I am currently a Public Relations major. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into when I declared my major, but I knew I'd figure it out along the way. One thing I didn't realize about PR at first was it's close relation to Advertising. Like Advertising, PR gets the word out about a certain organization, product or service. It uses television, print and radio to spread it's intended message.
From there, Advertising and PR diverge.
Advertising seeks to create advertisements that grab people's attention, implore them to buy a certain product or service and often creates new customers while retaining loyal ones. It can be seen as being on the offensive, constantly pushing to get people to do what the advertisers want them to do. This takes clever skills, and often times, a lot of money.
Public Relations works in a different way. Unlike Advertising, it acts more on the defensive, though sometimes it strives to be on the offense. PR seeks to give positive light to an organization or business, often ones that create products or services. It is more subtle than advertising, and can sometimes just be the simple act of getting a clients name out there through the design of a good website of Facebook page. Offensively, PR will create campaigns to make people aware of the good nature of their client. Defensively, PR will work to re-create a positive image in times when their client's image may not be as clean through press-releases and conferences.
Sometimes these campaigns work, sometimes they do not.
Companies, organizations and people who offer services to the community need to get their name out there, they also need to make sure the actions and goings-on of the company are not construed by the public in a negative light. It is the job of the Public Relations person to make sure that at the end of the day, everything for the client is in order and business as usual can proceed in the following days and weeks.
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