PR as a Replacement for Advertising

In some cases, public relations has begun overtaking advertising as the preferred way of promoting a particular company or product. For example, the tobacco industry offers a good case study of the migration from advertising to PR. Regulations prohibiting radio and TV cigarette advertisements had a significant impact on sales. In response, the tobacco industry began using PR techniques to increase brand presence. Tobacco company Philip Morris started underwriting cultural institutions and causes as diverse as the Joffrey Ballet, the Smithsonian, environmental awareness, and health concerns. Marlboro sponsored events that garnered a significant amount of media attention for the brand. For example, during the 1980s, the Marlboro Country Music Tour took famous country stars to major coliseums throughout the country. It featured talent contests that brought local bands up on stage, further increasing the audience. Favorable reviews of the shows generated positive press for Marlboro. Later interviews with country artists and books on country music history have also mentioned this tour. On the fifth anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1987, Marlboro’s PR groups organized a celebration hosted by comedian Bob Hope. Country music legends The Judds and Alabama headlined the show, and Marlboro paid for new names to be inscribed on the memorial. By associating the Marlboro brand with such a significant cultural event, the company gained a substantial amount of publicity. Just as importantly, these efforts at least partially restored the brand’s stature, which had been lost due to health concerns (Saffir, 2000).

A more contemporary and striking example of PR essentially replacing traditional advertising is the automotive and technology company Tesla. Unlike conventional car manufacturers that spend billions annually on television commercials, print ads, and digital banners, Tesla has historically maintained a near-zero advertising budget. Instead, CEO Elon Musk’s highly active and often provocative social media presence serves as the primary engine for public relations. His tweets and public appearances generate constant media coverage, discussions, and viral buzz around new products, technological advancements, and company milestones. Tesla also relies heavily on product excellence and a passionate community of early adopters and fans who generate organic word-of-mouth marketing and user-generated content. This strategy effectively turns every product launch, software update, or even a simple tweet into a global news event, demonstrating how earned media and a strong public narrative can effectively replace traditional paid advertising, building immense brand recognition and a loyal customer base without significant ad spend.

Branding

While brands rely heavily on advertising during a brand’s initial release, PR campaigns prove vital to developing the more abstract aspects of a brand. These campaigns aim to position a brand in the public sphere, lending it a sense of cultural significance.

Shift From Advertising to PR

Pioneered by companies like Procter & Gamble in the 1930s, the older, advertising-centric model of branding focused on the product, using advertisements to associate a particular branded good with quality or other positive cultural values. Yet, as consumers became exposed to ever-increasing numbers of ads, the effectiveness of traditional advertising dwindled. The ubiquity of modern advertising means the public does not trust—or even ignores—claims advertisers make about their products. Companies can overcome this credibility gap, however, when PR professionals use good promotional strategies.

The new PR-oriented model of branding focuses on the overall image of the company rather than on the specific merits of the product. This branding model seeks to associate a company with specific personal and cultural values that hold meaning for consumers. In a contemporary example, Lululemon has masterfully built a brand around a lifestyle of wellness, mindfulness, and community, far beyond just selling athletic apparel. Their PR campaigns emphasize holistic well-being, hosting free yoga classes, meditation sessions, and running clubs in their stores globally. They cultivate a network of local brand ambassadors—not just celebrities—who embody their values and create authentic content. This strategy fosters a strong sense of belonging among customers, transforming them into a dedicated community that identifies with Lululemon’s aspirational lifestyle.

Companies also leverage PR to restore their image during crises, often going beyond traditional advertising. Starbucks faced a significant marketing crisis in 2018 when two Black men were arrested in a Philadelphia store for not purchasing while waiting for a friend. The incident, captured on video, sparked widespread outrage and accusations of racial bias. To counter the immense bad press, Starbucks’ CEO Kevin Johnson took immediate and obvious PR action. He issued a public apology, personally met with the arrested men, and announced that all 8,000 U.S. company-owned stores would close for an afternoon of mandatory racial bias training for 175,000 employees. This decisive and transparent response, prioritizing accountability and social responsibility over simple advertising, aimed to rebuild trust and reinforce Starbucks’ commitment to being a “third place” where everyone feels welcome, demonstrating a proactive approach to image restoration that transcended mere promotional messaging.

