Building Your Business:
Advertising Vs. PR
By Tom Egelhoff
 From
the day you open the first rule of business we all hear is "get
the word out", "get the word out." So we advertise,
then analyze and see what happens. Then we advertise some more
and analyze some more - then we analyze our analyzation. And
usually end up more confused about our advertising than we were
before we started.
Is spending money on advertising the answer? If it were, Steve
Forbes would be president. Ford, which spends $314.00 per vehicle
on advertising, would outsell Chevy, which only spends $170.00
per vehicle. Instead Chevy sells 33% more than Ford. K-Mart spends
$542 million to Wal-Mart's $498 million. Who do you think gets
the short end of that stick? Wal-Mart does four times the sales
K-Mart does even with Martha Stewart. Take Starbuck's Coffee's
ad budget less than $10 million in ten years to produce yearly
sales of around $1.3 billion.
So how does PR (Public Relations) enter this equation? Take
the case of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Samara Brothers, Inc. Samara
Brothers, Inc. sued Wal-Mart for making "knock-off's"
of their line of children's clothes. The Supreme Court ruled
that Samara Bros clothing was not "distinctive" enough
to be a protected brand like the Nike "swoosh" for
example. Even though the company label was on the clothing people
would not automatically know who made it. So building the brand
name of your business in the minds of consumers can be a protection
as well as a powerful business tool.
Let's look at a "real world" example of advertising
vs. PR. For the sake of this example I'll use a newspaper ad.
In the world of advertising you would take out an ad in the local
paper and cross your fingers and hope for the best. The next
day the ad is gone and maybe people remembered it and maybe they
didn't. You might have included an offer or special deal in the
ad so that some people might save it. More than likely your customer
will look at competitor's ads also and do some comparison-shopping
before visiting you.
Now let's look at the same thing with PR. You are reading
a copy of 12Volt News and low and behold Radical Radio has a
new XYZ audio widget that will revolutionize the audio industry.
You tear out the article, attach your business card and send
it off to the local paper. The same one you have your ad in.
Enclose a note that you would be happy to explain how this innovation
affects audio enthusiasts in (your home town).
The newspaper calls you and quotes you in an article in a
section of the paper commonly read by audio customers. The same
section you have your ad in. When people read the article and
see your quote what does that make you? Exactly the reader instantly
perceives you as an expert in the industry. Why else would the
paper have contacted you instead of someone else? Which would
you feel sends the stronger message to the customer the ad, which
is pretty much like your competitors, or the label of "expert"
put on you by the article?
Trust me this works unless they decide not to print it. Then
you simply send the next best thing you read the next time. I
have been in several national magazines reaching millions of
people for less than $100.00 total. I simple approached editors
with interesting information or a new way of saying something
about what I do and you can do the same thing.
Now, am I telling you to stop advertising? Of course not.
You are in a very competitive industry and you do need to keep
your name out there but also consider adding low or no cost PR
along with it. Newspapers, radio, magazines are clamoring for
information and story ideas every day. They are always looking
for help. Why not help them out a little.
Based in Bozeman, MT, Tom Egelhoff is the author of How To Market, Advertise & Promote Your
Business Or Service In A Small Town, and The
Small Town Advertising Handbook: How To Say More And Spend Less.
He is also a seminar and workshop presenter and trainer.
Would
you like Tom Egelhoff to speak on advertising vs. PR
at your business function or convention?
Click here for
information, topics and pricing.
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