The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing, and Leadership

The Science of Public Relations

Traditionally, public relations is rooted in the social sciences. Edward Bernays, often cited as the father of public relations, pioneered PR's use of psychology and other social sciences to design campaigns of public persuasion. He called this scientific technique of opinion molding the “engineering of consent” and described the PR counselor as a practicing social scientist. To assist clients, PR counselors would use research and evaluation as a primary facet of PR.

Professional PR associations emphasize research and measurement in their credos and mission statements. The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), for example, defines itself as an organization whose mission is to help members ...