Publicity vs. Advertising in a Cluttered Environment: Effects on Attention and Brand Identification

Abstract

The cluttered environment of most marketing communications poses a major challenge. PR is often suggested to break through clutter in a way that advertising does not; by being part of the editorial content, publicity should get more attention than comparable ads. Based on advertising clutter research, we argue that advertising will have an advantage over publicity in gaining attention and ensuring brand identification. An empirical study of publicity and advertising embedded in actual newspapers is presented in support of this argument. Additional studies and better PR evaluation practices are called for, and implications for familiar and unfamiliar brands are discussed.