PR is older than your grandmother. And probably more influential than your favorite celebrity.
You've been influenced by public relations today. I guarantee it. And you didn't even notice.
That's the point.
Public relations operates in the background of modern life, shaping perceptions, building narratives, and influencing decisions in ways most people never recognize. The profession has a rich, surprising history-and knowing these fun facts about public relations gives you a new lens for understanding how the world really works.
PR Was Invented by Freud's Nephew
Edward Bernays, often called the "father of public relations," was literally the nephew of Sigmund Freud. And he used his uncle's psychological theories to create an entirely new industry.
Bernays believed that understanding human psychology was the key to influencing public opinion. He combined Freudian concepts about the unconscious mind with crowd psychology to develop what he called "the engineering of consent."
His most famous campaign? Convincing women to smoke cigarettes.
In 1929, cigarette companies wanted to tap the female market, but smoking in public was considered taboo for women. Bernays organized a group of women to march in the New York Easter Parade while smoking-which he called "torches of freedom." He framed smoking as a feminist statement of independence.
The stunt made international headlines. Smoking rates among women skyrocketed.
Bernays didn't just invent PR tactics. He invented the entire framework of using psychological manipulation for commercial purposes-for better or worse.
The Phrase "Public Relations" Was Created to Sound Less Manipulative
Early practitioners used terms like "propaganda" and "publicity" to describe their work. But after World War I, "propaganda" had developed negative connotations due to its association with wartime manipulation.
Practitioners needed a new term that sounded more neutral and professional. "Public relations" fit the bill-it implied relationship-building rather than manipulation.
The rebranding worked. Today, "PR" sounds legitimate while "propaganda" sounds sinister-even though the underlying techniques often overlap significantly.
This renaming was itself a PR campaign for the PR industry.
Bacon and Eggs: A PR Invention
The "traditional" American breakfast of bacon and eggs wasn't tradition at all. It was manufactured by Edward Bernays in the 1920s.
A pork company hired Bernays to increase bacon sales. Instead of advertising directly, he surveyed physicians about whether a hearty breakfast was healthier than a light one. The doctors agreed that a heavier breakfast provided more energy.
Bernays then publicized these findings with a specific recommendation: bacon and eggs as the ideal hearty breakfast. Newspapers covered the "medical study." Bacon sales increased dramatically.
A century later, we still associate bacon and eggs with breakfast-a "tradition" invented by a PR campaign.
Diamonds Weren't Always Valuable
De Beers' transformation of diamonds from moderately valued gemstones into symbols of eternal love represents perhaps the most successful PR campaign in history.
Before the 1930s, diamonds weren't particularly popular for engagement rings. Other gemstones were equally common. But De Beers controlled most of the world's diamond supply and needed to create demand.
Their PR campaign introduced several now-universal concepts:
"A Diamond Is Forever" (1948): This slogan suggested that diamonds, like love, are eternal. It also discouraged resale-which would flood the market and reduce prices.
The two-month salary guideline: PR efforts established that an engagement ring should cost two months' salary-an arbitrary standard that became perceived as tradition.
Celebrity placements: De Beers systematically placed diamonds on celebrities and in movies, associating the stones with glamour and romance.
Today, diamond engagement rings seem like timeless tradition. They're actually a 20th-century PR creation.
Crisis PR Is as Old as Ancient Rome
Modern crisis communications seem like a recent development, but leaders have been managing public perception through crises for millennia.
When Rome burned in 64 AD, Emperor Nero faced intense criticism. Rumors spread that he had started the fire-and famously "fiddled while Rome burned" (though fiddles hadn't been invented yet).
Nero responded with what we'd now recognize as crisis PR:
- He opened his palace gardens to displaced residents
- He provided food and shelter at his own expense
- He quickly began rebuilding
- He blamed Christians for the fire, deflecting attention from himself
Whether Nero's response was effective is debatable-the "fiddling" rumor persists two thousand years later-but the tactics are strikingly modern.
