Public Relations History Research Articles

Corporate communication: identity, image and reputation

Corporate communication represents an evolving area of study within the increasing puzzle of global growth in the 21st century. The theoretical history of public relations originated in North America and the UK pre the ubiquitous presents of technology and the internet. Since the 1950s numerous approaches and models of corporate communication have emerged. The focus of this study is to contribute to the development of a new theory of corporate constructs of identity, image and reputation, formulating competitive advantage with strategy formulation, within the framework of the new political economy – these economies do not operate in a vacuum and cannot; the economies of scale are directly interrelated as a global society.

Structure and Development of the Public Relations Agency Industry in the United States: Operational Structure, Clients, Fees, and Talent

Any examination of the history, dynamics, and role of public relations and communication management consulting would be incomplete without an assessment of the structure and development of the public relations agency industry. This article provides a detailed look at how public relations is defined, regardless of what it might be called, along an assessment of the history and development of the public relations agency industry in the United States. In addition, the article provides detailed information about the organizational structure of public relations firms, agency clients, fees charged by these firms, the role played by global holding companies along with an explanation about talent and staffing challenges.

From the Last Frontier to the new Cosmopolitan: A history of casino public relations in Las Vegas

This research examines the use of public relations by the casino gaming industry in Las Vegas, NV. Many are familiar with Las Vegas's extraordinary growth into a tourist destination and cultural icon, but few realize that public relations played a significant part in promoting this growth. Based on archival research, this paper identifies ways in which public relations activities – even when not identified by that particular title – played a role in advancing Las Vegas's casinos into the modern era of corporate ownership and international prominence.

Historic evolution of public relations in Japan

This study follows the history of public relations in Japan. Meiji restoration in 1867 marked the beginning of modernization of Japan, but as democratization did not accompany modernization, the country was void of autonomous public. The birth of public relations department, though not in the mainland Japan, can be traced back to the 1920s at South Manchurian Railroad in Japan-controlled-Manchuria. After the World War II, the U.S. led Allied Occupation Army urged national and local government to adopt public relations. Shortly afterwards, ad agencies learned from the U.S. the use of public relations, but as marketing gained ground, public relations came to be used as marketing support tool. Criticism of environmental pollution in the 1970s, overseas expansion of businesses in the 1980s, collapse of bubble economy and business crises in the 1990s and onward, each drove public relations in Japan to increase its importance and expand its field.The Great East Japan Earthquake revealed that some of the problems with organizational communication in Japan have not changed over time. However, it also showed the emergent use of social network in Japan as well as the possible formulation of public in the country.

Milestones in Turkish public relations history

This study aims to mention the most important events, cases and names that have had an impact on the public relations profession in Turkey within historically-divided developmental periods between 1920 and 2012. While forming the historical periods into sub-phases, socio-political and economical contexts are considered. Three separate periods are named: antecedents, emergence and developmental. Concerning these periods, the applicability of Grunig and Hunt's (1984) four models of PR is discussed within a Turkish context, and it is concluded that the typology does not totally fit into Turkish PR history.

Merkez ve Doğu Avrupa’da halkla ilişkiler uygulamaları: Romanya örneği

It's almost impossible to define a single public relations history since the the economic, politic developments, legislative and political structures and historical contexes of nations differ in various ways. In Eastern Europe, the emergence of public relations and the purposes it serves branched in different ways as a result of the communist regime and began evolving in post-communist period. In this context, analyzes of public relations practices in Eastern Europe is important in terms of pointing out that different different public relations might exist and/or evolve in different structures and cultures.In this study, the concept of international public relations is discussed at the first stage and the Central and Eastrn European countries are considered in the light of Hofstede's culturel values. The formation and development stages of public relations the countries mentioned before are analyzed in Romania sample using case study method.

