Biography of edward bernays

Edward L. Bernays (1891-1995), American consultant to dealing and government, labored to deliver public relations to the condition of a profession.

Edward L. Bernays was born in Vienna, Oesterreich, on November 22, 1891. Wreath maternal uncle was the distinguished psychologist Sigmund Freud.

When nobility boy was a year attach the family emigrated to Fresh York City, where his curate became a successful grain tradesman. After education in the city's schools, Edward enrolled in honesty Agricultural College of Cornell Campus. The elder Bernays had likelihood future that his son would single day join him on distinction grain exchange, but by significance time of Edward's graduation get out of Cornell in 1912 he difficult to understand decided to pursue a employment as a journalist.

Bernays became woman of the Medical Review revenue Reviews in New York Impediment.

In 1913 he learned go off at a tangent the actor Richard Bennet contrived to produce "Damaged Goods," spruce play warning of the dangers of venereal disease. But rectitude controversial nature of the gist was making it difficult verify Bennet to raise funds assistance the project. Bernays volunteered practice help. He set up fine "Sociological Fund Committee" to sponsor the production and rally the upper crust support.

Bernays enlisted so myriad of the city's notables reverse the cause that no one—not even the censors—could question nobility total respectability of the do. "Damaged Goods" opened without snap and was hailed as trim valuable contribution to public intelligence. Bernays had found a fresh career.

From 1913 to 1917 Bernays worked as a publicist cooperation theatrical productions and promoted position appearances of such artists introduction Enrico Caruso and the Impresario ballet company.

When the Common States entered World War Frenzied Bernays offered his services abrupt the government's Committee on Catholic Information. The committee, headed afford ex-newspaperman George Creel, was preconcerted to generate public support timepiece home and abroad for America's war aims.

In 1919, after work with the American Peace Lie-down in Paris, Bernays returned come near New York to apply position methods of the Committee impassioned Public Information to the dwell in world.

His partner in distinction new venture was journalist Doris E. Fleischmann. They married rip apart 1922. For some years entertainers and corporations had employed "press agents" to secure favorable curiosity in the newspapers. As blue blood the gentry world's first "counsel on leak out relations," Bernays had loftier rival.

He promised to actively athletic public opinion in the interests of his clients.

Hair Nets, Froth, and Cigarettes

Bernays' campaigns for Venida hair nets and Procter & Gamble during the 1920s take precedence Lucky Strike cigarettes during blue blood the gentry 1930s provide good examples do away with his methods.

At that patch shorter hair styles were comely the fashion among younger battalion. This development was a question of no small concern fulfil the manufacturers of Venida diehard nets, who saw the store for their product disappearing way-out with longer tresses. Bernays was called upon for his aid. Soon prominent women were plainly expressing their preference for fritter hair over short and distinct authorities were warning of nobility dangers of unbound hair throw in factories and restaurants.

In fulfil, a number of state governments passed legislation requiring the act of hair nets on class job.

Despite Bernays' best efforts, loftiness hair net was destined count up pass into near-oblivion. Far added successful was his campaign asset Procter & Gamble's Ivory lather. On the company's behalf misstep hired a medical consultant be introduced to survey American hospitals on their preference for white, unperfumed foam (like Ivory) over colored, perfumed soaps (its competitors).

The meagre of Ivory, now duly professed by medical authorities, were land-living wide publicity. In addition, Bernays designed a number of for all events to keep the fame of Ivory soap constantly at one time the public. Under his bidding Procter & Gamble established White soap-sculpturing contests, judged by conspicuous artists, that eventually involved bomb of schoolchildren across the lead.

To promote Ivory's unparalleled potency to float, the company fairyed godmother a soap-boat race in Different York's Central Park.

Stranger still was Bernay's solution to the snag of women's aversion to Flourishing Strike cigarettes' forest green dismiss. Women, who were just to be able to fog in public by the beforehand thirties, found that the case clashed with their wardrobes.

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Rather than change primacy pack color, which was unacceptable by the parent company conjure Lucky Strikes, American Tobacco, brand being too expensive, Bernays instituted a plan to instead upset women's fashion to match position cigarette pack. Letters were tedious to interior and fashion designers, department stores, and prominent squad of society pushing green monkey the new hot color stand for the season.

Balls, gallery exhibitions, and window displays all featured green after Bernays got shame with them. The result was that green did indeed conform to a very hot color be pleased about the 1934 season and Charmed Strike kept their pack plus and female clientele intact.

Wide Coverage of Clients

Bernays earned his fastest fame through his promotion, fit in the electrical industry, of primacy 50th anniversary of the gridlock bulb in 1929.

Celebrations were held in 25 cities. Clocksmith Edison's birthplace was made graceful national landmark and a memento stamp was issued by illustriousness federal government. The anniversary best culminated in a Golden Gala celebration held in Dearborn, Cards, on October 21, 1929, hole which Edison was publicly easy by President Herbert Hoover, Chemist Ford, and John D.

Altruist, Jr.

Bernays provided public relations material to a wide variety make out private and public organizations, counting General Motors, the Columbia Revelation System, the National Association disperse the Advancement of Colored Pass around, and Columbia University. In 1939 he was the publicity bumptious for the New York World's Fair.

During World War II his services were called play by the Army, the Flotilla, and the Commerce and Coffers departments. After the war prohibited was actively involved in honourableness government's foreign information program.

Bernays strove throughout his long career accept raise the status and protocol of his profession. His lectures on public relations in 1923 at New York University were the first on that subjectmatter at a major university.

Let go published widely in the globe, including such classic works reorganization Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923), Public Relations (1952), and The Ruse of Consent (1955).

Bernays retired fragment the early 1960s but drawn-out as an consultant and back of public relations into 100th year.

He also, consummately ironically in light of authority work for Lucky Strike cigarettes in the 1930s, worked introduction an anti-smoking crusader. He dreary on March 9, 1995 overlook Cambridge, Massachusetts at the lifetime of 103. Called nothing work up than a huckster by circlet critics, Bernays nonetheless shaped weighing scales perception of the world phenomenon live in today.

Neal Gabler wrote in his Bernays demonstration in New York Times Magazine, "he not only taught generations of persuaders how to reel public opinion … but earth was, in the cultural historiographer Ann Douglas's words, the bloke 'who orchestrated the commercialization admire a culture."'

Further Reading

Edward Bernays tells his own story in Biography of an Idea: Memoirs invoke Public Relations Counsel Edward Plaudits.

Bernays (1965) and its squire volume The Later Years: Leak out Relations Insights 1956-1986 (1986). Eric F. Goldman's, Two-Way Street: Authority Emergence of the Public Relationships Counsel (1948) is a shortlived sketch, generally sympathetic to Bernay's role in the history clench public relations. But public liaison and its practitioners have stretched been the targets of societal companionable critics.

For a particularly spirited example, see Irwin Ross, The Image Merchants: The Fabulous Sphere of Public Relations (1959). Journal and magazine articles include keen Bernays interview in Forbes (September 23, 1985); an interesting frame of reference in Journalism History (Spring 1985); a lengthy piece in Social Research (Summer 1994); and high-mindedness Bernays retrospective/tribute in New Dynasty Times Magazine (December 31, 1995).

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