Public Relations History Timeline
Corporations
Creel Committee
Publicity Bureau
First Unofficial Presidential Press Secretary
Paine's Persuasion
The Muckrakers
Ancient Beginnings
PR Counseling Business in the 90's and 21st Century Social Media
- The nation's first public relations firm
- Founded in Boston in 1900 and specialized in general press
- The first Washington D.C agency was begun in 1902 by William Wolff Smith.
- Smith was a former correspondent for the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Harold Burson stressed the importance of marketing- oriented public relations where you help sell products or services, while keeping a good appearance for the company and maintaining a good relationship with the workers.
- In the 21st century, communication has evolved due to the growth of online access
- Social media, cable, satellite, mobile devices... revolutionized the the information transmission and receiving process
- Andrew Jackson selected Amos Kendall, a Kentucky writer and editor to serve in his administration.
- Kendall wrote some of Jackson's most important speeches and proclamations.
- He conducted opinion polls and turned out press releases
- His most successful venture was the creation of the administration's own newspaper, The Globe.
- Kendal would write a Jackson news release, send it to print at a local newspaper thr reprint it on The Globe to emphasize Jackson's popularity.
- Greek Politicians would request the aid of shophist, individuals known for their reasoning and eloquence, to assist them in debates.
- The Greek sophist of ancient times paved the way for today's lobbyists/ lobbying system.
- Rome also used persuasion as one of their techniques to rally public support by publishing pamphlets and staging public events.
- Thomas Paine wrote periodic pamphlets and essays that urged colonists to organize against the tyranny of King George.
- His first pamphlet was published in January 1776, Common Sense which sold more half a million copies.
- His published work is that of an early pratitioner of public relations. Not only did he persuade people, but he also communicated the sentiment of the public towards a tyranical government.
- Formed to Create a sens of patriotism amongst the public for U.S involvement in the war
- Journalists, scholars, and public relations leaders were successful in creating national pride through their propaganda and written communication efforts.
- The public's support of the U.S led to a growth in war bonds
- This reveled the power of publicity in influencing public opinion and actions.
- Companies Like General Electric, General Motors and American Telephone & Telegraph worked hard to preserve their good names through words and actions.
- Arthur W. Page became AT&T's became first public relations VP. in 1927
- Page managed to maintain AT&T's reputation in good standing
- He created five principles of successful corporate public relations and they are relevant now as they were in the 1930's
- Feisty group of journalist who reported on the scandalous operations of America's business enterprises.
- Novels like Upton Sinclair's, The Jungle , attacked the the deplorable conditions of the meat packing industry. Ida Tarbell's History of the Standard oil Company tarnished Oil Chairman Rockefeller images and created much public attention.
- As journalist kept reporting on big business the public grew anxious, which led the way for legislative reform.
Ivy Lee: The Father of PR
Edward L. Bernays & Doris Fleischman
Office of War Information
The Robber Barons
American Revolution
P.T Barnum
Democracy & The Constitution
- Edward L. Bernays began as a publicist in 1913
- He was the nephew of Sigmund Freud
- Bernays was considered a giant in the public relations field
- He recruited the field's first distinguished female practitioner, his wife Doris Fleischman.
- Fleischman was a former editor of the New York Tribune, while her husband was a skilled strategist and promoter
- Together they built Edward L. Bernays, Counsel on Public Relations
- One of Bernays major contributions to the practice was by incorporating psychology, sociology, and social-psychology to reach individuals.
- Ivy Ledbetter Lee was a former Wall Street reporter who later plunged into publicity work in 1903.
- Lee's key to business acceptance and understanding, was the public be informed.
- He also believed that a company should strive to earn the public's trust by being truthful.
- Rockefeller reached out to Lee so he would assist in the public fallout after the Ludlow Massacre.
- Lee urged Rockefeller to create a board for worker's grievances which turned out to be a great success.
- Due to the Industrial Revolution big business and factories were favored more than mom and pop shops. Small trading centers turned into big cities.
- Railroad owners led by William Vanderbilt, bankers like J.P Morgan, and oil magnates like John D. Rockefeller took over the industries and gained much lobbying power with little to no government regulation on big business.
- Incidents like the Ludlow Massacre gave the impression to the public that these big industries which profited from the American people were more concerned in making money than improving the lives of their fellow citizens
- Was created in 1942 to represent the U.S at home and internationally
- There was a need to sell war bonds and to raise support of the war amongst the American public.
- Due to the increase of public relations officers during WWII many saw the need of the public relations field and their involvement in the effort to keep up the morale of the American public.
- Colonists believed that they should have the same rights as English men and women ( taxation withtout representation is tyranny).
- When King George refused to acceded to the colonist's demands, colonist like Samuel Adams organized Committees of Correspondence to distribute anti-British information throughout the colonies.
- Adams also built up revolutionary opinion amongst the colonies by staging events like the Boston Tea Party.
- Barnum was a master publicist for his traveling show/circus.
- He staged bizarre events and hoaxes to gain public attraction.
- Although his methods are scoffed at in today's public relations practices, professional-publicity makers like reality T.V family the Kardashians revel in success due to Barnum's "The public be fooled" techniques.
- James Madison (aka Father of the Constitution), frames the Bill of Right in 1791 which then later became the first 10 Ammendments for the U.S Constitution.
- The second amendment safeguard's the people's freedom of press, speech and to peaceably assemble.
- People were given the right to speak up for what they believed in and the freedom to try to influence the opinions of other, thus the practice of public relations was born.