Case Study: Edward Bernays, Public Relations Pioneer ✓ Solved

Case Study Edward Bernayspublic Relations Pioneerwho Was Edward

Case Study: Edward Bernays Public Relations Pioneer Who was Edward Bernays? Born in Vienna in 1891, distant nephew of Sigmund Freud. His approach to public relations was to use symbols and the mass media to engineer consent. He claimed the public was essentially reactive. The rise of the middle class meant that there was no longer the ruling class and the uneducated masses who followed dumbly. This emerging new social strata needed to be controlled and led. He believed in a completely hierarchical view of society: the intelligent few have been charged with the responsibility of contemplating and influencing the tide of history and of dealing with the masses.

How did he deal with the masses? Used sociology, psychology, and economics and applied them to the messages and methods. He saw the PR expert as an applied social scientist educated to use an understanding of these three fields to influence and direct public attitudes. The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in a democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country, Edward Bernays.

For Bernays, PR was about creating and projecting credible renditions of reality itself. He called news any overt act which stands out of the routine. A PR expert carries out an overt act to interrupt the routine to bring out a response. PR is the science of creating circumstances which do not appear to be staged. Edward Bernays believed that to manipulate the public, one must know its public as well as know who influences that public. PR experts, as molders of public opinion, must be ongoing monitors of social attitudes.

Part of this influencing involved using the implied authority, i.e., the social power of certain groups or leaders. For example, in his campaign for "Damaged Goods," he promoted a play about syphilis by securing members of high society and doctors as advocates. To encourage people to eat more bacon, he launched a campaign in which a doctor promoted the benefits of a hearty breakfast. Bernays was notably involved with the tobacco industry when he was hired to increase the market for Lucky Strikes in 1929.

He focused on women, who were only permitted to smoke in private due to societal norms. By linking smoking to the contemporary fashion of slimness, he successfully marketed cigarettes to a female audience. His campaign, summarized in the catchphrase "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet," portrayed smoking as a calorie-free way to satisfy hunger.

Bernays’ innovative strategies included getting artists and photographers to endorse the beauty of slimness, encouraging restaurants to serve cigarettes with dessert, and enlisting doctors to promote smoking as beneficial. One of his most famous strategies was having debutantes march in the New York City Easter Parade, lighting cigarettes and branding them "torches of freedom" to advocate for women's rights.

His impact was profound, leading to a $32 million increase in sales for Lucky Strikes within a year. However, Bernays never disclosed his affiliation with the tobacco company during these campaigns. He often used front groups and organized events to promote ideals while keeping the source of influence hidden. In a parallel instance from 1934, he flipped a negative perception of the color green, often reviled in the packaging of Lucky Strikes, by promoting the idea of a "Green Ball" that correlated the color green with fashion and social progress.

World War II presented another opportunity for Bernays' PR techniques, as the government sought to change societal attitudes towards women in the workforce. During this period, the Office of War Information (OWI) used advertising and media campaigns to legitimize working women while maintaining femininity. They promoted narratives that working during the war was patriotic and temporary, utilizing magazines and advertisements to create role models for women and encourage their participation in the workforce.

After the war, however, sentiments shifted, and campaigns directed at women told them to return to domestic roles, framing working women as undesirable and contributing to social issues. This reversal was largely driven by a male-centric narrative that highlighted the importance of returning soldiers to the workforce.

In the end, assessing Bernays' campaigns reveals the underlying theme of manipulation in public relations, questioning the ethics of influencing public perception. Also, the trends Bernays capitalized on highlight the potential for public relations to shape societal norms and expectations. The power of manipulation cannot be overstated, as Bernays demonstrated how effective public relations can drastically reshape societal habits and perceptions.

Paper For Above Instructions

Edward Bernays, known as the "Father of Public Relations," pioneered innovative methods that transformed the landscape of PR. Among his notable campaigns, the one for Lucky Strikes illustrates his mastery in manipulating public perception. Bernays's approach drew from his understanding of psychology, sociology, and economics, which allowed him to navigate and sway public attitudes effectively.

At the heart of Bernays's strategy was the belief in the necessity of controlling the "masses." He viewed PR experts as the architects of public opinion, responsible for steering societal values by shaping narratives. This belief was instrumental in his campaign for Lucky Strikes aimed at women, a demographic largely overlooked by the tobacco industry at the time.

In the late 1920s, the American Tobacco Company recognized the potential market among women, who constituted only 12% of its customer base. Realizing that the prevailing social norms frowned upon women smoking publicly, Bernays challenged these barriers head-on. He employed psychological insights and media campaigns to propose a new narrative around women smoking, associating it with freedom and sophistication while simultaneously capitalizing on the contemporary beauty trends favoring slimness.

One of his key tactics was to link smoking to the women's liberation movement, exemplified by his orchestration of the “Torches of Freedom” event during the New York City Easter Parade. By having women publicly smoke while marching, Bernays not only generated attention but repositioned smoking as an act of defiance and empowerment, thereby reshaping societal attitudes towards women's smoking.

Bernays's methods were not forthright; he often utilized front groups and orchestrated events to create the illusion of organic public sentiment. This manipulation raised ethical concerns about transparency in advertising and public relations. While his tactics proved effective, they also exemplified the darker side of manipulating public perceptions without disclosing underlying motives or affiliations. Such practices invite scrutiny regarding the limits of ethical influence in PR and the impacts of such campaigns on public health.

Further examining the socio-political context emphasizes how effective Bernays was in reshaping narratives according to the climate of the times. The changing role of women during WWII provided fertile ground for campaigns appealing to both patriotism and gender roles. With the war effort necessitating that women enter the workforce, Bernays's earlier work provided a blueprint for creating favorable imagery around working women. Contrastingly, after the war, the narrative shifted back to promoting traditional domestic roles for women, showcasing the fluidity of PR messaging depending on cultural sentiment.

Bernays's beliefs and practices reflect concerns relevant to modern public relations. The ongoing challenges of authenticity in advertising, consumer manipulation, and ethical considerations position Bernays's legacy as both a foundation for public relations and a cautionary tale about the potential for coercive influence.

In conclusion, Bernays's impact on public relations cannot be underestimated. His strategic campaigns, including those for Lucky Strikes, serve as exemplary case studies in the power of PR to influence and reshape public opinion. They underscore the importance of ethical considerations when engaging with the mass media and manipulating societal perceptions.

References

• Tye, L. (1998). The Father of Spin: Edward Bernays and the Birth of Public Relations. New York: Crown.
• Black, S. (2012). The Public Relations Handbook. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.
• Cutlip, S. M., & Center, A. H. (2006). Effective Public Relations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
• Hutton, J. G. (1999). Defining the Relationship between Public Relations and Marketing. Public Relations Review.
• Lee, M., & Van Eperen, L. (2014). Challenging the Theoretical Foundations of Public Relations Education. Journal of Communication Management.
• Macnamara, J. (2016). Public Relations: Theory and Practice. London: SAGE Publications.
• Morley, D. (2008). Media, Modernity, and Technology. Routledge.
• Olins, W. (2008). Brand New: The Shape of Brands to Come. Thames & Hudson.
• Rosenberg, D. (2008). The Ethics of Public Relations. Public Relations Review.
• Whitaker, K. (2015). Social Media and PR: A Study of the Role of Social Media in PR. Journal of Communication Management.