Learn more about the history and origins of public relations in the U.S. This slideshow was prepared by Brett Atwood (clinical associate professor at Washington State University).
2. Early American PR History
⢠Revolutionary War (1760s+)
â Samuel Adams used various techniques to help
gain support for the revolt against England
â These techniques are still relevant today
3. Six Early PR Techniques
⢠1. Establish an activist
organization
â The Sons of Liberty;
Committees of
Correspondence
⢠2. The Use of Symbols
â The Liberty Tree
4. Six Early PR Techniques
⢠3. The Use of Slogans
â âTaxation without representation is tyrannyâ
⢠4. The Use of Staged Events
â The Boston Tea Party
⢠5. Be First in Getting Out Your Side of the Story
â The Boston Massacre
⢠6. Use a Sustained Saturation Campaign
5. Thomas Paineâs âCommon Senseâ
⢠Thomas Paineâs pamphlet
âCommon Senseâ is often
cited as an early example of
PR
â It swayed early adopters to
the idea of establishing
indendepence
â It was a âwhite paperâ that
preceded the Declaration of
Independence
â It essentially served as a
product launch press release
for the Declaration of
Independence
6. Amos Kendall (1820s +)
⢠Influential assistant to
president Andrew
Jackson
⢠âFirst White House
Press Secretaryâ
â Wrote speeches
â Issued news releases
â Conducted opinion polls
â Created events
7. The Creation of âDavy Crockettâ
⢠In reality, Davy Crockett
was a brash, loud-talking
Tennessee Congressman
⢠A press campaign created
a larger-than-life persona
of Crockett as a wild
frontiersman
â Reality was disconnected
from the fictional
characterization
8. P.T. Barnum
⢠Barnumâs Circus was a
popular
entertainment
roadside attraction in
the 1800âs
⢠P.T. Barnum used PR
tactics to
sensationalize the
appeal of his traveling
exhibits and circus
9. Charles Russell Lowell
⢠Publicist for the Burlington Railroad company
⢠Helped to establish demand and appeal of
new railroad system
10. Buffalo Bill
⢠Colonel William F. Cody became âBuffalo Bill,â
a larger-than-life character to promote his
Wild West traveling show
11. Business Community and PR
⢠As American cities exploded in population
and the popular press expanded, businesses
used PR tactics to help build and maintain
power
⢠PR used to counter public outcry and probing
journalists (âmuckrakersâ)
12. âBattle of the Currentsâ
⢠Example: âBattle of the Currentsâ among electricity
giants to establish public sentiment on the preferred
electrical standards
⢠Edison used sensationalized PR tactics to scare the public
against Westinghouseâs competing standard
13. Evolution of PR
⢠Stage 1: Manipulative (Public-be-damned)
⢠Stage 2: Informative (Public-be-informed)
⢠Stage 3: Social Responsibility (Periods of
âmutual understandingâ and âmutual
adjustmentâ)
14. Seedbed Era (1900-1916)
⢠âMuckrakingâ journalists take advantage of
new mass media outlets
⢠Lots of anti-corporation, anti-government
sentiment is popularized in publications and
media
⢠Advertising tactics used to help combat
negative stories
15. The Publicity Bureau
⢠The nationâs first publicity agency was
founded in Boston in mid-1900
â First client: Harvard University
â Worked closely with the railroad companies to
plant stories that preempt or combat criticism
⢠Closed in 1911
16. Smith & Walmer
⢠Opened in 1902 in Washington, D.C.
⢠First âpoliticalâ-focused firm
⢠Shows how governments and politics could
benefit by working closely with PR-like
agencies
17. Ivy Ledbetter Lee
⢠Represented George Baer & Assoc.
during a coal minersâ strike
⢠Lee issued a declaration of principles
emphasizing honesty and the publicâs
right to know
â No longer âpublic-be-damnedâ approach
â Used handouts to keep media informed
during negotiations
⢠Precursor to the âpress releaseâ
⢠Also represented the Rockefeller
family in the aftermath of a bloody
incident against striking workers
(Ludlow Massacre)
18. World War I Period: 1917-1918
⢠George Creel
â Chairman of the
Committee on Public
Information (CPI)
â Helped establish public
support for World War I
â Used a network of 75,000
civic leaders to spread
campaign messages
19. Booming â20s Era (1919-1929)
⢠Edward L. Bernays
â Combined social science with PR as
Freudâs nephew
â Wrote the first PR textbook
⢠âCrystallizing Public Opinionâ (1923)
⢠Emphasized âpublic relations
counselorâ
20. Booming â20s Era (1919-1929)
⢠John W. Hill (Hill & Knowlton)
â Controversial PR practitioner
â Helped to found the Tobacco Industry Research
Committee (TIRC) and the Tobacco Institute
â Advocated for the cigarette industry despite
research that indicated that smoking is a health
threat
21. Roosevelt Era & WWII (1930-1945)
⢠In the aftermath of the 1929 stock market
crash and the Depression, Rooseveltâs New
Deal needed public support for radical reforms
and government expansion
22. Roosevelt Era & WWII (1930-1945)
⢠World War II
â Office of War Information headed by Elmer Davis
â PR training ground (75,000-100,000 PIs)
â Paid advertising via the War Advertising Council
⢠Ration resources
⢠Buy war bonds
⢠Serve in the armed forces
23. Postwar Boom (1946-1964)
⢠PR helped to converting from a war-time to
peace-time economy (industrial to post-industrial,
service-oriented era)
â PR used to combat rise of labor unions
â Promotion of new opportunities for returning
soldiers (including education)
24. Protest and Empowerment (1965-
1985)
⢠The â60s were turbulent times, including social
unrest, protests and distrust of the
âestablishmentâ
⢠Rise of individualism and empowerment (e.g.
civil rights, environmentalism, etc.)
⢠PR tactics used on all sides â both in an
attempt to disrupt and preserve the status
quo
25. Protest and Empowerment (1965-
1985)
⢠From the â70s-early â90s, there were some key
developments:
â Advertising/PR firm mergers and consolidation
â Fractionalization of media channels
â Internationalization of PR
â Public skepticism, consumerism and single-issue
activism
26. Digital Age and Globalization (1986-
Present)
⢠In the late â80s and beyond, new technologies
began to emerge that dramatically disrupted
traditional PR techniques
â Broadcast outlets expanded with digital satellite
and cable
â The Internet caused an explosion of niche-based
influencers
â Social media empowers citizens to share and
influence among their circle of friends
27. Other Recent Trends
⢠Continued fragmentation of media
⢠Increased emphasis on âreturn on
investmentâ for all PR efforts
⢠Increased sensitivity and emphasis on
diversity