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).

1. Historical Origins of
Public Relations
Presented by
Brett Atwood

2. Early American PR History
• Revolutionary War (1760s+)
– Samuel Adams used various techniques to help
gain support for the revolt against England
– These techniques are still relevant today

3. Six Early PR Techniques
• 1. Establish an activist
organization
– The Sons of Liberty;
Committees of
Correspondence
• 2. The Use of Symbols
– The Liberty Tree

4. Six Early PR Techniques
• 3. The Use of Slogans
– “Taxation without representation is tyranny”
• 4. The Use of Staged Events
– The Boston Tea Party
• 5. Be First in Getting Out Your Side of the Story
– The Boston Massacre
• 6. Use a Sustained Saturation Campaign

5. Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”
• Thomas Paine’s pamphlet
“Common Sense” is often
cited as an early example of
PR
– It swayed early adopters to
the idea of establishing
indendepence
– It was a “white paper” that
preceded the Declaration of
Independence
– It essentially served as a
product launch press release
for the Declaration of
Independence

6. Amos Kendall (1820s +)
• Influential assistant to
president Andrew
Jackson
• “First White House
Press Secretary”
– Wrote speeches
– Issued news releases
– Conducted opinion polls
– Created events

7. The Creation of “Davy Crockett”
• 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
– Reality was disconnected
from the fictional
characterization

8. P.T. Barnum
• Barnum’s Circus was a
popular
entertainment
roadside attraction in
the 1800’s
• 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 “Buffalo Bill,”
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 (“muckrakers”)

12. “Battle of the Currents”
• Example: “Battle of the Currents” among electricity
giants to establish public sentiment on the preferred
electrical standards
• Edison used sensationalized PR tactics to scare the public
against Westinghouse’s competing standard

13. Evolution of PR
• Stage 1: Manipulative (Public-be-damned)
• Stage 2: Informative (Public-be-informed)
• Stage 3: Social Responsibility (Periods of
“mutual understanding” and “mutual
adjustment”)

14. Seedbed Era (1900-1916)
• “Muckraking” 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 nation’s first publicity agency was
founded in Boston in mid-1900
– First client: Harvard University
– 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 “political”-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 miners’ strike
• Lee issued a declaration of principles
emphasizing honesty and the public’s
right to know
– No longer “public-be-damned” approach
– Used handouts to keep media informed
during negotiations
• Precursor to the “press release”
• 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
– Chairman of the
Committee on Public
Information (CPI)
– Helped establish public
support for World War I
– Used a network of 75,000
civic leaders to spread
campaign messages

19. Booming ‘20s Era (1919-1929)
• Edward L. Bernays
– Combined social science with PR as
Freud’s nephew
– Wrote the first PR textbook
• “Crystallizing Public Opinion” (1923)
• Emphasized “public relations
counselor”

20. Booming ‘20s Era (1919-1929)
• John W. Hill (Hill & Knowlton)
– Controversial PR practitioner
– Helped to found the Tobacco Industry Research
Committee (TIRC) and the Tobacco Institute
– 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, Roosevelt’s New
Deal needed public support for radical reforms
and government expansion

22. Roosevelt Era & WWII (1930-1945)
• World War II
– Office of War Information headed by Elmer Davis
– PR training ground (75,000-100,000 PIs)
– 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)
– PR used to combat rise of labor unions
– Promotion of new opportunities for returning
soldiers (including education)

24. Protest and Empowerment (1965-
1985)
• The ‘60s were turbulent times, including social
unrest, protests and distrust of the
“establishment”
• Rise of individualism and empowerment (e.g.
civil rights, environmentalism, etc.)
• PR tactics used on all sides – both in an
attempt to disrupt and preserve the status
quo

25. Protest and Empowerment (1965-
1985)
• From the ’70s-early ‘90s, there were some key
developments:
– Advertising/PR firm mergers and consolidation
– Fractionalization of media channels
– Internationalization of PR
– Public skepticism, consumerism and single-issue
activism

26. Digital Age and Globalization (1986-
Present)
• In the late ’80s and beyond, new technologies
began to emerge that dramatically disrupted
traditional PR techniques
– Broadcast outlets expanded with digital satellite
and cable
– The Internet caused an explosion of niche-based
influencers
– Social media empowers citizens to share and
influence among their circle of friends

27. Other Recent Trends
• Continued fragmentation of media
• Increased emphasis on “return on
investment” for all PR efforts
• Increased sensitivity and emphasis on
diversity