Public relations is the art and science of affecting what people think about your organization or business. PR is not so much the doing of deeds, it is the mechanism for conveying impressions of deeds done. However, when the deeds being done match the desired impression wanted, it makes the whole process a whole lot easier to manage. Publicity is a way to bring your business to the attention of the media. As a marketing tool, it is cheaper and certainly more credible than paid advertising.
Publicity is powerful, but it is also unpredictable.
There are those who feel that any publicity is good publicity. I am not one of those people. First, it gets important information to key audiences. There is an element of prestige, influence and therefore reader or listener retention in positive press coverage. A sound publicity plan can counter false rumors and minimize negative publicity.