Crystallizing Public Opinion

Simply a fascinating read – not only educational but reflective of an America new to radio and the newspaper industry that was still evolving, this book was published in 1923 and the copyright was renewed in 1951. The book here is only different from the 1923 original in that Stuart Ewen provides an introduction that is a lengthy description of his professional endurance to speak with Mr. Bernays. He is able to do so in the early 1990’s before Mr. Bernays passes away at the age of 103 in 1995 8 months’ shy of his 104th birthday. Mr. Bernays we learn in the introduction by Mr. Ewen was the nephew to Sigmund Freud; his mother was the sister to the renowned psychologist and his father was the brother to Sigmund Freud’s wife. Thus, making him a double nephew to one household biologically speaking. This was merely an interesting side point to the greater topic of Public Relations Counsel (PRC). He has had his critics over the years – but this book in my opinion is simply critically well and very relevant today in the computer age. Mr. Bernays touches upon public opinion in association with the newspaper industry of 1923; the radio was still relatively new at this point in time and he touches upon the PRC and the medium that has yet to have been tapped into for this consumer need. Unlike the websites that profess he assisted the acceptability of women smoking in the late 1920’s; he actually had women doing this during suffrage marches in the late second decade of the 20th century – most seem to report this point as an occurrence 10 years after the fact. Effectively Mr. Bernays breaks down the PRC need by societal needs. He reflects historically and accurately at how during the time of the American Revolution pamphlets were all that was needed to express an opinion locally – but matters change with the influx of immigration from all corners of Europe during the late 1800’s. Mr. Bernays spends a great deal of effort in reinforcing the fact that the press has an ethical obligation and so too the persons later to become PRC professionals. Today of course the PRC is simply known as “PR”. After reading this educational book on the matter it is apparent to the times that both the newspapers and PR types have left a lot of ethical decisions behind – that point too could be argued by some in that the evolution of PR and newspapers to radio to television to computer to cell phone apps has simply placed the news at the need of the PR and vice versa – after all it is society as a whole that has also forced this matter of “news feeds” and “public opinion” to be told (at least in part) what they want to hear. One must be willing however to take a deeper dive as well. One person’s “advertisement” is another person’s “propaganda”. Mr. Bernays stated “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, and our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind.” The question I am left with is whether there is a moral compass here – the goal seems to be making money and nothing more; regardless of whether the item is “good” or “bad”. In the late 1920’s as he was continuing the smoking acceptability for women he forced his own wife to quit smoking – this before 1930. In this manner observation can lend credence to the point that “money” was the goal. Maybe I am off base but this is what it “feels like” to me. Making things “necessary” for public consumption by mere association. Ivory Soap sculpting became popular by this point in time as well in order to get children to bathe regularly. But Public Relations Counsel or Public Relations never became an institution to which persons had to become certified as say a Doctor, Lawyer, or Police Officer for that matter. Hence, any person could and still can become a PR Person with no credentials other than the ability to show they helped someone or some other company “make money”. Early on the evolution of this process became a part of the political machine. The political machines of many countries and leaders – the unfortunate thing is the link between Nazism and Bernays’ processes – Bernays would write in the 1960’s how disgusted he became as a result of discovering this point later. Either way there are two sides to this coin of “public opinion”. Increasingly I for one am sick of public opinion polls – in one sense they are necessary to gain a “gauge” on the issues and products of the day – on the other hand it feels as though these processes by many who are merely talking heads, beat the public opinion polls to death and many more are unable to “explain” what they mean. This is where in “my opinion” important to me only that PR people and “public opinion polls” are irrelevant. The “herd” however seems to follow the person in front of them, taking one step in front of the other – the true counter culture today are independent thinkers and doers in “my opinion”. This book is an important read for every independent thinker; it is good to consider how the masses are swayed; this book is as relevant today as it was in 1923 – the evolution of technology may have changed but the basic mechanisms remain. This is why I give this book 5 stars.

Edward Bernays’ Crystallizing Public Opinion is a seminal work that delves into the mechanics of shaping public perception. Written in 1923, it lays the groundwork for the field of public relations, exploring how media, psychology, and strategic communication converge to influence societal attitudes. Bernays, drawing from his experiences and contemporary theorists, presents a compelling narrative on the power of orchestrated information dissemination. While the book is rich in historical context and offers valuable insights, some readers might find certain sections dated or less applicable to today’s digital media landscape. Nonetheless, its core principles remain relevant, providing a lens through which to understand modern PR practices and the ongoing interplay between media and public opinion. For those interested in the origins of public relations and the strategies behind mass persuasion, this book is an essential read.

Good book vast majority of it still applies today. Bernard speaks of ethics but his actions and the clients he took on shows he had none also looked down on people.

The book is well structured. Before reading this book I didn't know anything about public opinion and public relations. Now I have a good foundation on how to understand the psychology of the masses and how public opinion is shaped.

Very interesting subject.

Perfect. Thank you

All in all not a bad read. From my personal opinion all of Bernay's useful observations were taken from Gustave LeBons works. Bernay has an interesting perspective going into detail on how public opinion can be constructed to benefit the propagandist in the business sector. He has a different take on crowd psychology taking parts of LeBon's theory along with Sigmund Freud's observations to make his own assessment of how the masses can be persuaded. For a student really interested in learning how propaganda works along with the shaping of public opinion I would recommend Gustave LeBon's work "The Crowd" along with the historical concepts of German propaganda in World War II. The theories of LeBon have been proven in the annuals of history. Case in point look how Germany's propaganda worked. Hitler took the observations of Gustave LeBon and adopted his theory on how people respond to imagery to come up with conclusions that are not real. Bernay goes off to more of an unproven prospective that is more of a hypothesis that has of yet been unproven.

This is a classic work that started a revolution in the control of society. It is kind of rough, emphasizing anecdotal information and lacking a real classification of operational techniques that would provide a "Users Manual". All that came later. The assumption of control by an elite that we are seeing today actually started around the turn of the century 1900 to 1920. After the industrial revolution made new individual powers, the philosophical foundation was laid but the technologies and techniques were crude. The powers have maintained cohesion and are expressing the concepts of this book today now that the levers of social media influence have been created. A worth while read along with other classics and more modern application guides.

I found this more useful than his other book. Mine is book eared pretty well. The references to Walter Lippmann and the interview in the beginning are great. If you are short on money and aren't sure which to get, buy this and Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes Paperback by Jacques Ellul

Edward Bernays uno de los pioneros en las relaciones publicas clarifica las estrategias sobre como modificar la opinión publica con respecto a un tema, un libro con muchos ejemplos, si bien un tanto fuera de época 1930 etc, pero los argumentos siguen siendo validos en la actualidad.

Really good read. Enjoyed looking back into the historical aspects of public opinion, and how the theories have not altered over time.

This brilliantly explains the machinations and the symbiotic nature of the political and commercial worlds from the perspective of a rational thinker who understands human beings on a deeply intellectual level. It’s quite a short read and well worth the time, even if some of the institutions described by Bernays have changed since this was written. Still, 90% of it can be applied to the current era.

Better than penguin publisher *who writes in such small font