Chapter 4: History

Question 1

Pre-Seedbed Era

Answer 1

pre-1900s
Press agentry, Public-be-damned, deception, fanciful stories
Trend: Press agentry
* PT Barnum, greatest showman on earth
* Charles Lowell, western migration & land sales from Burlington Railroad

Question 2

Seedbed Era

Answer 2

1900-1916
Public information, Public-be-informed, muckraking, social reforms
Trend: defensive publicity, journalists hired as interpreters
* Ivy Lee, “Declaration of Principles”, full disclosure
* Pres. Teddy Roosevelt, bully pulpit, used headlines to rule

Question 3

World War I Era

Answer 3

1917-1918
Two-way asymmetric, Public-be-informed, the war to end all wars
Trend: organized promotion, promote patriotism
* George Creel, cmte on public information, the Four Minutemen, created “spokesmen”

Question 4

Booming Twenties Era

Answer 4

1919-1929
Two-way asymmetric, Mutual understanding
Trend: promoting products, social science
* Edward Bernays, dubbed the term “PR counsel,” wrote first book on PR “Crystallizing Public Opinion”, recognizes changes in an org’s social setting, “father of public relations”
* Arthur Page, performance = reputation, AT&T VP who set standard for corporate PR, used science and polling for eval.

Question 5

Roosevelt & WWII Era

Answer 5

1930-1945
Two-way asymmetric, Mutual understanding, depression, WWI
Trend: mass media use, social responsibility
* Louis Howe, advised FDR, responsible performance & persuasive publicity
* Elmer Davis, Office of War Information
* Pres. FDR’s “Fireside Chats” & The New Deal

Question 6

Post War Era

Answer 6

1946-1964
Two-way symmetric, Mutual adjustment, professionalism, service, consumerism, advertising
Trend: credibility, assoc form including PRSA and Code of Ethics, colleges establish PR curricula, TV becomes important, many agencies form

Question 7

Period of Protest and Empowerment

Answer 7

1965-1985
Two-way symmetric, Mutual adjustment, social justice, advocacy, environmentalism, civil rights
Trend: accommodation, systems theory, management by objectives, functional vs. functionary approach
* Marshall McLuhan, “Understanding Media”, global village, “the medium is the message”

Question 8

Digital Age

Answer 8

1986-present
Two-way symmetric, Mutual adjustment
Trend: constant tech connections, international relationships, org transparency
* Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Phil Knight

Question 9

Evidence of PR in the US go back as far as….

Answer 9

the American Revolution’s struggle for power between colonists and the British (see Samuel Adams).

Harvard College’s fund-raising brochures published in 1643

Question 10

The first clear beginnings of the public presidential campaign and the presidential press secretary came…

Answer 10

… in the Andrew Jackson era, particularly with his publicist Amos Kendall and his “Kitchen Cabinet”

Question 11

PR Pioneer Ivy Lee is best known for…

Answer 11

… creating a document called the “Declaration of Principles.” Among the principles: tell the truth, work with the media to respond promptly, performance determines the publicity a client gets

Question 12

Edward Bernays is credited with…

Answer 12

• Writing the first PR book, coining the term “public relations counsel,” teaching the first PR university-level course.
• He’s also known as the “father of public relations.”
• Said good PR counsel recognizes changes in org’s social setting and advises on how it should change to establish a “common meeting ground”

Question 13

What was George Creel best known for?

Answer 13

Chairman of the Committee on Public Information during WWI, aka Creel Committee. He mobilized “spokesmen” to generate patriotism by starting the Four Minutemen (group of volunteers delivering four-minute messages by speaking at schools, churches, service clubs, etc.). War bonds, helping the Red Cross.

The Creel Committee demonstrated the power of publicity to mobilize opinion.

Question 14

What 6 PR techniques did Samuel Adams and his cohorts develop and demonstrate during their campaign to get rid of the British.

Answer 14

1. Organization - created Sons of Liberty, Committee of Correspondence
2. Use of symbols - to arouse emotion - Liberty Tree
3. Use of slogans - easy to quote and remember - “taxation without representation is tyranny.”
4. Staged events - to catch public attn and provide discussion - Boston Tea Party
5. Getting your side of the story to the public first so that your version becomes the accepted one - Boston Massacre
6. Sustained saturation campaign - to penetrate all channels of communication

Question 15

1. The first business to use PR
2. The first corporate public relations department
3. The first presidential campaign & creation of presidential press secretary

Answer 15

1. Banks
2. George Westinghouse
3. Andrew Jackson & Amos Kendall (“Kitchen Cabinet”)

Question 16

Who is Arthur Page?

Answer 16

His PR philosophy:

• insisted on having a voice in policy
• company’s performance would determine its reputation
• first to use science and public opinon polling as basis for planning and evaluating

Question 17

What was Bernay’s three stages of American history that influenced PR development?

Answer 17

Public-be-damned - after Civil War until 1900

Public-be-informed - early 20th century seedbed era

Mutual understanding - after WWI