If you are familiar with the early public relations campaigns of the 20th century, you already know what I'm talking about. The entire concept of public relations seems to have begun with an understanding of human psychology and ways to influence it.
Meet Edward Bernays, the greatest publicist ever and the father of public relations, according to many history books. It is a lesser-known fact that Bernays was Sigmund Freud's nephew and applied Freud's theories about the irrational, unconscious motives that shape human behaviour to public relations. One of the earliest executions of this theory changed the American breakfast forever.
In a time when Americans on the run grabbed a light breakfast of toast and coffee, the Beech-Nut Packing Company, a bacon manufacturer, approached Bernays to help it sell more bacon. Bernays sent out letters to 5,000 physicians asking them just one question: "Which is healthier ― a light breakfast or a hearty one?" Around 4,500 physicians replied that a hearty breakfast was obviously healthier.
Armed with this research finding, Bernays ran an educational campaign with his own version of what makes a breakfast hearty: bacon and eggs. He redefined not only the product, but also the whole way America thought about breakfast. Newspapers wrote about it, people bought into it, and that's apparently how the all-American breakfast was born.
Many rightly denounced Bernays' use of psychology to scientifically manipulate public behaviour as sordid propaganda. To be honest, I do too. But the fact remains that understanding human psyche does help cater to the articulated and unarticulated needs of consumers.
Public relations has thankfully come a long way from being branded as propaganda to information sharing and fair persuasion. It has come a long way from manipulating to enlightening consumers and encouraging choice. And now more than ever, understating consumer psyche and the ecosystems they create around themselves, play a significant role in devising ways to reach them. The fact that traditional dependency on demographic data has given way to targeting consumer groups based on their common interests and needs (read Facebook) is testimony to my belief that the "P" in PR also stands for Psychology.
~ Akshata Kalyanpur, Consultant, Technology Practice, GCI Canada