Apparently the line between advertising and public relations has always been blurry. It’s not just this new fangled thing called social media. Last night's Mad Men showed that when Pete and Peggy pulled off their “PR stunt, that they couldn’t bill for.” While the stunt wasn’t exactly what PR events are made of these days, the idea was pretty dead on.
The elements of PR vs. advertising highlighted by the turkey escape were control and longevity.
Control
Since advertising space is paid for companies are able to maintain control of an advertisement’s content and exactly when and where an ad will appear.
As seen with Peggy’s need for bail money…not so much with PR. With PR you can lead the journalist to the information but that doesn’t mean they are going to use it the way you want them to or even at all.
Longevity
The fight over the turkey was what we call a “flash in the pan.” Peggy and her new friend Joey (adorable btw) had to turn it into ads that had a longer shelf life.
And while the title of this advertising-centric TV show was “Public Relations” and it showed the power a poorly executed interview can yield over a company…I kinda hope it just sticks to advertising. I don’t really like having to explain to my grandparents how my job isn’t in advertising.