PR vs. Advertising —  Who cares?!

Let’s face it, PR pros. It’s always been hard to explain to your mom what you do for a living, right? Especially these days. Social media guides our life, and everything is always happening right now. (Like RIGHT NOW.) Lately, a lot of our friends in the communications industry are discussing the blurry lines between public relations and advertising. Some folks are even talking about it as if it’s a Darwinian race to evolve, and are debating who will win: the C.J. Cregg or the Don Drapers and Peggy Olsens of the world.

So, who are we putting our money on? WHO FREAKING CARES? That’s who! The winners of this race will not be the ones stuck on titles. To be truly successful, an agency must do everything they can to get the word out about their clients using whatever tools will get the job done — like activists.

Think about it. Activists are the best at getting the word out. They believe deeply in what they promote and use whatever means necessary to rally and create. Don’t promote your clients like a public relations agency or an ad agency. Become an activist. How, you ask? Allow us to grab the bullhorn and shout it from the rooftops.

Believe in the brand. Passion is contagious, and if you believe in the brand you’re promoting you’re much more likely to generate genuine enthusiasm. Immerse yourself in the brand. Become an expert on the company. Learn its history and culture. See for yourself the benefits of the products and services. Spend time with the employees and find out why they love working there.

What if you can’t believe in the brand? Then help improve it. Become a secret shopper and uncover the flaws. Then — and be sensitive about this part — find ways to address and repair them. It may not seem like it’s a direct part of your job, but believe us, if there are kinks in the system, you’ll hear about them soon enough. It’s best to iron them out BEFORE they wind up on Facebook.

Do whatever works to get the word out. If you are trying to promote a brand and their audience is likely to be impacted by a billboard, then by all means invest in some outdoor advertising. But if your client’s audience is more likely to read The New York Times, then work with a reporter to create story ideas. If they’re more likely to be on Facebook, then create a Facebook page — the same way an activist would.

Activists post fliers, host press conferences, write editorials, rely on Twitter and plan rallies, meetings and benefit galas. Hell, they even operate phone banks. They’re the original street teams for the cause — and you should be too.

Build a community. A successful activist knows there’s strength in numbers. So take note and apply that philosophy to your brand. Look for people who are excited about the work the company is doing and highlight them. Create an ambassador program and get even more people involved. You’ll suddenly find your brand popping up in more places: in conversations, in blog posts (like this one) and on destination lists.

But there is one very important part you must remember when it comes to building a community. You must be transparent. One of the potential issues we see with public relations and advertising merging is that it becomes difficult for the consumer to see what’s organic and what’s paid for.

Be open with your audience. Be clear about what’s purchased ad space and what’s grassroots. Your audience will thank you for it. Steer clear of blogs that allow you to pay them for the posts and don’t make a distinction for readers. Our industry gets a bad rap as it is and we need to maintain some dignity here, folks. You may have to invest a little more time in the process initially, but, we promise, you will build stronger relationships with your audience if you do.

So, who will win this advertising vs. PR race? The people who are too busy preaching their brand messages to be fighting about silly stuff like this. The ones who believe in what they do and build open, honest relationships that celebrate that. Forget about titles like public relations and advertising for a minute here, and start thinking like activists. And as for explaining to your mom what you do in this Internet age? Welp, we wish you the best of luck with that.