Institutionalizing government public relations in Romania after 1989

Public relations are a new profession in Romania, an Eastern European former communist country which changed to a democratic regime in December 1989. It is generally considered to have emerged after 1990, although publicity and political propaganda preceded it (Rogojinaru in Sriramesh and Verčič, 2009, p. 553). Although the Romanian practice of public relations evolved and developed quickly aligning with the international practice, several campaigns and programs receiving awards during the last editions of IPRA Golden World Awards, SABRE Awards, Cannes Lions Awards or European Excellence Awards, there is still very little focus on research and theory. Thus, there is no major study on the history of public relations in Romania prior to 1989 to either confirm or challenge the conclusion of Grunig, Grunig and Verčič (2004) that there was no public relations in Eastern Europe before 1989 because the concept was not acceptable for socialism (p. 137). Even after 1989 while there is a growing body of literature on public relations in general published in Romanian, few studies addressed Romanian public relations which are more frequently described in practice than researched from the viewpoint of public relations theory. This exploratory research aims at identifying the characteristics of government public relations in Romania in 2011, the main stages in institutionalizing government public relations after 1989 and correlates them with the general evolution of public relations in Romania between 1989 and 2011.

Frank Capra's Why We Fight and film documentary discourse in public relations

This article analyzes the influence of Archibald MacLeish's “strategy of truth” and the principles of the Government Information Manual for the Motion Picture Industry in the production of Frank Capra's documentary series Why We Fight. One of the main contributions of this research is to show how this series is the most important example of the application of the strategy of truth and, at the same time, one of the main examples of public relations audiovisual product realized to be addressed to American Army as well to the American public opinion. It is argued that Capra's Why We Fight made a substantial and long-lasting contribution to public relations, particularly in terms of its discourse and the use of analepsis has PR narrative resource. Overall, the article positions Why We Fight as one of the greatest efforts ever made in the history of military public relations.

Privileging an activist vs. a corporate view of public relations history in the U.S.

This article elaborates on the argument that the history of U.S. public relations has been distorted by the emphasis on corporate functions of public relations. The dominant corporate-centric view of U.S. public relations history often claim that public relations developed as a response to activists who attempted to interfere with business operations. That myopic, corporate-centric view has perpetuated a negative view of public relations as merely a tool of “big business”. In the past as well as the present, corporations have been learning from and co-opting activists’ innovative public relations techniques. By alternatively grounding U.S. public relations history in the works of activists, we open possibilities for re-imagining the field and legitimizing activists’ works as a positive, central component in public relations theory and research. We end by providing resources educators can utilize to teach a more balanced view of public relations history in the U.S.

The origins and early developments of public relations in post‐war Italy, 1945‐1960

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the emergence and development of public relations in Italy between 1945 and 1960. Its aim is to examine the main actors (corporate and political) involved in the process, how they were influenced by the USA and the emergence of professional associations devoted to expanding the fieldDesign/methodology/approachThe paper is based on research conducted in US and Italian archives and libraries. It analyzes primary sources concerning corporations, government agencies and professional associations involved in promoting public relations in post‐war Italy, such as the United States Information Service, Standard Oil (NJ), Fiat, Piaggio, Olivetti, Pirelli, Intersind.FindingsThis paper argues that the introduction of public relations in postwar Italy was strongly influenced by US companies and government agencies, which had a considerable impact on the emergence of professional associations. It also looks at the specific Italian definitions of public relations and points out that in Italy the field of public relations emphasized the importance of “style” and culture over that of marketing, and was often carried out by an array of “humanists” (poets, graphic designers, and writers).Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first studies about the history of public relations in Italy. It points out the peculiarity of the Italian case, by showing the intersection between the terms “propaganda” and “public relations” in a country that had experienced 20 years of Fascist rule.

A history of Republican public relations in Northern Ireland from “Bloody Sunday” to the “Good Friday Agreement”

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the public relations strategies of the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and their political wing Sinn Féin, throughout the historical period known as the Northern Ireland “Troubles”.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses semi‐structured élite interviews as its primary data. The study structures a historical account of the development of republican public relations around three main phases: the “propaganda of the deed” phase; the development of political public relations phase; and the peace process phase.FindingsMuch previous research traces a common trajectory for terrorist organisations, where they begin with large‐scale “propaganda of the deed” activities, and then move toward more typical PR activities when their “message” begins to be heard. The findings suggest that this is only partially true for the republican movement. Previous research also claims that peace settlements virtually never acknowledge the demands of terrorist groups. However, the findings indicate that the republican movement, via the use of skilful public relations techniques and disciplined internal organisational communication, pushed itself to the forefront and remained central in the efforts to develop a peace process.Research limitations/implicationsThe study draws on interview data with a small group (six) of republican strategists, all of whom where involved in some capacity in public relations activities. While it is not claimed that they represent the views of the whole republican movement on the issues discussed, they do arguably represent the views of a “dominant coalition”. Future research could usefully investigate the public relations of power sharing since the Good Friday Agreement.Originality/valuePrevious approaches to analysing the subject of public relations and terrorism have tended to regard it as an activity engaged in by psychopaths or criminals. This paper's starting‐point is to problematise this definition of “terrorism” and at the same time widen the application of the term to include State actors. In this regard, it is in opposition to much current Western media, governmental and academic usage of the term. This research also differs from most other studies of terrorism in the public relations literature, in that it uses élite interviews as its primary source of data.

