Public Relations within the History of Civilization

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where Public Relations started because it came about when people began to persuade for an organization or cause—where people began to reach out to the public. So, really, where it can be traced back is to the Athenian rhetoricians with their public speeches and writing to persuade the people of their ideas. Even Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses can be counted as early public relations. (Lattimore et. al.,2009)

It wasn’t until about 300 years later that modern public relations began to emerge through P.T. Barnum’s tactics to get publicity for his circus. It was his dishonest, outrageous advertisements and displays that gave public relations a reputation of deception for the sake of making money that carries on today even though there is now a huge emphasis on truth and transparency. (Lattimore et. al., 2009)

This is actually a dead monkey and a dead fish sewn together. Gross, right?

 In the 1900’s, George Michaelis established the Publicity Bureau where he essentially set the groundwork for press releases by gathering information to publish in newspapers in order to inform the public of current happenings. Around the same time, Ivy Lee defined public relations as a “management function.” (Lattimore et. al., 2009) It was at this stage that public relations began to be a more reputable medium for companies or public figures to create a certain image and get their initiatives known to the public.

After this, public relations even moved into the political realm as President Theodore Roosevelt communicated to the United States through press conferences and interviews. (Lattimore et. al., 2009) Perhaps the most memorable propaganda-filled public relations campaigns were put on by the government during World War One and Two. (Lattimore et. al., 2009)

 It was also adapted in businesses by Edward Bernays with promotional events, Arthur Page of AT&T and his emphasis on connecting with customers, and Moss Kendrix and his advertising campaigns. (Lattimore et. al., 2009) As public relations developed, it grew from initiatives within businesses to departments and firms created specifically to relate to the public.

According to Wren Ludlow, a current public relations professional who attended BYU, the biggest change that has come over the years in public relations is its convergence with marketing, journalism and advertising. This has come about with new technology that has brought data and content for engaging and strategic public relations efforts. All of these aspects contribute to more efficient financial management and decision making in fostering trusting, mutually beneficial relationships with key publics.