Advertising is something you get by paying for it. You create an ad, paying meticulous attention to its content and design. You choose your media outlets, and pay. Your ad appears exactly – and as often – as you want.
Publicity, however, is something you try to obtain. You submit a request for coverage or a story after the fact. The assignment editor decides if a reporter should cover the story or if the submitted material should be published. Your perfectly chosen intergenerational picture may end up on the front page, your chesed story may appear as a slightly edited feature, or the launching of your smart board program may become part of a larger feature about incorporating technology into the classroom. Your event may even end up on TV. Or, your request or release may be ignored, edited severely, buried in the back pages, or shelved until it is no longer relevant.
So, why try to get publicity that you can’t control instead of paying for a sure thing: advertising? Doesn’t that seem counter intuitive?
There are two compelling reasons: cost and credibility.
1. Cost: advertising can be very expensive while publicity can be gained at relatively little cost.
2. Credibility: publicity has more credibility than advertising.
Cost: You pay not only for an ad’s creation but also for each and every placement. Sure, you pay someone to write and submit your releases, but one release can be sent to many outlets – merely by clicking send!
Credibility: People who read or hear about you in the news know that you are not controlling the message. Therefore, they perceive the message to be credible.
The bottom line? Effective publicity is vital. It is simply good sense to be sure that your parents and other constituents including potential parents, grandparents, alumni, neighbors, vendors, and present and potential donors are exposed to positive, consistent publicity about your school.
Click here to read Advertising vs. Publicity – part II
Should you have any questions about developing and implementing a winning PR and fundraising plan or about any of my day school services, please feel free to send me an email or call 516.569.8070.
Kol tuv,
Candace Plotsker-Herman