PR: Image Maintenance 101

There are three main elements to public relations, which include informing people, persuading people, and integrating people with others. Edward Bernays, who wrote the first book and taught the first college course in public relations, claimed that these elements are as old as society itself.

Edward Bernays was an Austrian-American pioneer in the field of public relations. In his obituary, he was referred to as "the father of public relations". Bernays was also named one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by Life Magazine. His well-known campaign included a 1929 effort to promote female smoking by branding cigarettes as feminist "Torches of Freedom."

"Torches of Freedom" was a phrase used to encourage women's smoking by exploiting women's aspirations for a better life during the early 20th-century first-wave feminism in the U.S. Traditionally, the cigarette was a symbol of emancipation and equality with men, so Bernays encouraged women to smoke in public despite the social taboos. He hired women to march while smoking their "torches of freedom" in the Easter Sunday Parade in 1929. This was a significant moment for fighting social barriers for women smokers. 

For Mr. Edward Bernays and other historians of the practice, professional public relations have gone hand in hand with civilization and have changed as society has changed. We can see that below in the timeline of public relations:

Timeline [1] 

The 1900s- The Publicity Bureau of Boston is founded as the first public relations firm.

1913- Ludlow Massacre establishes the value of corporate public relations

1917- Creel Committee formed to motivate public support for World War 1

1923- Edward L. Bernays publishes Crystallizing Public Opinion, the first book on professional public relations

1927- Arthur W. Page hired at AT&T and becomes "the father of corporate communication"

1929- Bernays and Fisherman stage Torches of Freedom march promoting women's independence and smoking

1947- Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) founded

1984- Four models of public relations practice identified by Grunig and Hunt

1989- Exxon Valdez crisis becomes a PR nightmare

2002- Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management, made up of international PR organizations, founded

2009- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposes to regulate viral campaigns

2010- Barcelona Research Principles developed to evaluate public relations success

2012- PRSA replace the 1982 definition of public relations to emphasize "mutually beneficial relationships"

PR Tools

Press releases and press kits have been the dominant PR tools since the 1900s. Press releases are also known as news releases and are written as news stories that include a client's product, image, services, campaign, and special events. Press kits are more often called media kits and are a collection of multimedia materials about the client. They include a cover letter, recent news releases, fact sheets, publishable photos, brochures, biographies, business cards, and other information for media use. 

Elements of Success

The elements of public relations are first based on research. This includes public opinion polls, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and statistics. This process is conducted in three basic phases -- preparation, implementation, and impact. Successful public relations begins with an assessment of public attitudes. Without research, it is difficult to communicate effectively, which is extremely important for any public relations campaign. In addition, without effective research it is hard to identify public attitudes and design programs to achieve the communication objectives. Public relations is also a detailed strategy that must be managed well. Those who work in this career are overseers of many small tasks that, organized together, accomplish big objectives Lastly, public relations has the goal of fostering public support.

Overall, public relations has a huge role in society. It raises a company's authority and manages its reputation, by building relationships with key influential people. It has an impact to increase sales and gain customers. The overall aim of PR is to inform the public and share vital information with them in order to foster a company's success and development. PR is important in damage control, becoming a brand, social networking, staying visible, and building partnerships. Thus, public relations is extremely important to businesses and corporations and their relationships with consumers. Stay tuned to our next post to see how PR is important to Christian Higher Education!

[1] Media Now; Understanding Media, Culture, and Technology- 10th Edition

By Mariah Sharrow