The History And Role Of Public Relations Throughout Time

The concept of public relations is probably as old as human communication itself. Some of the government implemented techniques included things such as speeches, art, and literature; but no one knew to call them public relations. Public relations is the strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. It has played numerous roles over the course of time, but its purpose and effects remain the same. The history and role of public relations as a profession is shown through the Golden Age of press agentry, the age of the pioneers, and the digital age.

In America, the 1800’s were a period of growth and expansion which gave birth the the “Golden Age”. In this time, the press agent was formed to promote hundreds of people. A press agent is a person whose work is to get publicity for an individual, organization, etc. P. T. Barnum, who later created Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth, represented the hype of the press agentry. He was considered the master of pseudo-event, which is an event arranged merely for the sake of the publicity it generates. Barnum found a way to provide the public with the entertainment they were seeking. Publicity and promotion helped populate the western United States that created the Westward Movement. Railroad companies were quick to use the press agentry to attract settlers. These major events were the beginning of public reactions in the 1800’s. Toward the end of this time period, social movements and politics along with corporate initiatives began to reshape public relations. The age of the pioneers was the time period between 1900 and 1950. There was a shift from the hype and excitement of the 1800’s to a more fact based era. This was when people started to focus more on information because they thought it would create more effective strategies. Many influential people contributed to the role of public relations of this time period. Some of the most important would be Ivy Lee, Edward L. Bernays, Arthur W. Page, and Henry Ford. Ivy Lee was the leading pioneer in this new approach to public relations. He created the idea that keeping secrets from the press would no longer work. Lee issued what is claimed to be the first news release which changed the way big companies interacted with the press. Bernays was the father of modern public relations. He implemented concept of scientific persuasion which not only meant listening to the audience, but also meant giving feedback. Page was responsible for creating the foundation for the field of corporate public relations.

His principles were to tell the truth, actions speak louder than words, always listen to the consumer, anticipate the publics reaction, and eliminate practices that could cause conflict. Henry Ford was the first major industrialist who used two basic concepts, the notion of positioning and the idea of being accessible to the press. These men were not the only people to contribute to this new form of public relations, many more influential people impacted this time period. Public relations began to transform into what we know it as today. Rapid growth in all areas of public relations began when the economy stared to boom after WWII. Major companies started to turn to public relations with the thought that it would help in all departments. There were several classical campaigns in this era that showed the power public relations had. A couple of these campaigns were the Civil Rights campaign and the Tylenol Crisis. This is the time when woman began making their way into the field. They saw how certain instances of the workplace were not equal for men and women and they decided to change it. After these factors influenced public relations, the digital age arose. T

he digital age was when social media changed the way public relations was practiced. This type of PR practice changed the traditional model of one-way-communication to concepts like “engagement” and “dialogue” communication. This era was focused on relationships. The role of public relations has shifted throughout time. It has always been around, but simply added new concepts on as time has passed. This is shown through the golden age, the pioneer age, and the digital age. Each of these eras shaped public relations into what it is today. Like most things public relations would not be what it is today without the past.