This document provides a brief history of public relations from the 1800s to present day. It outlines key early PR campaigns and the development of social media platforms. The summary discusses how PR has adapted to new technologies over time and will continue to evolve as industries face threats from advances like artificial intelligence. While the future of specific tools and tactics is uncertain, the document argues that as long as humans need to promote products and services, the core function of public relations will remain relevant far into the future.

1. To look forward we must rst
understand what has gone before

2. 1800s
PT Barnum
orchestrates the rst PR
stunt and uses
manipulation techniques to
promote The Barnum and
Bailey Circus
1906
Ivy Lee issues the rst press release, on
behalf of the Pennsylvania Railroad,
about a train wreck in Atlantic City N.J
which left 50 people dead.
1929
Edward Bernays crafts a campaign
'Torches of Freedom' to encourage
women to smoke in public despite
social taboos.
1984
Grunig a Hunt launch their four
models of PR theory.
* Press Agentry/Publicity
* Public Information
* Two Way Asymmetrical
*Two way Symmetrical
1999
Dr Jon White presents a paper to
the Swiss Public Relations Society
states that the 'future is bright' for
PR practioners

3. 1999
The Cluetrain Manifesto is
published and predicts the
impact of social media and
claims that conventional
marketing techniques will
be rendered obsolete by
online 'conversations'
2004
Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz,
Eduardo Saverin, Andrew
McCollum, Chris Hughes launch
Facebook
2002
Reid Hoffman, Konstantin Guericke,
Jean-Luc Vaillant, Allen Blue,
Eric Ly launch LinkedIn
2006
Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Noah
Glass, Biz Stone launch Twitter
By 2006 social media outlets were mostly accepted
as were new internet technologies
Social media challenged companies to become more
customer focused as they created a platform for
customers to air their woes
A 24/7 news cycle was created and publications
had to join in fast or face closure in years to come
The platforms led to more integrated PR and
marketing strategies being developed and allowed
companies to be much more engaged with their
audience and vice-versa

4. TRUMP
KFC logo stunt now
on Google Earth - 07
Launch
of the
Walking
Dead
#LikeAGirl
Fly United...
2006-2017
PR continues to be used to strategise crisis
communications and create pro-active
promotions in a world full of conglomerates
and emerging entrepreneurial start-ups
Although you may be thinking some of
these are marketing/advertising.
Without PRs telling people about these
awesome (and terrible) campaigns they
would not be so well known today

5. The future looks bright...or does it?
Will newspapers exist?
Will fake news take over?
What if an algorithm can come up with the perfect PR
strategy for every situation?
Are in uencers/self-promoters
going to take over social media?
Will news releases be
sent by teleport?
Will an army of AIs start a war on
humans?
What's the next big social
media platform going to be?
Will advertorial be the only way
magazines can still be published?
Will unethical practice ruin
PRs' reuptation?
Will PR be perceived as professional?
Will all magazine publications
be online only?

6. My thoughts...
We have always lived in a world that is constantly changing and evolving. New technologies are being developed
every day to advance mankind into an unknown era of robots, AIs, augmented reality and self-driving cars. In my
opinion as long as there are humans making and creating products, services and mistakes there will always be a
place for PR.
What that will look like is a very different question. Who knows if there will be print publications or if the
traditional methods and communications strategies will be relevant in 50 years' time but for the next ve years I
believe that things will continue to grow at a pace where PR is becoming formally accepted as an ethical and
professional industry.
Social media continues to enhance competition between brands and entrepreneurs now have platforms to promote
their businesses with very little budget. This I think creates more clients for PRs as if more edgling businesses
can grow their rm to 'unicorns' then as they advance and their budgets grow the need for PR will grow with them.
I think the industry faces signi cant threats from a variety of places but it's not just PR that faces these threats.
All industries must grow, develop and embrace new technology or they risk being left behind in a world where their
audience just isn't there anymore.
Am I worried about AIs taking over the world? No. Okay we all know that Facebook had to shut down Bob and
Alice after the two chatbots began communicating in a language that humans could not understand. We also know
that Microsoft's Tay went rogue on Twitter, swearing and making racist remarks and political statements, but all
they were doing was absorbing big data from humans who have uploaded those comments and content to the
internet in the rst place.
Understanding, collating and analysing big data can only increase businesses ability to perform better and
therefore make a bigger pro t.
Ultimately I believe that as long as humans need money there will always be a need for PR.

7. So... in the words of
Buzz Lightyear:
"To in nity and
beyond!"