4 Reasons to be Grateful for Public Relations

With Thanksgiving this week, we thought it might be fun to share a few reasons we can be grateful for public relations:

Bacon: The breakfast staple was popularized by Edward Bernays, commonly referred to as the “father of public relations, who was hired in the 1920s to increase public consumption. His campaign focused on protein – and that protein in particular – as an option for breakfast, and we have been eating it ever since.

The Perm: The hair-curling system that what feels like every girl (this one included) born from 1960 to 1990 tried at least once, “The Perm” was popularized when Dan Edelman created the first-ever formal “media tour” to introduce the product behind the curling system to media outlets near and far. Fun fact, the original founders of the Public Relations Global Network were part of the Edelman Network of firms before launching the global network.

Safety Seals: In 1982, some monster, or group of monsters, opened Tylenol bottles on the store shelves and replaced the capsules with cyanide, leading to both death and a mass recall. In response to the heinous act, the Johnson & Johnson crisis response team not only created a 1-800 line, press conferences, and media tour, but also the safety seal in medical packaging we still use today, revealing it live on television to help put the world’s mind at ease.

The Disney Parks: While Disneyland and Disneyworld were certainly inspired by Walt Disney’s wish to bring parents and children alike in a safe place for merriment and fun, we all know (and I am fine with it, by the way!) they are a promotional tool for one of the biggest corporations in the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!