Smart Moves

How do you call your lover boy?

By now, most people have viewed the picture Chase Jarvis put up on his blog last week explaining the difference between Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations, & Branding. If you haven’t see below:

I love this 4-photo series.

The most common question I hear when people ask about my major is “So..what exactly is PR?”

It is almost always directly followed with “So…what makes it different from marketing or advertising?”

I usually answer that marketing/advertising is your standard paid placement in media outlets and PR is free. Short and sweet and to the point.

But I think Chase touched on an important component I glaze over when explaining public relations. The field centers entirely around public opinion. Our job is not to tell anyone anything, it is to sell our brand/product/company so effectively that YOU want to tell people.

With current trends pointing toward the ever-increasing importance of peer reviews, public relations seems more relevant and needed than ever before. Companies and brands can no longer shove their information or merchandise down our throats and expect us to just take their word for it. We want to hear from those we trust, those we identify with, on their take.

I know personally I always read customer reviews when online shopping. And even if there are 10 good reviews and just 1 bad review, I tend to really evaluate the product and how much I want or need it before purchasing. I won’t even download some of the free book options to my Kindle if the book has a low rating. It’s free! What does it matter?

It’s not just about money anymore. It’s about time. Why waste those 5 minutes downloading and skimming through a book just to find it unsatisfactory? Next, please.

How do you describe the differences of PR/advertising/marketing/branding to people?

Do you pay attention to online reviews?