Convergence of advertising and PR?

Whilst at one time advertising and PR executives would not have seen the world through similar eyes, increasingly each recognises that advertising and PR can work together. Benetton have long known that their controversial adverts will generate media editorial coverage as well.

In the political sphere, the aim of many advertising campaigns is geared more to generating media coverage than actually reaching a huge number of voters directly. Many people will remember the Conservatives 1979 'Labour's Not Working' advertising campaign, and possibly their 1997 award-winning 'Demon Eyes'. One was part of a Conservative win, and one a landslide Conservative loss, so the camapign may only have a limited effect, but my key point applies to how we get to see them. I suspect most people who remember these, and other ad campaigns, probably did not see them in their 'natural' habitat of an ad or billboard. Rather, we probably saw them because the media picked up on them. Therefore, for most voters the impact was through indirect communication.

At each UK general Election there is always a photoshoot of a politician launching a campaign or policy in front of a huge advertsing billboard, probably in London. The media turn up, take their pictures, and then the media scrum and the politicians move on. Normally shortly afterwards the bilboard poster is removed - so few will have seen it as an ad, but many may in the media. The party's hire the billboard as a media relations tool.

The German national elections in September provides another example of this blurring of the line between advertising and PR. A poster showing the cleavage of a candidate, Vera Lengsfeld alonside that of Angela Merkel is generating some interest.

This advert was not sanctioned by the candidate's party, the CDU, but it has been very succesful at generating national and international media coverage for the candidate. This use of the poster is consistent with the previous use of advertising to gain media coverage, and will get Lengsfeld's name before more people than a simple ad. It will be interesting to see what voters in Lengsfeld's constituency think, and if it affects their voting behaviour at all. I suspect not, but I also suspect that the candidate will think it was worthwhile doing in raising her profile.

Where Lengsfeld's ad is adding to the use of advertising within PR, is with an online element. Lengsfeld is quite open about the fact that the number of visits to her website have significantly increased. Moreover, this may be qualitatively different in effect than gaining media coverage. As a direct form of communciation, the website potentially enables Lengsfeld to communicate a much wider range of messages, and possibly build a relationship with visitors.

In the UK 2005 General Election I don't remember this linkage between offline ads (or indeed much other activity), and the main parties Internet presence. I suspect that at the next election there will be more of a coherent communications strategy linking what parties do offline with what they offer online.