PR activists entered the private sector in the 1920s. Public relations became established first in the US by Ivy Lee or Edward Bernays, then spread internationally.

Who was the first publicist?

Ben Franklin -- our first publicist -- invented American brand. History can teach us some valuable lessons about public relations and brand management. For instance, Ben Franklin was the first to understand the value of public relations.

When was PR first introduced?

The US historian Scott Cutlip identified a Boston publicity agency, The Publicity Bureau, established in 1900, as the first public relations agency in that country. It started with business clients and gained the account for the telecommunications monopoly American Telephone & Telegraph in 1903.