Studies in Success: Apple and Nike

The new PR-oriented model of branding focuses on the overall image of the company rather than on the specific merits of the product. This branding model seeks to associate a company with specific personal and cultural values that hold meaning for consumers. Apple has consistently employed this type of branding with great effectiveness. By focusing on a seamless ecosystem where every product, from the iPhone to the Apple Watch and AirPods, reinforces the “Apple experience,” the company has managed to position itself as a mark of creativity, innovation, and simplicity. Despite the cynical outlook of many consumers regarding commercial claims, the notion that Apple products serve as a symbol of personal identity and a gateway to a connected lifestyle has been adopted with very little irony. Apple continues to foster this sense of community not just through its consistent design, but also through initiatives like the Apple Support Communities and in-store events, transforming retail spaces into hubs for connection and problem-solving, creating a palpable sense of belonging among users. Douglas Atkin, who has written about brands as a form of cult, readily admits and embraces his brand loyalty to Apple:

I’m a self-confessed Apple loyalist. I go to a cafe around the corner to do some thinking and writing, away from the hurly-burly of the office, and everyone in that cafe has a Mac. We never mention the fact that we all have Macs. The other people in the cafe are writers and professors and in the media, and the feeling of cohesion and community in that cafe becomes very apparent if someone comes in with a PC. There’s almost an observable shiver of consternation in the cafe, and it must be discernible to the person with the PC, because they never come back.

Brand managers who once focused on the product now find themselves in the role of community leaders, responsible for maintaining the well-being of a cultural image (Atkin, 2004).

Kevin Roberts, the former CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, a branding-focused creative organization, has used the term “lovemark” as an alternative to trademark. This term encompasses brands that have created “loyalty beyond reason,” meaning that consumers feel loyal to a brand in much the same way they would toward friends or family members. Creating a sense of mystery around a brand generates an aura that bypasses the usual cynical take on commercial icons. A great deal of Apple’s continued success comes from the company’s mystique. Apple has successfully developed PR campaigns surrounding product releases that strategically leak selected rumors to various press outlets but maintain secrecy over essential details, encouraging intense speculation by tech bloggers, social media influencers, and mainstream journalists on the following product. All this combines to create a powerful sense of mystery and an emotional anticipation for the product’s release.

Emotional connections are crucial to building a brand or lovemark. Nike’s enduring success began with its initial product endorsement deal with Michael Jordan in the 1990s and continues to demonstrate this kind of emotional branding. Jordan’s iconic performances created an initial emotional attachment, and since then, Nike has evolved its PR strategy to connect with broader cultural narratives and social causes. Recent campaigns, such as “Dream Crazy” featuring Colin Kaepernick, or initiatives celebrating diverse athletes and advocating for women in sports, showcase Nike’s commitment to empowerment and breaking barriers. The company fosters “loyalty beyond reason” by telling compelling stories of struggle and triumph, making its audience feel part of a larger movement of determination and self-belief. Through digital platforms like the Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club apps, the brand builds active communities, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose that transcends mere product consumption.

Branding Backlashes

To maintain a consistent brand, companies must preserve the emotional attachment consumers have with that brand. Just as PR campaigns build brands, PR crises can damage them. For example, the massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill became a PR nightmare for BP. This oil company had previously used PR efforts to rebrand itself as an environmentally friendly energy company.

In 2000, BP launched a campaign presenting itself as “Beyond Petroleum,” rather than British Petroleum, its original name. By acquiring a major solar company, BP became the world leader in solar production and, in 2005, announced it would invest $8 billion in alternative energy over the following decade. BP’s marketing firm developed a PR campaign that, at least on the surface, emulated the forward-looking two-way symmetric PR model. The campaign conducted interviews with consumers, allowing them to air their grievances and publicize energy policy issues. BP’s website featured a carbon footprint calculator consumers could use to calculate the size of their environmental impact (Solman, 2008). The single explosion on BP’s deep-water oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico essentially nullified the PR work of the previous 10 years, immediately putting BP at the bottom of the list of environmentally concerned companies.

