Difference between Advertising and Publicity | Publicity vs Advertising - English Grammar

What is the Difference between Advertising and Publicity

Advertising and publicity are words that are used interchangeably, even though they shouldn’t be. In this article, we shall explore the difference between the two, their meanings as well as relevant examples.

Table of Contents

• Table summarising the difference between advertising and publicity
• The meanings of publicity and advertising
• Examples for advertising and publicity
• Publicity vs. advertising – conclusion

Publicity is the exposure of something or someone to public notice or knowledge. There are many different types of publicity, such as press coverage, marketing exposure, and social media exposure. Moreover, most types of publicity are free and may be positive or negative. On the other hand, advertising is a form of marketing that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service, or idea. In this article, we shall explore these two words from the perspective of English grammar.

Table Summarising the Difference between Advertising and Publicity

The Meanings of Advertising and Publicity

As summarised in the table above, advertising and publicity are two very different words.

• Advertising meaning:
  • As a noun: Advertising refers to the activity (or profession) of producing advertisements.
  • As a verb: It refers to drawing attention to a product or service in order to promote sales.

• Publicity meaning: Attention given to someone or something by the media

Examples for Publicity and Advertising:

We shall explore some examples to better understand their usage:

• Advertising meaning:
  • As a noun: They had no intention of taking down the advertising in spite of heavy opposition.
  • As a verb: The creature advertised its presence with knocks on the wall.
• Publicity meaning: The stunt attracted wide publicity in the press.

Advertising vs. Publicity – Conclusion

English is a complex language with many exceptions and rules. It’s important to know these rules in order to communicate properly. In this article, we have explored the difference between advertising and publicity, learnt their meanings and discovered a few examples. Explore other articles on differences between various concepts in the English Language only at BYJU’S.