Histories of public relations

PurposeThis paper seeks to compare different national PR histories in order to unfold the degree of abstract reflection in PR history writing. It aims to provide some suggestions for a future PR historiography, based on this comparison.Design/methodology/approachThe paper compares British, German, and US American PR historiography. The study is based on a comparison of 36 PR histories. A triple matrix of theoretization is used in order to differentiate the histories.FindingsWithin the comparison American PR historiography accounts for 24 public relations history approaches, whereas Great Britain (1) and Germany (11) offer fewer histories. However, this richness in quantity does not lead to theoretical diversification. Owing to the paradigmatic obligation to a progressivist understanding, American PR historiography actually entails only one theoretic approach, while its German equivalent includes three different theoretic approaches and British PR historiography – being at its start – at least contains one explicitly non‐progressivist, methodologically well‐informed, fact‐oriented example. Paradoxically, the prevailing American PR historiography, on the one hand, conceptualizes PR as a modern phenomenon but, on the other hand, claims even ancient beginnings.Research limitations/implicationsThe corpus of analysis contains only studies that attempt to supply an encompassing overview of (national) PR history.Practical implicationsPublic relations managers may use these findings to achieve a more nuanced critical understanding of the history of their occupation, and thereby reflect on its current state, which may lead to intensified ethical endeavours.Originality/valueThe paper presents a pioneer systematic comparison of the three national PR histories, which may lead to enhanced national and general PR historiography. Another value is the establishment of a theoretically informed comparative measuring instrument, which (in future) can also be applied in order to compare and improve other national PR historiographies.

Apontamentos para uma história das Relações Públicas em Portugal

This text presents facts and memories about the history of Public Relations in Portugal. It is organized into six chapters presented thematically but not necessarily following a chronological sequence. Each of these, more or less detailed, presents the aspects considered the most relevant about this issue. Some chapters are based on documents others on memories of those who lived the events reported. This was a difficult task, especially because some of the older professionals no longer belong to this world and others have health problems which makes almost impossible the collection of these memories. The author also challenges the new Public Relations professionals to add some information in order to complete and continue these notes about the history of Public Relations in Portugal.

Shining a Calcium Light: The WCTU and Public Relations History

Annie Wittenmyer was elected the first president of the national Woman's Christian Temperance Union in 1874, followed by Frances Willard in 1879. Both came to the leadership as well-known Christian women, seasoned by a range of communication experiences and committed to temperance reform. Using their books and speeches as primary sources, this study examines how their faith influenced their communication strategies in conducting their advocacy work. Their ideas reflected principles of evangelicalism, home missionary work, and the Social Gospel, offering a new perspective on the role of religion in public relations history.

From the “strategy of truth” to the “weapon of truth”: The Government Information Manual for the Motion Picture Industry, 1942

The aim of this article is to advance in a hidden part of public relations history: the Archibald MacLeish's ‘strategy of truth’ and its implementation to film industry to influence American public opinion. The attempts during the Second World War to fight the enemy through factual propaganda also found, in the film industry, the ideal medium to offset the enemy's propagandising audiovisual products, particularly Nazi propaganda. For this reason, the government drew up the Government Information Manual for the Motion Picture Industry (1942) following the line established by the Office of Facts and Figures and Archibald MacLeish's ‘strategy of truth’. Thus, the Manual for the Motion Picture Industry became a good example of the use of ethical propaganda.

