When you think of Public Relations (PR), ideas such as communication between companies and audiences, appealing to audiences, and displaying feedback systems such as testimonials come to mind. But how old are the principles of modern PR? Who established them?

The Founder of Modern PR

Ivy Lee (1877-1934) was an American publicity expert, is credited as the founder of modern PR, and is most known for his work under the Rockefeller family. In 1906, he introduced a pioneering statement of principles advocating for honest and open dialogue between corporations and the public. This approach proved to be very impactful in reshaping how businesses managed their public image.

One of Lee’s most notable achievements came during the 1914 Colorado Coalfield War, a significant labor uprising of coal mine workers against the Rockefeller family due to years of deadly working conditions and low pay. Because the family was under intense scrutiny, John D. Rockefeller Jr. enlisted Lee to improve their public image. Lee issued a series of bulletins detailing the Rockefellers’ perspective on the conflict that favored the coal mine operators and worked to ensure these messages reached influential opinion leaders and newspapers. Lee also acted as an intermediary between the Rockefellers and the press, as well as a consultant to the family.

Although the Rockefellers faced immense criticism and an investigation by the United States Commission on Industrial Relations, Lee’s efforts to mediate between the Rockefellers and the public demonstrated his commitment to his methods of transparency.

Appealing to the Audience

Edward Bernays (1891-1995) was born in Vienna, Austria and is recognized as a founding father of PR. He coined the term “public relations” in 1920 and was instrumental in formalizing the field. In 1923, he taught the first PR course at New York University and authored the book Crystallizing Public Opinion. He also wrote a landmark article, “Manipulating Public Opinion: The Why and the How” that published in 1928 and created the idea that public opinion could be shaped and directed.

Bernays’ career was marked by high-profile clients such as American Tobacco, CBS, and General Electric. He advocated for public relations based on scientific principles and research, aiming to align public opinion with organizational goals. An especially effective campaign that Bernays ran was known as the “Torches of Freedom,” which manipulated women’s aspirations for better lives in the late 1920s. He pushed the idea that cigarettes were symbols of emancipation and made them more equal to men, encouraged women to smoke in public, and hired women to march while smoking in the 1929 Easter Sunday Parade.

Although his methods and actions were exploitive and morally questionable, Bernays’ helped in laying the foundation for modern public relations and highlighted its potential to shape social and individual progress.

Evaluating Public Feedback

Lydia Pinkham (1819-1883) is an early example of leveraging testimonials to sell a product. She is best known for developing a popular herb remedy in 1875 known as Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound, a blend of herbs and alcohol that was promoted as a cure for a range of women’s health issues. Her son Daniel helped in promoting the product by placing his mother’s image in advertisements to sell the idea that the product was homemade and natural.

Pinkham’s marketing strategy notably included the use of testimonials, as she encouraged satisfied users to share their positive experiences, which played a crucial role in her product’s success. Despite containing alcohol, Pinkham was even able to get the endorsements of leaders of the Temperance Movement by claiming that the product’s alcohol was used purely as a preservative and solvent. With support from such figures, Pinkham’s product gained traction.

In 1906, the United States government enacted the Pure Food and Drug Act, which required producers of patent medicines to disclose their product ingredients on labels and prohibited them from making claims that could not be substantiated. While Pinkham was deceased at this point, the product remained popular and subsequently faced regulations from the bill. Despite these setbacks, Pinkham’s use of testimonials to enhance her product’s image allowed her product to be sold well into the twentieth century. In fact, a descendant of her product is still in production today.

Conclusion

Strategic communication, audience engagement, and the use of feedback are all cornerstones of modern PR. However, these principles are not as old as you might think. Ivy Lee, often hailed as the father of modern PR, revolutionized corporate communications with his commitment to transparency in the early twentieth century. Despite his unethical methods, Edward Bernays further advanced PR in the 1920s by formalizing the discipline and introducing techniques to influence public opinion. Lastly, Lydia Pinkham’s innovative use of testimonials to promote her health remedy in the late 19th century highlights the early use of public feedback to build consumer trust and drive product success.

For more information on these people, as well as many others who contributed to the development of PR, see the following sources: Rainey Horowitz’s entry titled “Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound (1873-1906)” in the Arizona State University Embryo Project Encyclopedia; the Encyclopedia Brittanica entry on Lydia Pinkham; and the Encyclopedia of Public Relations edited by Robert L. Heath, University of Houston, Volume 1 (2005).

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