PR

1917–1989

Moss Hyles Kendrix was a public relations pioneer who left a lasting legacy and a major imprint on the way African Americans are portrayed in advertising. Entertainer Lena Horne was one of his close childhood friends. Kendrix later attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, a respected HBCU men’s college. He designed public relations and advertising campaigns that promoted African American visibility for news organizations, entertainers and corporations. His clients included Carnation, Ford Motor Company and The Coca-Cola Company. Kendrix educated his clients about the buying power of the African American consumer. He helped the U.S. realize African Americans were more complex than the derogatory images previously depicted in advertising. (Courtesy of Alexandria Black History Museum)

An Ice Bucket Makes a Viral Splash

What began as an offbeat exchange among friends was transformed through social media into a multi-faceted campaign that revolutionized fundraising as the Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $115 million for ALS. Initially, the association didn’t even know about it. But the challenge became an object lesson in the power of social media: When a cause “goes viral,” it can engage thousands or even millions of people.

Pro golfer Chris Kennedy was tagged by a friend to be in an ice bucket challenge. Participants had 24 hours to dunk themselves in ice water or give $100 to a charity of their choice (or they could do both).

Kennedy chose amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). On July 15, 2014, he poured a pail of ice over his head and posted the video on YouTube. He then challenged three friends, including his wife’s cousin, whose husband had the degenerative neurological disorder.

The challenge spread in upstate New York to the family and friends of Pat Quinn and then to Pete Frates, both of whom had ALS. Frates, a former captain of the Boston College baseball team, posted to a large following on Facebook with the hashtag #StrikeOutALS and #Quinnforthewin, sparking a phenomenon in Boston. By August 5, the ALS Association noticed a $50,000 bump in fundraising.

The spectacle was silly, heart-warming and very effective. The ALS Association sent out its first press release on August 12, expressing gratitude for the “compassion, generosity and sense of humor that people are exhibiting as they take part in this impactful viral initiative.”

Celebrities joined in. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg tagged Microsoft founder Bill Gates. “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon accepted the challenge from musician Justin Timberlake. New York Yankee Derek Jeter, actor Leonard DiCaprio, former President George W. Bush and even the animated hapless hero Homer Simpson all took part.

At its peak, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge generated 1,887 tweets per minute. More than 17 million people posted videos online. It raised more than $115 million for the ALS Association, which has used the money to fund research and services to patients.

From Crusades to Crisis

Communications— Corporate PR Flexes Its Muscles

CRITICAL MOMENTS, MAJOR MOVEMENTS AND PIVOTAL PEOPLE

The Tylenol Nightmare — A Master Class in Crisis Communications

A 12-year-old girl with a bothersome cold took a capsule of Extra-Strength Tylenol to get some relief. A 27-year-old postal worker felt chest pain and took a capsule. They were the first victims of a horrific product tampering.

Between Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting Tylenol capsules that had been laced with cyanide.

Robert Andrews, assistant director for public relations at Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of the maker of the top-selling pain reliever, learned about the crisis when a call came in from a Chicago news reporter.

“In that first call, we learned more from the reporter than he did from us,” Andrews later recalled.

James Burke, then J&J’s CEO, immediately created a strategy team of medical, public relations and security experts, who prioritized public safety above concerns about the reputation of the hugely successful brand. The company stopped production and advertising of Tylenol, alerted the public not to ingest Tylenol capsules and set up a 1-800 line for consumers.

Executives held press conferences that were broadcast nationally through a live television feed, an achievement of technology and communication coordinated by Harold Burson, APR, Fellow PRSA, and his associates. For people who already had bought Tylenol, the company offered to swap capsules with solid caplets. The company also provided counseling and financial support to the families.

On October 11, barely two weeks after the first deaths, the Washington Post declared in a headline: “Tylenol’s maker shows how to respond to crisis.” Contrasting the Tylenol scare to other disastrous events, the writer said, “What J&J executives have done is communicate the message that the company is candid, contrite and compassionate, committed to solving the murders and protecting the public.”

By December 6, J&J released Tylenol with tamper-proof packaging, including a foil seal. The company introduced a “caplet,” a tablet with a coating that made it easier to swallow, providing the benefit of a capsule without the risk of tampering. The product’s market share rebounded and the Tylenol brand was saved, establishing the bestknown case study of crisis communication.

The Father of Corporate PR and His Enduring Legacy

1983

Arthur W. Page came to AT&T in 1927 with well-formed ideas about the relationship between a business and the public. He believed that corporations should act in the public interest and strive to be good corporate citizens. He viewed all employees as “public relations” representatives.

“Public relations, therefore, is not publicity only, not management only; it is what everybody in the business from top to bottom says and does when in contact with the public,” he once said.

As the first to hold a position as “vice president of public relations,” Page became known as the father of corporate PR. In his years at AT&T until his retirement in 1946, he created a model for how to inform the public about the policies and practices of a company.

Page died in 1960, but his legacy lives on. In 1983, after the breakup of AT&T, a group of former regional vice presidents of public relations met and shared their thoughts and advice, based on his ideals. They formed the Arthur W. Page Society, since rebranded Page, which developed principles for the conduct of corporate PR: Tell the truth. Prove it with action. Listen to the customer. Manage for tomorrow. Conduct public relations as if the whole company depends on it. Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people. Remain calm, patient and good-humored.

1939–2010

Marilyn Laurie was the first woman to become a chief communications officer of a Fortune 10 company. She began her career in public relations by writing and supervising all communications for New York City’s inaugural Earth Day celebration in 1970. AT&T hired her in 1971 to start an employee environmental program. She became chief communications officer there in 1987. Laurie was the highest-ranking woman in the company’s history and one of its highest-paid employees.