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The Fall of Advertising and Rise of PR

In their new book, "The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR," Al Ries and Laura Ries talk about how PR is now the best route to branding new products. Their thesis is that advertising lacks credibility which is the essential ingredient in brand-building, and how only PR can supply that credibility. They also say that the big-bang approach advocated by advertising people should be abandoned in favor of a slow buildup by PR, and advertising should be used only to maintain brands once they have been established through publicity.

I have long advocated for the credibility factor of PR. People know that ads are written by advertising copywriters, whereas an article or news story is written by a journalist who is an independent third party.

Take a look at this book by the authors of "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding." It offers a solid case for building a long-term, proactive, targeted public relations strategy.

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