The New Propaganda

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. 1

We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. 1

we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons a trifling fraction of our hundred and twenty millions who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world 9 -10

From our leaders and the media they use to reach the public, we accept the evidence and the demarcation of issues bearing upon public questions; 11

To avoid such confusion, society consents to have its choice narrowed to ideas and objects brought to its attention through propaganda of all kinds. 11

The instruments by which public opinion is organized and focused may be misused. But such organization and focusing are necessary to orderly life. 12

It is the purpose of this book to explain the structure of the mechanism which controls the public mind, and to tell how it is manipulated by the special pleader who seeks to create public acceptance for a particular idea or commodity. It will attempt at the same time to find the due place in the modern democratic scheme for this new propaganda and to suggest its gradually evolving code of ethics and practice. 18

Propaganda is the executive arm of the invisible government 20

Universal literacy was supposed to educate the common man to control his environment. Once he could read and write he would have a mind fit to rule. So ran the democratic doctrine. But instead of a mind, universal literacy has given him rubber stamps, rubber stamps inked with advertising slogans, with editorials, with published scientific data, with the trivialities of the tabloids and the platitudes of history, but quite innocent of original thought. 20

propaganda, in the broad sense of an organized effort to spread a particular belief or doctrine. 20

Modern propaganda is a consistent, enduring effort to create or shape events to influence the relations of the public to an enterprise, idea or group. 25

And if nowadays the successors of the rulers, those whose position or ability gives them power, can no longer do what they want without the approval of the masses, they find in propaganda a tool which is increasingly powerful in gaining that approval. 27

They not only appealed to the individual by means of every approach visual, graphic, and auditory to support the national endeavor, but they also secured the cooperation of the key men in every group persons whose mere word carried authority to hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers. 27

[The New Propaganda] takes account not merely of the individual, nor even of the mass mind alone, but also and especially of the anatomy of society, with its interlocking group formations and loyalties. 28

It was he who arranged for the distinguished Countess This or Duchess That to wear the hat or the gown. 29

The created circumstances had their effect 30

In the active proselytizing minorities in whom selfish interests and public interests coincide lie the progress and development of America. Only through the active energy of the intelligent few can the public at large become aware of and act upon new ideas. 31 Small groups of persons can, and do, make the rest of us think what they please about a given subject. 31

Many a congressman, in framing his platform, follows the suggestions of a district boss whom few persons outside the political machine have ever heard of. 33

our thoughts and habits are modified by authorities 35

The invisible government tends to be concentrated in the hands of the few because of the expense of manipulating the social machinery which controls the opinions and habits of the masses. To advertise on a scale which will reach fifty million persons is expensive. 37 [Still?]

Public opinion [does it actually exist?] is the unacknowledged partner in all broad efforts. 38

The counsel on public relations [cool job title created by bernays to sell bernays], after he has examined all these and other factors, endeavors to shape the actions of his client so that they will gain the interest, the approval and the acceptance of the public. 39

The counsel on public relations must be in a position to deal effectively with rumors and suspicions. 43

His function may include the discovery of new markets, the existence of which had been unsuspected. 44

If we accept public relations as a profession, we must also expect it to have both ideals and ethics. The ideal of the profession is a pragmatic one. It is to make the producer, ... understand what the public wants and to make the public understand the objectives of the producer 44

[The public relations counsel] nevertheless refuses a client whom he believes to be dishonest, a product which he believes to be fraudulent, or a cause which he believes to be antisocial. 45

He does not accept a client whose interests conflict with those of another client. He does not accept a client whose case he believes to be hopeless or whose product he believes to be unmarketable. 45-46

He should be candid in his dealings. It must be repeated that his business is not to fool or hoodwink the public. If he were to get such a reputation, his usefulness in his profession would be at an end. 46

If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind [is there such a thing?], is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing it? 47

[Propaganda] is now scientific in the sense that it seeks to base its operations upon definite knowledge drawn from direct observation of the group mind, and upon the application of principles which have been demonstrated to be consistent and relatively constant. 48

If you can influence the leaders, either with or without their conscious cooperation, you automatically influence the group which they sway. 49

when the example of the leader is not at hand and the herd must think for itself, it does so by means of cliches, pat words or images which stand for a whole group of ideas or experiences 50

