Crash Course in Communications: The Difference Between PR, Marketing and Advertising

July 28, 2025

The public relations industry is always rapidly evolving, but at its core, the same foundation remains. According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), public relations can be defined as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

Now, let’s break down this definition a little more:

“A strategic communication process…”

In other words: the PR tools you use should be intentional and specific to your goals and target audience. A good PR strategy helps share client messaging in the right place and at the right time, but also in the most impactful way. PR is not one-size-fits-all – your audience may respond better to a clever social media post vs. traditional media coverage in the newspaper, or vice versa. See the list below of different tactics PR professionals use in their day-to-day roles that help share client messaging:

• Media Relations
• Press Releases and Media Advisories
• Broadcast/Radio/Podcast Interviews
• Event Management
• Press Conferences
• Press Visits/FAM Trips
• Brand Partnerships
• Market Trends and Competitor Analysis
• Media Training (Virtual & In-Person)
• Speaking Engagements

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“…builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

PR professionals act as liaisons between clients and consumers, but also clients and the media.  By effectively sharing a story, executing a campaign, or bringing new attention to a brand’s mission, publicists work to build trust with consumers and ultimately influence their behaviors and opinions.

A real-life example: In January 2025, Impact shared the news of Family Trust Federal Credit Union (FTFCU) seeking scholarship undergraduate and graduate applicants in support of its communities’ future leaders. This announcement helped build mutually beneficial relationships; the firm shared useful information that various Greenville and Rock Hill, SC, students can benefit from, but also helped shape FTFCU as a community leader, strengthen its reputation as a leading credit union in the area, and bring about new clientele. PR firms share their client stories with the media, creating another mutually beneficial relationship. When a PR firm shares news on an exciting new restaurant opening or a celebrity collaboration, the organization gains media traction as a result of the pitching efforts, and the journalists are able to share stories that pertain to their audiences’ interests and community.

What’s the Difference between PR, Marketing, and Advertising?

While PR, marketing and advertising all work together to drive business, they differ in terms of their strategies. We have already discussed PR and broken down its definition, but what exactly are marketing and advertising?

The marketing industry focuses more on selling products and making profits, and marketing teams generate messaging and promotional material that influence the public to purchase or use the product. By gathering data through various forms of market research and analysis, marketing professionals can understand customer preferences, key messaging that grabs their attention, past campaign tactics that resulted in increased sales or even social media strategies that will aid in the success of generating revenue. This enables them to tell consumers what they want to hear.

Similarly, advertising persuades or influences the public to purchase a product through various channels. In our evolving digital landscape, we are most familiar with electronic forms of advertising that seem to take over our screens daily. For instance, by leveraging social media, television, radio, billboards and print promotions, brands can reach a vast audience with a product or concept. These channels are used to tell consumers about a product – why it’s great, why they should buy it, etc.- and they come from the brand itself.

Public relations, marketing and advertising strategies work together to drive brand recognition and reputation, leading to increased awareness and sales. However, public relations differs because it adds a layer of third-party credibility to any campaign.

Think of it this way:

You’re on a first date.

The person sitting across from you tells you how kind you are and spends time discussing the things you have in common. This is marketing.

Then, they tell you how smart, good-looking and charming they are. This is advertising.

You excuse yourself to visit the restroom and, on your way there, run into an old friend. Your friend asks who you’re on a date with and, after you tell them, share that they’ve know your date for years, they volunteer together and think you’d be a great match. This is PR. Your friend is adding value to the situation by providing a third-party perspective.

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