The Body Shop is a huge best-selling brand, while Pets.com has vanished into thin air. Both of these brands were first in their category and had a good chance to succeed in sales, but still developed differently. What is the reason for the outcome of those brands? To cut a long story short: The Body Shop relied on public relations to attract publicity, while Pets.com launched an expensive advertising campaign.
When it comes to branding (the building of a brand), many companies rely first and sometimes only on advertising. However, as of today, advertising has lost its former credibility and has turned into an art form. This has two reasons: Consumers feel bombed with empty promises during commercials, and advertising agencies fight for awards for the creativity of their developed ads.
The solution to this is clever PR. Public relations influences third parties (newspapers, TV shows, etc.) to publish favorable articles about the brand. Because PR itself is invisible and many people do not recognize it is there, public relations still has what advertising lacks: tons of credibility. However, most companies still rely on advertising to make their brand sell. This happens because public relations is difficult to control, while advertising can be developed exactly how planned. Nevertheless, companies need to understand that nowadays, advertising’s role has switched and should only be used for brand maintenance—years after the brand has been built through slow publicity by PR. Before that, advertising is mostly just money poured down the drain.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- A Branded World: The Importance of Public Relations Over Advertising in Brand Building
- The Definition of a Brand
- Advertising as an Art Form
- The Importance of Public Relations
- The Difference Between Advertising and PR
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This term paper aims to analyze the role of public relations and advertising in brand building, arguing that public relations is more effective than advertising in establishing and maintaining a successful brand.
- The evolution of advertising and its declining credibility
- The importance of public relations in building brand trust and positive perception
- The distinction between advertising and public relations in terms of communication and influence
- The impact of effective public relations on brand success, exemplified by The Body Shop
- The shortcomings of relying solely on advertising, as demonstrated by the Pets.com case
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- This chapter introduces the concept of branding in a consumer culture and highlights the declining effectiveness of traditional advertising. It argues that public relations, through its ability to influence third parties and build credibility, is crucial for brand building.
- This chapter examines the changing definition of "brand" and its significance in today's market. It emphasizes the need for brands to "burn" themselves into consumers' minds and highlights the difficulty of achieving this goal.
- This chapter explores the shift in advertising from a sales tool to an art form. It uses Pets.com as an example of how heavy investment in advertising can fail to build a successful brand without the support of effective public relations.
- This chapter examines the loss of credibility in advertising due to consumer skepticism and the increasing prevalence of empty promises. It introduces public relations as a more effective way to cultivate positive brand perception and influence public opinion.
- This chapter further explores the differences between advertising and public relations, highlighting the two-way communication and trust-building capabilities of public relations. It emphasizes that public relations is crucial for creating lasting brand connections with consumers.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper examines the key concepts of brand building, advertising, public relations, consumer culture, brand credibility, and the importance of positive public perception. The paper uses real-world examples such as The Body Shop and Pets.com to illustrate the effectiveness of different branding strategies.
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- Romina Müller (Autor), 2011, A Branded World -The Importance of Public Relations Over Advertising in Brand Building, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/174950
