Although repetition is extremely important, there are times when advertising can help bring you a fast response.

If you're having a fire sale, you want to advertise. You can put an ad out in a day, control what it says, and pick where and when it will run.

Media relations should never be viewed as a quick fix; it is a cumulative process. It needs to be an ongoing part of your business plan.

The process involves placing a story after story, segment after segment. You slowly build the image of your company or product, and establish yourself as an expert in your field, as someone whom the media seeks out, as someone who is presented to the general public as newsworthy.

Celebrity chef and restauranteur Wolfgang Puck is a perfect example of practicing effective media placement. He has been actively promoting his restaurants, his cooking and his food lines for years. He's been on countless TV programs and featured in hundreds of print feature stories.

The result: There are millions of chefs in the world, but only one Wolfgang Puck.

Michael Levine is the founder of the prominent public relations firm Levine Communications Office, based in Los Angeles. He is the author of Guerrilla PR, 7 Life Lessons from Noah's Ark: How to Survive a Flood in Your Own Life.

GuerrillaPR.net is a resource for people that want to get famous in the media, without going broke. http://GuerrillaPR.net