Once upon a time, public relations was seen as the supporting act by marketers who reserved the main stage for advertising initiatives. Now, PR is the headliner, according to an article in The Advertiser, the magazine for the Association of National Advertisers.

Entitled “PR Steals the Spotlight,” the article cites an ANA survey ranking marketing disciplines, noting that 89 percent of respondents rated PR as either “very important” (59 percent) or “important” (30 percent). As The Advertiser article points out, “It’s the highest such ranking of any discipline.”

PR’s increased prominence is due to the growing recognition of the discipline’s advantages over other forms of marketing. Number one, credibility is considered a major factor. Primarily, consumer mistrust of business and paid messages continues to grow – along with outlets for expressing those feelings, such as the blogosphere and social networks. Therefore, individuals are more apt to seek out and value independent sources that can assist them in better making sense of their purchasing decisions.

PR’s role – as distinct from buying ads – connects consumers with impartial third parties such as blogs, Internet websites, newspapers, magazines and broadcast journalists. Also, PR is less costly and offers greater return on investment. After all, a 30-second ad can cost millions, while all the work and expense involved in getting a reporter to feature a client in a news story is next to nothing by comparison. And in the end, which message is likely to be more relevant? Which message is more likely to be believed?

The answers are obvious. In an era when consumers have greater control over the messages they receive, PR initiatives provide the most reliable way to break through the suspicion and irrelevance that are often attached to other marketing efforts.