Edward L. Bernays is often referred to as the “Father of Modern Public Relations.” What innovative methods and approaches did Bernays implement into his PR campaigns? Illustrate your response with specific examples of Bernays’ work.

What will be an ideal response?

Bernays believed that PR was most effective when social science and behavioral psychology were leveraged to develop campaigns. He was one of the first to emphasize identifying your target audience, conducting research to listen to and understand their views and then tailoring your message accordingly.
As his campaigns demonstrate, Bernays was an innovator and a creative genius. For the Ivory Soap brand, he created a children’s soap carving contest that sold millions of bars of soap. For a campaign for American Tobacco, he hired fashion models to smoke in public (then considered taboo for women) during a New York parade.