The Press Release Was Invented After a Train Crash
The press release as we know it was created in 1906 by Ivy Lee, another PR pioneer.
After a train crash killed fifty people, Lee convinced the Pennsylvania Railroad to issue a public statement rather than stonewalling journalists. He wrote a clear, factual account of what happened and distributed it to newspapers.
The New York Times printed Lee's statement word-for-word-the first time a corporate document was published as news content.
Lee had invented a format that would dominate corporate communications for over a century. Companies could now communicate directly with the public through the media, with journalists as willing intermediaries.
The Average Person Sees 4,000+ Ads Daily
This often-cited statistic includes all branded messages-not just traditional advertisements but also PR-influenced content, sponsored posts, product placements, and brand mentions.
The sheer volume makes individual messages forgettable. That's why PR focuses on repetition, emotional connection, and narrative-the techniques that cut through noise and stick in memory.
When you remember a brand or hold an opinion about a company, it's rarely because of a single message. It's because PR has ensured consistent exposure over time.
News Releases Are Mostly Ignored
Studies consistently show that journalists ignore the vast majority of press releases they receive. Some estimates suggest fewer than 3% of press releases result in any media coverage.
Yet companies send millions of press releases annually. Why?
Several reasons:
- Hope springs eternal
- Internal stakeholders expect press releases
- SEO value from online distribution
- Occasional hits justify continued effort
- "We have to do something"
The most effective PR practitioners know that relationships, timing, and news value matter far more than release volume.
PR People Outnumber Journalists
In the United States, PR practitioners outnumber journalists by approximately 6 to 1. That ratio has widened dramatically as newsrooms shrink and PR departments grow.
This imbalance affects information flow in important ways:
- More competition for journalist attention
- Greater reliance on PR-supplied content
- More sophisticated influence attempts
- Journalists stretched thinner across more sources
Some critics argue this shift has transferred significant agenda-setting power from journalists to PR professionals.
The "Third Party" Technique Dates to WWI
Getting others to say positive things about you is more persuasive than saying them yourself. PR professionals have known this for over a century.
During World War I, the Committee on Public Information (America's propaganda office) systematically recruited respected figures-academics, business leaders, clergy-to promote pro-war messages. These "third parties" were more credible than government officials.
The technique became a PR staple: find authoritative voices to carry your message. Today this includes:
- Analyst and expert quotes
- Influencer partnerships
- Customer testimonials
- Academic research funding
- Think tank relationships
When you see an "expert" quoted on a topic, consider who might benefit from their perspective.
Spin Doctors Got Their Name from Baseball
The term "spin" for manipulating perception comes from baseball, where pitchers use spin to make balls curve unpredictably.
In politics and PR, "spin" similarly describes making information move in desired directions-presenting facts in favorable frames, emphasizing certain aspects while downplaying others.
"Spin doctor" emerged in the 1980s to describe political PR specialists who crafted favorable interpretations of events. The term initially carried negative connotations but has become normalized.
Today, "putting spin on" something is acknowledged as standard PR practice rather than deception.
Most "Viral" Content Is Manufactured
Spontaneous viral content is rare. Most apparently organic viral moments involve careful orchestration:
- Seeding content with influencers
- Coordinated sharing by networks
- Paid amplification to reach threshold visibility
- Strategic timing aligned with cultural moments
- Manufactured controversy that generates shares
The illusion of organic popularity is itself manufactured. True virality is unpredictable; planned virality is systematic PR.
PR Invented the "Cool" Cigarette
Beyond Bernays' "torches of freedom," the entire association between cigarettes and coolness was systematically constructed through PR.
Campaigns strategically placed cigarettes with movie stars, associated smoking with sophistication and rebellion, and funded research downplaying health risks. For decades, this manufactured perception overrode growing evidence of harm.
