Public Relations within the History of Civilization

By nature, elements of Public Relations have likely been used throughout the history of mankind. We have evidence of early adaptations spotted here and there, but it was not until the 20^th century that the practice truly became a recognized field of its own.

In 49 BC, Julius Caesar sent reports of his achievements in a daily publication entitled Acta Diurna. (source) Thomas Jefferson was the first to use the term “Public Relations” in an address to the US Congress in 1807. (source)

However the first time PR was applied to managing communications between an organization and the public was in 1912 when a man by the name of Ivy L. Lee was hired by the Pennsylvania Railroad.  After a train wreck, Lee issued the first official press release—printed by The New York Times—to help the organization manage the adversity both internally and externally. (source)

After Lee’s press release, there was a shift in perspective with Public Relations.  Practitioners understood that PR was certainly necessary in times of crisis, but the influence of desire was a territory yet to be explored.  

During WWI, the US government began it’s own PR team titled, “The Committee on Public Relations”.  Here is where we see the birth of “Uncle Sam” and propaganda techniques to inspirit support for the military. (source)

Edward Bernays, often referred to as “the father of public relations”, was the first to incorporate psychology and other social sciences into Public Relations. He was the nephew of Sigmund Freud and was skilled in manipulating the public’s motivations and desires. Bernays was hired in 1929 by the tobacco company, Lucky Strike, to boost sales from female consumers, and succeeded tremendously by signaling fashion and the suffrage movement. (source)

Harold Burson pioneered the global aspect of PR and opened the first firm in 1953.  Today there are several hundreds of firms joined together by the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO). (source)

I spoke with Larry Macfarlane, an adjunct instructor here at BYU, who has long-served within the field of Public Relations.  He has said that during his many years in communications functions, social media has created a significant shift in the approach PR practitioners take. He says social media has put the “public” back into Public Relations.  Social media offers a robust way to talk about your company, product, or service in a way that feels genuine.  He pointed out that with social media, much more controversy emerges, but it is important to not ignore it, as it will only add fuel to the fire.  A final comment Macfarlane said was—as PR practitioners, it is necessary to constantly become proficient will new and emerging forms of social media. You never know how each new platform may build your brand.