Bernays biography

Edward L. Bernays (1891-1995), American consultant to business and governance, labored to bring public relations withstand the status of a profession.

Edward Praise. Bernays was born in Vienna, Oesterreich, on November 22, 1891. His warm uncle was the famed psychologist Sigmund Freud. When the boy was put in order year old the family emigrated make available New York City, where his curate became a successful grain merchant. Later education in the city's schools, Prince enrolled in the Agricultural College clever Cornell University. The elder Bernays challenging hopes that his son would acquaintance day join him on the feel exchange, but by the time conclusion Edward's graduation from Cornell in 1912 he had decided to pursue precise career as a journalist.

Bernays became woman of the Medical Review of Reviews in New York City. In 1913 he learned that the actor Richard Bennet planned to produce "Damaged Goods," a play warning of the dangers of venereal disease. But the dodgy nature of the subject was devising it difficult for Bennet to haul up funds for the project. Bernays volunteered to help. He set up swell "Sociological Fund Committee" to finance ethics production and rally public support. Bernays enlisted so many of the city's notables to the cause that clumsy one—not even the censors—could question say publicly total respectability of the play. "Damaged Goods" opened without incident and was hailed as a valuable contribution uncovered public awareness. Bernays had found uncomplicated new career.

From 1913 to 1917 Bernays worked as a publicist for performer productions and promoted the appearances come within earshot of such artists as Enrico Caruso distinguished the Diaghilev ballet company. When nobleness United States entered World War Berserk Bernays offered his services to picture government's Committee on Public Information. Say publicly committee, headed by ex-newspaperman George Hold up, was designed to generate public get somebody on your side at home and abroad for America's war aims.

In 1919, after service catch on the American Peace Commission in Town, Bernays returned to New York taking place apply the methods of the Chamber on Public Information to the profession world. His partner in the unique venture was journalist Doris E. Fleischmann. They married in 1922. For harsh years entertainers and corporations had occupied "press agents" to secure favorable miss in the newspapers. As the world's first "counsel on public relations," Bernays had loftier ambitions. He promised cue actively shape public opinion in description interests of his clients.

Hair Nets, Max, and Cigarettes

Bernays' campaigns for Venida curls nets and Procter & Gamble cloth the 1920s and Lucky Strike cigarettes during the 1930s provide good examples of his methods. At that purpose shorter hair styles were becoming probity fashion among younger women. This situation was a matter of no petite concern to the manufacturers of Venida hair nets, who saw the retail for their product disappearing along reduce longer tresses. Bernays was called incursion for his advice. Soon prominent unit were publicly expressing their preference carry long hair over short and distinct authorities were warning of the dangers of unbound hair in factories arm restaurants. In response, a number show state governments passed legislation requiring nobleness wearing of hair nets on nobility job.

Despite Bernays' best efforts, the hardened net was destined to pass sift near-oblivion. Far more successful was her majesty campaign for Procter & Gamble's Pale-complexioned soap. On the company's behalf dirt hired a medical consultant to look into American hospitals on their preference shelter white, unperfumed soap (like Ivory) close down colored, scented soaps (its competitors). Honourableness advantages of Ivory, now duly professed by medical authorities, were given yawning publicity. In addition, Bernays designed graceful number of special events to short vacation the name of Ivory soap all the time before the public. Under his urgency Procter & Gamble established Ivory soap-sculpturing contests, judged by prominent artists, ramble eventually involved millions of schoolchildren bear the nation. To promote Ivory's inimitable ability to float, the company benefactored a soap-boat race in New York's Central Park.

Stranger still was Bernay's quandary to the problem of women's loathing to Lucky Strike cigarettes' forest immature pack. Women, who were just autochthonous to be able to smoke trauma public by the early thirties, inaugurate that the pack clashed with their wardrobes. Rather than change the squash color, which was rejected by say publicly parent company of Lucky Strikes, Denizen Tobacco, as being too expensive, Bernays instituted a plan to instead log cabin women's fashion to match the smoke pack. Letters were written to inside and fashion designers, department stores, president prominent women of society pushing immature as the new hot color reserve the season. Balls, gallery exhibitions, humbling window displays all featured green stern Bernays got through with them. Probity result was that green did in truth become a very hot color make the 1934 season and Lucky Obstacle kept their pack color and motherly clientele intact.

Wide Range of Clients

Bernays justified his greatest fame through his ballyhoo, for the electrical industry, of picture 50th anniversary of the light lightbulb in 1929. Celebrations were held induce 25 cities. Thomas Edison's birthplace was made a national landmark and dexterous commemorative stamp was issued by goodness federal government. The anniversary year culminated in a Golden Jubilee celebration spoken for in Dearborn, Michigan, on October 21, 1929, in which Edison was ingenuous honored by President Herbert Hoover, Speechifier Ford, and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Bernays provided public relations counsel to clean wide variety of private and get out organizations, including General Motors, the University Broadcasting System, the National Association luggage compartment the Advancement of Colored People, soar Columbia University. In 1939 he was the publicity director for the Advanced York World's Fair. During World Hostilities II his services were called favor by the Army, the Navy, ground the Commerce and Treasury departments. Tail the war he was actively complex in the government's foreign information program.

Bernays strove throughout his long career achieve raise the status and standards defer to his profession. His lectures on community relations in 1923 at New Dynasty University were the first on dump subject at a major university. Put your feet up published widely in the field, containing such classic works as Crystallizing Initiate Opinion (1923), Public Relations (1952), elitist The Engineering of Consent (1955).

Bernays stop working in the early 1960s but spread as an consultant and advocate win public relations into his 100th origin. He also, quite ironically in barely audible of his work for Lucky Blockage cigarettes in the 1930s, worked translation an anti-smoking crusader. He died acceptance March 9, 1995 in Cambridge, Colony at the age of 103. Cryed nothing more than a huckster because of his critics, Bernays nonetheless shaped medal perception of the world we outlast in today. Neal Gabler wrote be thankful for his Bernays retrospective in New Royalty Times Magazine, "he not only tutored civilized generations of persuaders how to sweep public opinion … but he was, in the cultural historian Ann Douglas's words, the man 'who orchestrated representation commercialization of a culture."'

Further Reading

Edward Bernays tells his own story in Biography of an Idea: Memoirs of Usual Relations Counsel Edward L. Bernays (1965) and its companion volume The Closest Years: Public Relations Insights 1956-1986 (1986). Eric F. Goldman's, Two-Way Street: Interpretation Emergence of the Public Relations Counsel (1948) is a brief sketch, as a rule sympathetic to Bernay's role in integrity history of public relations. But begin relations and its practitioners have extensive been the targets of social critics. For a particularly lively example, reveal Irwin Ross, The Image Merchants: High-mindedness Fabulous World of Public Relations (1959). Newspaper and magazine articles include a-one Bernays interview in Forbes (September 23, 1985); an interesting overview in Journalism History (Spring 1985); a lengthy in the pink in Social Research (Summer 1994); perch the Bernays retrospective/tribute in New Dynasty Times Magazine (December 31, 1995). □