More recently, a similar branding backlash occurred with H&M in the mid-2020s. Despite extensive PR efforts to position itself as a leader in sustainable fashion, including its “Conscious Collection” and in-store recycling initiatives, H&M faced significant scrutiny. Investigations and a class-action lawsuit revealed that many of the brand’s sustainability claims were misleading or unsubstantiated, with some products marketed as “sustainable” found to contain higher percentages of synthetic materials than their regular lines. This directly contradicted H&M’s eco-friendly narrative and sparked widespread accusations of greenwashing, severely damaging its credibility among environmentally conscious consumers.

Another prominent public relations disaster involved Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner Commercial in 2017. Pepsi faced an immediate and intense backlash for an ad featuring model Kendall Jenner, which depicted her leaving a fashion shoot to join a protest and then seemingly de-escalating a standoff with police by offering an officer a can of Pepsi. Viewers widely condemned the ad as tone-deaf and exploitative, accusing Pepsi of trivializing serious social justice movements like Black Lives Matter for commercial gain. The public outcry was so swift and severe that Pepsi pulled the ad within 24 hours and issued an apology, acknowledging they had “missed the mark.”

The luxury fashion brand Balenciaga also faced global outrage and a severe PR crisis in 2022 following two controversial ad campaigns. One featured child models holding teddy bears in bondage gear, while another included paperwork related to child pornography laws. The images were widely perceived as promoting child sexualization. The backlash was immediate and fierce across social media, leading to calls for boycotts, celebrity condemnations, and a significant hit to the brand’s reputation. Balenciaga’s initial responses, including attempting to shift blame, only intensified the public’s anger, highlighting a profound misjudgment of public sentiment and ethical responsibility.

Furthermore, the fast fashion giant Shein has faced continuous PR challenges due to persistent allegations of exploitative labor practices, including excessive working hours and low wages in its supply chain. In 2023, the brand attempted to counter negative perceptions by inviting influencers on a sponsored trip to a “Shein Innovation Center” in China, ostensibly to showcase ethical working conditions. However, the trip backfired spectacularly, with many viewers and critics accusing the influencers of promoting “propaganda” and ignoring the widely reported human rights abuses. This led to a significant backlash against both Shein and the participating influencers, further eroding trust in the brand’s ethical claims.

Finally, Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney in 2023 serves as another recent example. The beer brand faced an unexpected and prolonged backlash after a brief partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The collaboration, which involved Mulvaney posting a sponsored video on Instagram, aimed to broaden the brand’s appeal. However, it ignited a firestorm of criticism from conservative consumers, leading to calls for boycotts, significant sales declines, and a deep division in public opinion. The controversy demonstrated the extreme sensitivity of brand alignments with social issues and the potential for severe, sustained adverse reactions when a campaign is perceived as alienating a core customer base.

The Echo of Dissent: When Brands Meet Their Anti-Brands

The new PR-oriented model of branding focuses on the overall image of the company rather than on the specific merits of the product. This branding model seeks to associate a company with specific personal and cultural values that hold meaning for consumers. However, this focus on values also opens brands to intense scrutiny and counter-movements, particularly when their actions are perceived to contradict their stated ideals.

A potent early example of this phenomenon was Blackspot: The Antibrand Brand. Adbusters, a Canadian-based media foundation devoted to reducing the influence of advertising on global culture, took direct action against Nike by creating and marketing its shoe. Launched in the early 2000s, Blackspot shoes were meticulously manufactured in union shops, using recycled tire rubber for soles and organic hemp fabric for the uppers. Their design was deliberately minimalist, featuring a simple round black dot that appeared to cover a typical corporate logo, symbolizing a rejection of mainstream branding. The boots also sported a symbolic red dot on the toe, a cheeky invitation to “kick Nike.”

