Edward Bernays and the Birth of PR

Freud’s Nephew Invents PR

Edward Bernays (1891–1995) — the nephew of Sigmund Freud — created modern public relations as a profession and as a science. His book "Propaganda" (1928) opens provocatively: "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society."

Bernays applied Freudian analysis to mass communication: people make decisions based on emotions and subconscious desires, not rational calculation. Effective communication appeals to these subconscious forces, not to reason.

Bernays's key principle: "appeal to opinion leaders." To change the views of the masses, you do not need to persuade everyone — you need to persuade the "authorities" they trust. This is the "two-step flow" of communication (Lazarsfeld).

Bernays’s Cases

"Torches of Freedom" (1929): The American Tobacco Company wanted to open up the market of women smokers (which was considered indecent). Bernays organized a "protest" of suffragists smoking at the Easter Parade in New York — "torches of freedom." The media covered it as a feminist gesture. Sales of cigarettes to women rose.

"Bacon Breakfast" (1920s): American bacon and ham producers wanted to increase sales. Bernays organized a survey of 5,000 doctors: "Do you recommend a hearty breakfast to your patients?" The majority answered "yes." Newspaper headlines: "Doctors recommend a hearty breakfast." Bacon sales rose.

These are excellent examples of "authority rhetoric": not an argument in favor of bacon, but delegation of the argument to an authoritative source.

Question for reflection: Bernays’s techniques — appeal to authorities, creation of "events" for the media, appeal to subconscious desires — are alive in modern marketing and PR. How do you recognize them and how do you assess their ethics?