History of PR

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

PR is more than 100 years old.

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Ancient Beginnings

•Promotion of government

•Opinion leaders, public speeches,

visual communication, publicity, events

•Rosetta Stone

•Olympic Games

•Julius Caesar- “acta diurna”

•Pope Urban II

• “Propaganda”

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Colonial America

• American

revolution

support

• Thomas Paine

• Boston Tea

Party

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Politics and Activism

• Glowing articles sent to newspapers

• Rise of public opinion

• Newspaper reprints as ads

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Barnum

• Phineas T. Barnum

• Showman

• “Pseudoevent”

• Exaggeration

• Third party

endorsements

• Donating to charity

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Henry Ford

• First major industrialist

• 2 basic PR concepts:1. Positioning

2. Accessibility

• Press Sneak Peak

• Popular Persona

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Modern PR

• First agency= Publicity bureau

• 1900’s

• Business leaders and politics

• Ivy Ledbetter Lee

• Edward Bernays

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Ivy Lee

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Remember Lee:

• Business should align with public interest

• Support from management

• Open communication with media

• Bring PR to all business levels

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Edward Bernays

Video Time!

• Father of PR

• Famous for messages and perception

• Scientific persuasion and psychology

• Listening

• “Big Idea”

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Postwar PR

• PR departments emerged

• Increase in government PR staff

• TV created a new challenge

• Mass media

• Increase in urban and suburban population

• Public opinion started to matter

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Classic PR Models

1. Press Agent/Publicity

2. Public Information

3. Two Way asymmetric (Bernays)

4. Two way symmetric (main modern model of relationship building)

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Famous PR Campaigns

Civil Rights

Seat Belt

Starkist Tuna

Tylenol

Macy’s Parade

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

PR Philosophy

“Shift from press agentry

to persuasive, targeted

communication.”

• Reputation management

emerged in the 1990’s

(Conflict management and

crisis management)

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

Current PR Theory and

Techniques

• PR profs should have their pulse on the news and publics

• Enhance CSR

• Monitor communication

• Build a community

COMM 2337

PR

HistoryClass 6

Fall 2011

@AndreaGenevieve

andream@stedwards.edu

New PR History

For next class, research and find a recent event in PR history and blog about it.

This must be from 2009 to present.