The Constructed Audience of JMC Textbooks and other Instructional Materials

is a term used, and a concept researched, by mass communication scholars to mean, essentially, whom media content is aimed at based on its content, both the subject matter and the nature. For example, the Flesch Reading Ease scale, developed in the 1940s, finds today that Associated Press copy and many elite U.S. newspapers and magazines are all written at a level requiring, on average, a year or two of college to read. Assuming that this reading level, which is controlled by writing style (sentence length, vocabulary size, etc.), is essentially intentional, then one can say that the writers have constructed an audience who not only is interested in reading about the subjects that the articles are about, but who have completed a year or two of college. Certainly, both easier and more difficult reading levels are being avoided, and, based on the consistency of this practice and the fact that many journalists are capable of writing at a higher level, suggest that it is intentional, not an accident or coincidence. Many published and unpublished studies have been done about journalism textbooks. Most recently, Timothy P. Vos presented a paper, by the Book: Epistemological Significance of News Forms, at the 2008 International Communication Association convention. In 2006, Marie Hardin, Julie E. Dodd, and Kimberly Lauffer published, Passing It On: Reinforcement of Male Hegemony in Sports Journalism Textbooks, in Mass Communication S- Society, and in 2005, Jon Bekken published, The invisible enemy: Representing labour in a corporate media order, in Javnost-The Public. In 2001, Hardin and Ann Preston published, Inclusion of Disability Issues in News Reporting Textbooks, in this journal, and Joseph A. Mirando published, Embracing Objectivity Early On: Journalism Textbooks of the 1800s, in Journal of Mass Media Ethics. Mirando also published in JMMEm 1998, Lessons on ethics in news reporting 1867-1997. In 2000, Bonnie S. Brennen published, the hacks say: ideological prism of U.S. journalism textbooks, in Journalism. In this journal, Jane S. McConnell in 1999 published, American journalism textbooks and social responsibility, and Katherine E. Rowan in 1990 published a teaching tips article, New examples improve understanding of story types, which suggested that students be given stories to identify and analyze based on models in textbooks. Not just print journalism textbooks have been studied. In 2003, in this journal, Catherine Winter published, Learning to Do What Comes Naturally: Delivery Instruction in Broadcast News Textbooks. In 2007, Peggy Hoy, Oliver Raaz, and Stefan Wehmeier published, From facts to stories or from stories to facts? Analyzing public relations history in public relations textbooks, in Relations Review, and in 2006, Brigitta Brunner published in Relations Quarterly, Where are the Women? A Content Analysis of Introductory Relations Textbooks. In this journal, Lois A. Boynton and Cassandra Imfeld published in 2004, Virtual Issues in Traditional Texts: How Introductory Relations Textbooks Address Internet Technology Issues; Stanley L. Harrison in 1990 published, Ethics and moral issues in public relations curricula; and Pamela J, Creedon in 1989 published, Public relations history misses 'her story.' Marilyn Kern-Foxworth published in the Howard Journal of Communications, Ethnic inclusiveness in public relations textbooks and reference books, in 1990, and in 1989, in this journal, Public relations books fail to show women in context. In 1986, in Relations Review, Judy VanSlyke Turk and Debra L. Snedeker published, Intro Relations Texts: A Round-up Review. These examples and others indicate that journalism and mass communication as a discipline takes its own textbooks seriously enough to not only widely use them, but that the wide use means they should (and, obviously, can) be analyzed as artifacts of our teaching, our learning, the sociology of journalism, the culture of journalism education, the economics of textbook publishing, and more. …