Blackspot’s strategy was ingenious in its simplicity and its direct challenge to Nike’s global dominance. It didn’t just offer an alternative product; it provided an ideological alternative, using Nike’s immense brand recognition as a foil. By explicitly positioning itself as the “anti-Nike,” Blackspot aimed to highlight Nike’s controversial labor practices in sweatshops and its environmental footprint, issues that Adbusters and other activist groups had long campaigned against (New York Times, 2004). The shoes became a tangible symbol for progressive labor reform and environmentally sustainable business practices, allowing consumers to make a statement with their purchase that resonated far beyond the functional utility of the footwear. The very act of choosing Blackspot was a public endorsement of ethical production and a subtle, yet powerful, act of dissent against corporate consumerism.

In the contemporary landscape, this “anti-brand” sentiment and the tactics employed by Adbusters have evolved and proliferated, amplified mainly by social media and the increasing demand for corporate accountability. Today, activist groups and ethical consumers don’t always need to launch a physical product like Blackspot shoes to challenge established brands. Instead, they leverage digital platforms to create viral campaigns, hashtags, and online movements that directly confront corporate practices. For instance, movements like “Fashion Revolution,” born out of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, have consistently pressured fast-fashion brands on labor ethics and supply chain transparency, often using social media to expose discrepancies between brand promises and reality. Similarly, environmental groups frequently launch targeted campaigns against companies perceived as engaging in “greenwashing,” using data, visuals, and public pressure to highlight ecological damage or misleading sustainability claims.

This evolution means that brand managers today must be acutely aware of their entire value chain and ensure genuine alignment between their public image and their operational practices. The “anti-brand” is no longer just a niche product; it’s a pervasive mindset among a growing segment of consumers who demand authenticity and ethical conduct. Public relations in this era is not merely about crafting positive messages, but about cultivating genuine trust through transparent actions and being prepared to engage with, or respond to, sophisticated critiques from an empowered and digitally connected public. The Blackspot campaign, though from two decades ago, remains a foundational case study in understanding how brand identity can be both built and challenged through the powerful lens of public relations.

Social Media’s Impact on Public Relations

Social media platforms have fundamentally transformed the landscape of public relations, offering companies an unparalleled opportunity to engage in direct, two-way interaction with their various publics, rather than serving merely as a one-way channel for information dissemination. To truly harness the power of social media, organizations must actively seek to establish and nurture ongoing relationships with their audiences, fostering a sense of community and trust. This involves listening as much as it consists of speaking, participating in conversations, and responding authentically to feedback, both positive and negative.

One brand that consistently excels at this dynamic engagement is Wendy’s. Their social media strategy, particularly on Twitter, showcases a masterclass in witty, timely, and often humorous interaction with customers and even competitors. For instance, Wendy’s famously “roasted” competitors in playful jabs that garnered significant media attention and engagement, solidifying their image as a brand with personality. Their highly successful #NuggsForCarter campaign in 2017 saw them respond to a teen’s request for free chicken nuggets if he got 18 million retweets; while he didn’t hit the mark, Wendy’s engaged with him throughout, ultimately providing the nuggets and donating to charity, demonstrating their responsiveness and good humor. More recently, Wendy’s often interacts directly with individual customers’ tweets, sometimes offering witty comebacks or genuinely helpful responses, transforming mundane customer service into entertaining brand interactions.

Beyond Wendy’s, other companies have leveraged social media for impactful, real-time engagement. For example, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Budweiser faced a significant challenge when Qatar, the host nation, unexpectedly banned the sale of alcohol at stadiums just days before the tournament began. As Budweiser was a major sponsor with vast quantities of beer ready for sale, it quickly pivoted its social media strategy. Instead of lamenting the ban, they announced on Twitter that the unsold beer would be awarded to the winning country. This quick, creative, and customer-focused response turned a potential PR disaster into a positive narrative, garnering widespread approval and showcasing their flexibility and generosity in a high-stakes situation. Similarly, KFC UK masterfully used Twitter to address a chicken shortage in 2018. When numerous outlets ran out of chicken, instead of just issuing a bland apology, they published a full-page ad in newspapers that rearranged their acronym to “FCK,” with the headline “WE’RE SORRY.” This witty, self-deprecating, and highly relatable apology, combined with active engagement on Twitter, turned a potential crisis into a viral moment that earned them praise for their transparency and humor.