The eventual reversal-making smoking uncool-required equally intensive counter-PR efforts, demonstrating that perceptions created by PR can be dismantled by PR.
The Word "Propaganda" Wasn't Always Negative
"Propaganda" originally meant any systematic effort to spread information. The term comes from the Catholic Church's "Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith" (1622), which spread Catholic doctrine.
The word only became pejorative after World War I, when government propaganda efforts were exposed and criticized. The negative association was so strong that PR practitioners adopted new terminology.
Today "propaganda" implies deception and manipulation, while "PR," "communications," and "marketing" sound professional. The activities often overlap significantly.
PR Shapes How We Understand Health
The health information landscape is heavily influenced by PR:
Pharmaceutical companies fund patient advocacy groups, medical research, and continuing education for doctors.
Food industry PR has shaped nutritional guidelines, often successfully delaying or diluting regulations.
Supplement companies use PR to promote products without making direct medical claims.
Hospitals and health systems use PR to build reputation and attract patients.
Even peer-reviewed research isn't immune-studies funded by industries with financial interests show systematic biases toward favorable conclusions.
The Average CEO Does PR Training
Media training for executives is standard practice at major companies. CEOs and spokespeople learn:
- Bridging techniques (pivoting from difficult questions)
- Message discipline (staying on key points)
- Body language management
- Crisis response protocols
- How to appear authentic while following scripts
When you watch an executive interview, you're usually seeing the result of extensive preparation and coaching-not spontaneous conversation.
PR Agencies Were Critical to War Efforts
PR firms have been directly involved in promoting wars:
- Hill & Knowlton's work promoting the Gulf War included the infamous (and fabricated) "incubator babies" testimony
- PR firms have represented foreign governments seeking U.S. military intervention
- Defense contractors employ extensive PR to shape public opinion on military spending
The relationship between PR, government, and military is far deeper than most people realize.
Fake Grassroots Has a Name: Astroturfing
When corporations create fake citizen movements, it's called "astroturfing"-artificial grass roots.
Examples include:
- Fake patient groups advocating for specific drugs
- Industry-funded "citizens' coalitions" opposing regulations
- Manufactured social media movements
- Staged protests with paid participants
Detecting astroturfing is difficult, which is why it remains a common PR tactic despite ethical concerns.
The Press Release Format Hasn't Changed in a Century
Despite dramatic changes in media, the basic press release format-headline, dateline, boilerplate, contact information-has remained essentially unchanged since Ivy Lee's innovation in 1906.
This persistence is remarkable given how much communication has evolved. Newspapers have declined, digital media has exploded, and social platforms have transformed information flow-yet the press release endures.
Whether this represents format effectiveness or professional inertia is debated. Many PR practitioners argue the format needs fundamental reinvention for modern media landscapes.
PR Success Is Often Invisible
The best PR doesn't look like PR. When campaigns work perfectly, audiences never realize they've been influenced.
You might believe:
- A product is popular (manufactured social proof)
- A company is ethical (reputation management)
- An issue matters (agenda setting)
- An expert is credible (third-party endorsement)
Without recognizing that these perceptions were strategically created.
The invisibility of successful PR makes it both powerful and ethically complex.
What These Facts Mean for You
Understanding how PR works doesn't make you immune to its effects-but it does help you evaluate information more critically.
When you encounter claims, stories, or perceptions, consider:
- Who benefits from this narrative?
- What's the source's relationship to the subject?
- Is this "news" or is it placed content?
- Who might be funding this research or advocacy?
- Does this feel manufactured?
PR isn't inherently good or bad. It's a set of techniques for influencing perception. Those techniques can serve legitimate goals (informing the public, correcting misinformation) or manipulative ones (deceiving consumers, manufacturing consent).
The fun facts about public relations aren't just trivia-they're windows into how modern perception is constructed. Understanding that construction helps you think more clearly about the information landscape you navigate every day.
And maybe think twice about that bacon and eggs.