Most people have just a vague idea of what public relations (PR) actually mean and many even confuse PR with advertising and marketing. Even though they seem to be similar they take two completely different approaches.
Public Relations (PR) and advertising are the two important tools for promoting a brand and both are used as part of the integrated marketing and communication strategy, yet they are completely different from each other. Often misunderstood as being the same thing, PR and advertisement have a thin line that separates them and a good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad in terms of the impact it creates on the consumer’s mind.
Moreover, a well-structured PR campaign helps any brand stand out in today’s crowded marketplace by creating a strong reputation among its target audience. Unlike advertising, PR not only informs the consumers about any brand and its products, but also enhances the brand image and imparts the much desired appeal and personality to the brand through positive storytelling by way of different communication channels and media vehicles —Print, Electronic, Digital as well as Social Media.
While advertising refers to paid publicity, PR is about building a connection with your audience and promoting among them your key messages that consumers may find attractive and convincing enough to believe. PR professionals develop strategies, generate relevant content and provide information and news stories to the journalists. Considering that at this information age content is the silent ambassador of your brand, they generate a lot of content, such content that journalists want to use in their stories.
As PR is all about managing reputation of your clients, it’s not at all an easy exercise and requires much more than 9×5 involvement. While the PR professionals remain engaged with their clients and media round-the-clock, they essentially become the bridge between the clients and the audience. They build cordial relationships with the journalists to create positive image of their clients and pitch stories. In the meanwhile, they also manage relationships with their clients while understanding their exact publicity requirements to strategize accordingly. As media is a fast moving industry, a PR professional needs to stay ahead of the news cycle, draft the press releases in advance and send the leads to the journalists of a news story breaking instantly. All these strenuous endeavours finally fructify when the targeted clients get featured in editorial spaces of different media.
PR, in a nutshell, is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relations between the organisations and their publics. It’s the art of strategic publicity which involves PR campaigns to create brand awareness, reputation and media management. At Vigor Media Worldwide, we have taken everyone by surprise with our unique, strategic and out-of-the-box media and PR campaigns aimed to suit clients’ requirements. We have achieved big milestones in all areas of media and communication and helped our client gain an edge over others. Vigor Media worldwide boasts cross-sectoral expertise spanning across Real Estate, Education, Lifestyle, FMCG, Power, Finance, Luxury, Hospitality, Healthcare, Technology, Lifestyle and much more.
In view of the significance of PR, famous American Business magnate, Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft Corporation had aptly said, “If I only had two dollars left I would spend one dollar on PR”. We all know the positive impact of the validation by a media person, whether in print or electronic/web domain, is far more persuasive than any paid commercial advertisement. This is the reason why any forward looking firm takes the services of expert PR agencies/professionals who provide objective analysis and services and become the firm’s strategic partner to manage their diverse communications requirements.
Written by Mr. Nikhil Singhal, Founder, Vigor Media Worldwide