Another excellent illustration of building relationships through social media comes from Netflix’s highly personalized interactions on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Beyond promoting their shows, Netflix frequently engages with fans’ theories, memes, and discussions about their content. They’ll often respond to individual comments with inside jokes related to specific series, acknowledge fan art, or even participate in online fandom debates. This level of personalized engagement makes their audience feel seen, heard, and part of a larger community, transforming a transactional streaming service into a beloved entertainment companion. This ongoing, informal dialogue builds deep loyalty and brand affinity that traditional advertising alone could never achieve.

Impact of AI on Public Relations

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in a transformative era for public relations, fundamentally reshaping how PR professionals strategize, execute, and measure their campaigns. Rather than replacing the human element, AI acts as a potent enhancer, automating tedious tasks, providing deeper insights, and enabling more targeted and efficient communication.

One of the most significant impacts of AI is in media monitoring and sentiment analysis. Traditionally, PR teams would manually sift through news clippings and social media mentions, a time-consuming and often imprecise process. Now, AI-powered tools can scan millions of online sources in real time, identifying brand mentions across news articles, blogs, forums, and social media platforms. Crucially, these tools leverage natural language processing (NLP) to interpret the sentiment behind these mentions, distinguishing between positive, negative, and neutral mentions. This allows PR professionals to gauge public perception of a brand or campaign instantaneously, identify emerging crises early, track competitor performance, and adjust messaging in real time. For instance, a PR team launching a new product can use AI to monitor social media for initial reactions. If a negative trend emerges, they can quickly pinpoint the source and adapt their messaging or response strategy before it escalates into a full-blown crisis.

AI also revolutionizes content creation and personalization. Natural Language Generation (NLG) tools, like those found in large language models, can now draft initial versions of press releases, email pitches, social media posts, and even website content. This frees up PR professionals from repetitive writing tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-level strategy, creative storytelling, and building authentic relationships. Beyond mere drafting, AI excels at analyzing vast amounts of audience data – including demographics, preferences, and online behavior – to enable highly targeted and personalized messaging at scale. For example, an AI tool might suggest tailoring a press release about a new sustainable product to emphasize its eco-friendly aspects for environmentally conscious media outlets, while simultaneously recommending a pitch focused on cost-efficiency for business-oriented publications. This level of micro-targeting ensures messages resonate more deeply with specific audience segments.

Furthermore, AI plays a critical role in crisis management. Its ability to rapidly detect anomalies in brand sentiment or flag negative trends on social media provides PR professionals with an invaluable early warning system. Predictive analytics can even forecast potential public responses to campaigns or news, giving teams lead time to develop response strategies and neutralize misinformation before it takes hold. During a crisis, AI-powered bots can assist in managing high volumes of inquiries, ensuring stakeholders receive timely updates and preventing the spread of rumors or inaccurate information.

In media relations and outreach automation, AI streamlines traditionally labor-intensive processes. Building extensive media lists, identifying journalists who cover specific beats, and crafting personalized pitches can be incredibly time-consuming. AI-powered tools can now identify relevant journalists who have recently covered similar topics, suggest optimal times for outreach, and even draft customized email pitches based on a journalist’s profile and past articles. These efficiencies allow PR professionals to dedicate more time to nurturing genuine relationships with key media contacts rather than spending hours on research and preparation.

Beyond these applications, AI is enhancing campaign measurement and reporting. AI tools can analyze campaign performance across multiple platforms, providing real-time insights into engagement, reach, and sentiment shifts. This data-driven approach allows PR teams to quickly identify what’s working and what isn’t, enabling them to optimize campaigns on the fly and demonstrate tangible ROI.

While AI brings immense benefits, it’s crucial to acknowledge its ethical implications. Concerns exist around data privacy, algorithmic bias (where AI reflects and amplifies biases present in its training data), the potential for spreading misinformation or deepfakes, and transparency regarding AI-generated content. PR professionals must prioritize ethical AI use, ensuring content is accurate, authentic, and that audiences are aware when AI tools are involved in communication. The future of PR will undoubtedly see a deeper integration of AI, empowering professionals to be more strategic, responsive, and effective. Still, the irreplaceable human elements of creativity, empathy, and strategic judgment will remain at the core of successful public relations.