Re: PR is better for branding than advertising?

From: Rob Frankel <rob_at_robfrankel.com>
Date: Thu 25 Apr 2002 14:59:06 -0600

At 1:23 PM -0600 4/23/02, John Gaskill wrote:
>
>While advertising is no cure for shoddy quality
>or a too high price, PR isn't either. And part of
>the problem with PR is that the most avid believers
>in glowing press releases are those who write them
>and those working for the companies releasing them.
>The competition and the public relies on testing and
>measurement to learn the Truth.
>
>PR is useful for announcing new products and
>major improvements to existing products, provided
>the PR efforts are supported by advertising to keep
>the message in the minds of prospects.
>
>What do you think Rob and others? What has your
>experience been?
>

Maybe it's that I have so many start-ups and under-funded clients
that make me partial to PR. I know that both PR and advertising are
(RIP Doug Kenney) like dynamite: used properly they can move
mountains; used improperly they can blow your legs off.

I've found that well-executed PR is almost always more effective
because it carries the implied third-party endorsement of the media.
For advertising to really work, you have to throw a lot of muscle
behind it, and not too many clients are prepared to do that.

Measurability is another one of those aspects that people THINK
works, but is tremendously subject to flaws in its structure. Just
because you have a tracking code doesn't necessarily mean what you're
tracking is of any real value.

For example, if you offer a free sample of something, many will take
it. But that's no indication at all that they'll actually buy it.
You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise. All you really know
from a test like that is that people will take free stuff.

PR, I've found, is excellent at avoiding traps like that, because it
relies less on sales and more on motivation from the end user: if
they see it and like it, they get off their butts and buy it.

Finally, as advertising becomes more expensive and varied, the
relationships formed by PR agents and their media contacts inevitably
prove the more cost-effective choice: the story gets out there when
you need it, where you need it at a much more acceptable cost.

Don't get me wrong. I can make a very strong case for advertising,
too. It's just that many clients can't get past the pre-qualifying
issues of media and creative production budgets.
--
Rob Frankel

Big Time Branding (SM) http://www.RobFrankel.com
Revenue-generating Branded Communities: http://www.i-legions.com
Rob answers your questions every Monday! http://www.FrankelTips.com
1-888-ROBFRANKEL * 818-990-8623




Received on Thu Apr 25 2002 - 15:59:06 CDT