fourteenth time, he remembers wanting such a thing a long time.

  15. The fifteenth time, he is tantalized because he cannot afford to buy it.

  16. The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it some day.

  17. The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum to buy it.

  18. The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty.

  19. The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.

  20. The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys what it is offering.

    Written in 1885 by Thomas Smith, London, England.

How would you rather reach your consumers?