Choosing Between Advertising, Public Relations & Marketing: Which Major Fits You?
by Ashley Myles
Amanda Muldrew, 4th year PR major
When choosing a major in communications, many students find themselves torn between advertising, public relations (PR) and marketing. Though these fields share some similarities, they have distinct differences in core skills. To help clear up the confusion, we asked three students from each major to weigh in on what they thought differentiated the fields, what each field does and how to figure out which major best fits you.
Q: What Sets These Fields Apart?
A: Rachel Wohlford, marketing student
“Marketing is the research behind…deciding what goals [a company] has for the product,” in addition to deciding what a company wants out of the campaign. She mentions that a key factor of marketing is how it is data and research driven.
“It has more of a focus on research, using Excel spreadsheets to run hypothesis tests, determine if we need to alter how we advertise a product or running research to see if we need to change market segments.”
A: Amanda Muldrew, public relations student
“You need to be well-versed in AP style, and your writing skills need to be superior as well as your personable skills- being able to hold a conversation and networking.” Public relations is a discipline that is writing heavy. It also involves a lot of critical thinking because you will be addressing the public in multiple different circumstances.
“For my last assignment, we had to write a blog and rationales for different Instagram and Facebook posts.”
A: Ashley Myles, advertising student
I think what differentiates Advertising from PR and Marketing is the creative side. There are aspects of advertising, such as media buying and statistics, that involve math, but you can avoid it. Advertising is a very broad field, just like the above fields, but it is notably more creative-focused. I would say advertising students are called to think not only strategically but creatively, which differentiates us from PR and Marketing.
Q: How to Choose the Right Path?
When choosing your major, think about your skills and what you like most. Are you more into analytics? Would you rather focus on writing and the art of persuasion? Or are you more visual and prefer creating the ideas for campaigns?
A: Rachel Wohlford, marketing student
For Wohlford, Marketing was the clear choice because she enjoys working with numbers and data. “I chose marketing because I love math and I love people!”
Marketing can be an avenue for many different opportunities. She goes on to say, “I chose accounting first, but I [thought] marketing would help me do good for a larger amount of people and make me feel fulfilled,. . . it just clicks with me.”
A: Amanda Muldrew, public relations student
Muldrew chose PR because it allowed her to combine her strengths in communication and event planning. “I’m not great with numbers so marketing was not my forte, but I am a very good speaker, so I felt like I was able to showcase that through my writing,” she says.
Muldrew also had some experience in PR at an early age. “My dad is the Development Director for downtown Statesboro, and he has PR interns all the time. I have been helping with his job my whole life,. . . so I already had an idea of what I wanted to do, and I knew what I needed to do to get there and that was PR.”
A: Ashley Myles, advertising student
My path to advertising was a bit different. I transitioned from PR to advertising after transferring to UGA from a different college. I enjoyed PR because I love writing but I realized how much I loved the creative side, which led me to apply to Grady under advertising. If you thrive in creative environments, enjoy working with a team and brainstorming ideas, you may want to investigate advertising.
So, whether you’re drawn to research and analysis, writing and persuasion, or working creatively whether that’s with writing or Photoshop, there’s a major for you. As Wohlford, Muldrew and my own experiences show, the best way to determine which path is right for you is to reflect on your own skills, interests and what excites you most about the world of communications.
