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ROOTS IN CONFLICT

KEY POINTS

» The PR industry’s origins can be traced to the turn of the twentieth century when conflict betweencapital and labor came to a head. Big business and government turned to early PR practitioners to ease increasing social unrest.

» World War I was one of the first coordinated PR campaigns, orchestrated by President Wilson to convince Americans to support U.S. involvement in the war.

» The Creel Committee, also known as the Committee on Public Information, formed by Wilson and comprised of leading journalists, advertisers and writers of the day, sought to persuade Americans to supportWilson’s decision to enter WWI.

» The success of the Creel Committee’s efforts demonstrated to government and industry alike theimportance of using propaganda when introducing campaigns to the public.

» Edward Bernays, who was a member of the Creel Committee and is often credited as the grandfather of PR, knew how to use the media to help spread corporate messages. He staged and publicized women smoking in the 1929 Easter Day parade. The campaign, which was funded by the American Tobacco

Company, helped to break the taboo of women smoking in public.

» This campaign successfully demonstrated how the use of hidden techniques could help businessultimately prosper – into what today has become billion dollar markets.

» By some estimates, as much as 50% of the information we think of as news originated from a PR company.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Woodrow Wilson was able to change his stance on World War I using public relations. How and why do youthink the Creel Committee’s PR activities succeeded in shifting public opinion?

2. If these early PR campaigns were investigated and widely reported to the public, do you think there wouldhave been public outcry? Is the PR industry overly dependent on secrecy?

3. What sorts of stories that are packaged as news do you think originate from public relations?

EXERCISES

1. Creating News. In the late 20th century, historian Daniel Boorstin coined the term "pseudo-events" todescribe events and situations that are primarily created for the sake of generating press coverage. An earlyexample is the Miss America contest, which was started more than 75 years ago and is still going strong.

2. Create an event. Consider staging the event to see what kind of press coverage it receives in the local press.

Here are some suggestions for how to go about getting coverage 1.

a. Tie in with news events of the day.

b. Cooperate with another organization on a joint project.

c. Conduct a poll or survey.

d. Issue a report or a summary of events.

e. Arrange an interview with a celebrity.

f. Take part in a controversy.

g. Arrange for a speech or testimonial.

1. Wilcox, Dennis L, et al. Public Relations Strategies and Tactics, 4th ed. (New York: HarperCollins), 1995, p. 300.

h. Make an analysis or prediction.

i. Form and announce names for committees, advisory boards, blue ribbon commissions, etc.

j. Hold an election.

k. Celebrate an anniversary or tie in with a holiday.

l. Make a trip or organize a tour.

m. Create an award or hold a contest.

n. Adapt national reports and surveys for local use.

o. Stage a debate.

According to Andrea Ernst, a PR specialist in Madison, Wisconsin, a sure fire way to get coverage for any eventis to include kids or puppies.