Removing the Spin: Toward a New Theory of Public Relations History

PART I: OVERVIEW Introduction In the absence of a general theory that describes the rise and growth of public relations, scholars have tended to organize public relations and its antecedents into time periods that present a progressive evolution from unsophisticated and unethical early roots to planned, strategic, and ethical campaigns of the current day. We argue that such attempts at periodization have obscured our understanding of public relations and its history. Indeed, public relations historians have long called for such a departure, noting the constraints it has imposed on understanding the development of public relations in the United States and around the world (e.g., Brown, 2003; Gower, 2007, 2008 Hoy, Raaz, & Wehmeier, 2007 L'Etang, 2004, 2008; Lamme, 2003 McBride, 1989; Miller, 2000 Pearson, 1990; Piasecki, 2000 Toledano, 2005). We therefore analyzed scholarship about public relations (whether it is called publicity, press agentry, propaganda, or public relations) prior to 1900 to understand the growth of the in a variety of contexts and time periods. This is not an attempt to catalog additional antecedents to 20th century practices. Instead, this study seeks to break away from the misleading dependence on linear interpretations of the field's past and construct a broad, long-term view of the development and institutionalization of persuasive organizational communication strategies and techniques. In the process, we seek to correct misunderstandings about public relations history which have (mis)informed public relations theory for more than 20 years and to describe and understand the historical relationship between public relations, the mass media, and the historical contexts in which public relations emerged. By doing so, we seek to depart from what L'Etang (2008, p. 321) called the patterning, or colligation, of history, which can artificially inflate or diminish the historical role of people and events, and reappraise the criteria used to establish the meaning of value in the field (Creedon, 1989, p. 29). The effect of these efforts, then, will be to remove the spin - the conscious positioning of public relations history that has heretofore dominated scholarly understanding of the field's development. SIGNIFICANCE TO MASS COMMUNICATION Public relations history has been of great interest to disciplines lying outside the mass communication field, such as social history (Ewen, 1996; Pimlott, 1951), business history (Gras, 1945; Marchand, 1998, Raucher, 1968, Tedlow, 1979), political science (Maltese, 1992), cultural history (Leach, 1993), English (Davis, 2007), and history (Billington, 1978; Goldman, 1948, 1978; Nevins, 1963). Mass communication scholars also have contributed studies of significance to American public relations history, largely concerning the press and government (e.g., Cone, 2007; Lumsden, 2000; Oukrop, 1976; Streitmatter, 1990), religion (e.g., Ferre, 1993; Nord, 1984), and the advocacy press (e.g., Burt, 1998, 1999; Steiner, 1983; Folkerts, 1985). The latter, in particular, has been found to serve as a tool for community-building (Steiner, 1983; Folkerts, 1985), for enhancing a movement's legitimacy (Folkerts, 1985), for articulating a movement's message, for propagating a movement's mission, for recruiting, mobilizing, and sustaining support and membership (Burt, 2000, p. 73), and for serving as community bulletin boards (Burt, 1999, p. 39). Finally, three authors grounded in journalism have, to date, written the most extensively on three 20th century public relations pioneers: Hiebert (1966) on Ivy Lee, Tye (1998) on Edward L. Bernays, and Henry (1997, 1998, 1999) on Doris Fleischman. Within the public relations field, however, scholars have pursued new theoretical ground by looking outside the to apply multi-tiered analyses and frameworks (e.g., Brown, 2006; L'Etang, 2004; Miller, 2000; and Pearson, 1990). Others have considered public relations history in the context of ethics (McBride, 1989) and ethical propaganda (St. …

The Brewers and Public Relations History, 1909–1919

In 1909, the American brewing industry's trade association, the United States Brewers' Association, launched its first year book to serve as an educational resource for those concerned about temperance and prohibition. Over the next 10 years, these year books revealed communication efforts that more closely resembled a modern approach to influencing public sentiment, such as the consistent use of 4 key messages, research on local option persuasion campaigns, and a relationship-building outreach program in the form of the Barley Campaign. This study, then, not only contributes to the historical scholarship concerning the role of trade associations in public relations history, but, in its departure from the timeline approach to understanding the field's development, it also contributes to the ongoing theory building in public relations history.

Public Relations in Thailand: Getting through Turbulent Times in the Twenty-First Century

The ever-changing political, social and economic landscapes always influence the nature of public relations (PR) practice in any country. Thailand has a relatively long history of PR tradition in Southeast Asia. With the current changes in the country, it is necessary to re-examine the state of the field. This article identifies current critical issues facing PR practitioners in Thailand and the directions to which PR practices and education in the country should move towards. The paper first discusses a brief history of PR in the country until 2008 followed by factors hindering and supporting successful PR practices. Then, present political, social and economic issues influencing PR practices and education in Thailand are delineated. Finally, the article provides suggestions and implications for PR practitioners and educators in Thailand.

The Office of Facts and Figures: Archibald MacLeish and the “strategy of truth”

This paper presents a man and a stage seldom cited in the history of public relations—Archibald MacLeish and the Office of Facts and Figures, and his idea of “strategy of truth” as an ethical contribution of propaganda to facilitate the dialogue and debate which are necessary in democratic societies.