By Skyler Black, Senior Account Executive

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Just a month ago, I had the pleasure of flying from our home base in Columbus, Ohio, to New York for a week of reporter connects, in-person media events, and S9 team bonding. A true highlight of my time in the Big Apple was visiting the PR Museum with the team, nestled right along the East River in FiDi (that’s the Financial District for you tourists). There, I learned about the fascinating life of Edward “Eddie” Bernays, the “Father of PR,” and the evolution of the industry over the century. Below, I’ve detailed the most interesting facets of Eddie’s life I learned:

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Eddie’s Freudian Influence

One of the most fascinating facts about Eddie was that he was related to renowned psychiatrist Sigmund Freud. Eddie was Freud’s “double nephew,” which means Eddie was related to both sides of Freud’s family. They held a close relationship over the years, maintained by hundreds of letters and Eddie’s curiosity in Freud’s work, particularly for his theories on the buried human impulses that drive behavior. 

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Eddie attributed much of his PR philosophy to his uncle’s work, truly understanding the psychological currents beneath the surface and the emotions that drive people’s decisions. It’s what made his campaigns so successful, aligning his clients’ interests with those of the public.

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PR: Mr. President, Meet the Public

Eddie worked on several political campaigns, most notably Calvin Coolidge’s in 1924. Coolidge was widely believed to be a cold, stern man—a true, frigid New Englander; Alice Roosevelt Longworth publicly said he was “weaned on a pickle.” Eddie knew that asking Americans to believe in a prudish president was a lost cause, so he sought to turn the tide on Coolidge’s reputation.

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What’s the human personification of glee, warmth and extroversion? Broadway actors.

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Eddie shared his idea with Coolidge and his team: invite popular stage actors to the White House for breakfast. Al Jolson, the Dolly Sisters, Charlotte Greenwood, and more attended this event, garnering national attention and favorable coverage.

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At all newsstands near you, on the front page of Saturday’s news: “President Nearly Laughs.” You can lead a horse to water, right?

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Don Draper = Eddie Bernays?

If you’re a Mad Man fanatic like me, you know the iconic first episode and Draper’s stroke of genius: “It’s toasted!” Imagine my delight to find the original ad from Lucky Strike pinned to the wall of the museum, later to learn that the campaign was inspired by Eddie’s work with the American Tobacco Company. 

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President of American Tobacco George Washington Hill came to Eddie with a request: distinguish Lucky Strike from Camels and Chesterfields. Eddie knew the truth—that all cigarettes were created the same way—but he also knew that the public didn’t know that. Leveraging this knowledge gap, Eddie’s team made the toasting process sound special and unique to Lucky Strike. You can see this play out in the dramatic AMC pilot.

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Eddie was known for creative ideas that took shape over the course of months or even years; in a lot of ways, Don Draper’s marketing approach reflects the PR prowess Eddie had: bold, big, and iconic.

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It’s Not Easy Being Green

His work with Lucky Strike didn’t end with the clever “toasted” campaign. Before “butter yellow” and the era of “millennial pink,” green was the “it” color in fashion, thanks in part to Eddie’s efforts to make cigarettes fashionable. In the 1930s, Bernays sought to better understand why women weren’t picking up Lucky Strikes, which he discovered was due to the bold red and green packaging that clashed with the clothes of the time.

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He couldn’t change the branding, but he could change wardrobe trends. In 1934, he devised a plan to make green chic with “The Green Ball,” a take on the annual ball at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel hosted by New York City debutantes, a leading women’s group who were the influencers of the time. If they wore green, every woman in America would wear green. He worked with leading designers in Paris to provide green gowns for the event, while also cluing major fashion houses and department stores in on the ball’s anticipated standout looks; Macy’s, Gimbels, and Saks all donned their store windows in green attire. He also created a Color Fashion Bureau to weigh in on fashion trends in the press, naturally positioning green as the trend of the season. By the time the ball came, green was already in style. Here’s a passage from the New York Times Social News in 1934:

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“In a setting of splendor and beauty, the Green Ball of Art and Fashion was held last night in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria, with more than 1,000 persons in attendance. The ball, proceeds of which go to the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, derived its name from the color which dominates its motif and chosen because it is a favorite color of the season.”

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WWEBD (What Would Edward Bernays Do?)

I learned about Eddie’s life and PR pursuits not only through the PR Museum’s founder, Shelly Spector, who knew Eddie as a personal friend, but also via the museum’s newest technological rollout, “Ask Eddie.”

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A large-language AI model built from the archives of Eddie’s letters, work, and video interviews, “Ask Eddie” allows anyone to either speak or type a question to “Eddie,” to which the model will respond in the likeness of Eddie’s voice.

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Shelly herself noted how uncanny the model’s voice and responses were to her friend, who passed away at age 103 in 1995. It was truly surreal to talk to this model and experience it alongside my S9ers.

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If you’re interested in further learning Eddie’s Freudian ties, cigarette campaigns or his work with bacon, hats and soap — well don’t ask me, Ask Eddie. 

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Special thanks to Shelly and her team for spending a few hours with us to share their PR experience and knowledge of the industry. I am so thankful for PRSA’s commitment to preserve the history of PR with Eddie Bernays’ work, and their open invitation to all to come learn. Until next time, NYC!