By playing upon an old cliche, or manipulating a The Psychology of Public Relations new one, the propagandist can sometimes swing a whole mass of group emotions 50-51

Men are rarely aware of the real reasons which motivate their actions. 51

He creates circumstances which will swing emotional currents so as to make for purchaser demand. 54 [the music room -- the parlor]

Under the old salesmanship the manufacturer said to the prospective purchaser, "Please buy a piano." The new salesmanship has reversed the process and caused the prospective purchaser to say to the manufacturer, "Please sell me a piano." 56

A number of familiar psychological motives were set in motion in the carrying out of this [Ivory soap carving] campaign. The esthetic, the competitive, the gregarious (much of the sculpturing was done in school groups), the snobbish (the impulse to follow the example of a recognized leader), the exhibitionist, and last but by no means least the maternal. 59

If to-day big business were to seek to throttle the public, a new reaction similar to that of twenty years ago would take place and the public would rise and try to throttle big business with restrictive laws. 62

[Mass production requires mass consumption, the manufacturing of desire]

Mass production is only profitable if its rhythm can be maintained that is, if it can continue to sell its product in steady or increasing quantity. The result is that while, under the handicraft or small-unit system of production that was typical a century ago, demand created the supply, to-day supply must actively seek to create its corresponding demand. 63

Business must express itself and its entire corporate existence so that the public will understand and accept it. It must dramatize its personality 65 [Mac vs PC]

The public relations activities of a business cannot be a protective coloring to hide its real aims. It is bad business as well as bad morals to feature exclusively a few high-class articles, when the main stock is of medium grade or cheap 68

[public relations works indirectly] A gas company maintains a free school of cookery. 76

The new technique of public relations counsel is serving a very useful purpose in business by acting as a complement to legitimate advertisers and advertising in helping to break down unfair competitive exaggerated and overemphatic advertising by reaching the public with the truth through other channels than advertising. 79

[The new competition is inter-industrial competition]

Modern business must have its finger continuously on the public pulse. It must understand the changes in the public mind and be prepared to interpret itself fairly and eloquently to changing opinion. 91

The voice of the people expresses the mind of the people, and that mind is made up for it by the group leaders in whom it believes and by those persons who understand the manipulation of public opinion. It is composed of inherited prejudices and symbols and cliches and verbal formulas supplied to them by the leaders. 92

But the haphazard staging of emotional events without regard to their value as part of the whole campaign, is a waste of effort 101

the program itself [as opposed to the president] should be emphasized in a sound campaign plan 101 [anti the cult of personality.]

Events and activities must be created in order to put ideas into circulation 103

In actual fact, it [political persuasion] can be done only by meeting the conditions of the public mind, by creating circumstances which set up trains of thought, by dramatizing per-sonalities, by establishing contact with the group leaders who control the opinions of their publics. 104-5

Propaganda is of no use to the politician unless he has something to say which the public, consciously or unconsciously, wants to hear. 109

The function of this official [Secretary of Public Relations as member of the President's Cabinet] should be correctly to interpret America's aims and ideals throughout the world, and to keep the citizens of this country in touch with governmental activities and the reasons which prompt them. He would, in short, interpret the people to the government and the government to the people.114

In a democracy an educator should, in addition to his academic duties, bear a definite and wholesome relation to the general public. The public cannot understand unless the teacher understands the relationship between the general public and the academic idea. 122

The teaching profession, as such, has the right to carry on a very definite propaganda with a view to enlightening the public and asserting its intimate relation to the society which it serves. 123

Men [academics] who, by the commonly accepted standards, are failures or very moderate successes in our American world (the pedagogues) seek to convince the outstanding successes (the business men) that they should give their money to ideals which they do not pursue. Men who, through a sense of inferiority, despise money, seek to win the good will of men who love money. 126

Today the privilege of attempting to sway public opinion is every one's. 135

In art as in politics the minority rules, but it can rule only by going out to meet the public on its own ground, by understanding the anatomy of public opinion and utilizing it. 141

Ideas must be made intelligible to the public to be fully successful. 149

Propaganda is simply the establishing of reciprocal understanding between an individual and a group. 150

[The public relations counsel] creates some of the day's events, which must compete in the editorial office with other events. Often the events which he creates may be specially acceptable to a newspaper's public and he may create them with that public in mind. 152