96 Years Ago Today, a PR Campaign Made Cigarettes Symbolize Women’s Liberation. Here's Why It Still Matters.
Understanding “Torches of Freedom,” propaganda, and the moral stakes of persuasion.
Note: this article was first posted on my website, in the Message & Muse Library.
When PR Met Propaganda
96 years ago today, modern PR as we know it was born. Its mother? A man (so Freudian!): Edward Bernays, a nephew of Freud himself, and to this day referred to as the “father of public relations.”
Bernays instinctively knew how to create a triangulation: connect the audience, the product, and a deeply held cultural value. That was his formula. And it worked. He was obsessed with propaganda and, upon realizing its power after working to mobilize the U.S. to enter WWI, realized that “if it could be used for war, it could also be used for peace.”
Messaging Tools Are Neutral. The People Using Them Aren’t.
Like so many other such discoveries, this didn’t stop bad actors from continuing to use it for destructive purposes (social media, anyone?). In fact, Goebbels himself — Hitler’s propaganda man — stated that he based much of his campaign off of what he learned in Bernays’ book, “Crystallizing Public Opinion.”
Oy.
What Separates Propaganda from Social Impact?
This tension — between message and manipulation — isn’t just theoretical. It’s personal. After working in the social impact space for several years, I went to grad school because I really wanted to understand how propaganda works, as well as where propaganda ends and social impact begins. I actually have no idea where I pulled this from so apologies for the lack of source, but it stuck with me greatly: the assertion that propaganda intends to divide and dehumanize people, while social impact intends to unite people and stoke the recognition of humanity in another.
What I’ve actually found is that a lot of social impact juice is spent simply trying to understand the mechanisms of propaganda in order to - as Bernays said - apply it to peace.
Why Change Is Harder to Sell Than the Status Quo
In “Mythologies,” Roland Barthes basically says that it’s easier to land impactful messages toward preserving the status quo, because people are afraid of change (you can loosely map this onto the concept of conservatism).
So those in pursuit of social impact have two hurdles to overcome: 1) the goal of their efforts — to move people toward change — is harder (just ask any corporate Change Management team — more on this soon). And 2) sharks don’t have to learn how to shark. They just… are shark. They give shark, naturally. A dolphin — who’s badass in their own right when they gang up on a shark — would first need to study the shark. Understand how they move, how they strike. Then figure out how to commit those machinations to muscle memory. It doesn’t come naturally.
It’s useful to understand how sharks hunt — but that’s not how dolphins win. I’ll just leave it at that. For now.
Back to Bernays.
The Genesis of the 'Torches of Freedom' Campaign
In the 1920s, societal norms in the United States deemed it inappropriate for women to smoke in public. Recognizing the untapped potential of female consumers, George Washington Hill, president of the American Tobacco Company, enlisted Edward Bernays to challenge this taboo and expand the market for Lucky Strike cigarettes.
Bernays consulted psychoanalyst A.A. Brill, who suggested that for women, cigarettes could symbolize liberation and equality with men. Armed with this insight, Bernays devised a plan to associate smoking with the women's liberation movement.
Executing the Strategy: Cigarettes as 'Torches of Freedom'
During the 1929 Easter Sunday Parade in New York City, Bernays orchestrated a publicity stunt that would challenge societal norms and garner widespread attention. He recruited a group of young women to march in the parade and, at a coordinated moment, light cigarettes — dubbed "Torches of Freedom" — in a public display of emancipation. Prior to the event, Bernays alerted the press, ensuring extensive media coverage.
The spectacle achieved its intended effect. Photographs and articles depicting women smoking as a symbol of liberation appeared in newspapers nationwide, effectively associating cigarette smoking with the burgeoning women's rights movement.
Apparently — Bernays used his skill set to inflate the impact a little bit, and there were people who saw through the PR stunt. But what else would you expect him to do?
The Ethical Implications of Manipulating Social Values
The "Torches of Freedom" campaign is a quintessential example of how public relations strategies can hijack societal values to serve commercial interests. By aligning cigarette smoking with the legitimate aspirations of women's equality, the campaign manipulated a social movement to drive product consumption and effectively opened a new market segment for the tobacco industry. While it stands as a testament to strategic PR prowess, it also underscores the imperative for ethical vigilance in our profession.
At the time, the health risks associated with smoking were not as widely understood as they are today. It's plausible that Bernays and his contemporaries were unaware of the full extent of the harm caused by tobacco use. They probably were, because the surgeon general’s report on the dangers of tobacco came out in 1965, and I know that because my badass grandma quit smoking that day, cold turkey. Nonetheless, the campaign raises enduring questions about the ethical responsibilities of PR professionals in shaping public perception and behavior.
Lessons for Today's Public Relations Practitioners
The "Torches of Freedom" campaign serves as a cautionary tale for modern PR professionals with a conscience. Key takeaways include:
Align Campaigns with Authentic Values
Ensure that the messages promoted genuinely reflect the values and interests of the target audience, rather than exploiting social movements for commercial gain. This is a tightrope of treachery, admittedly, and you can’t control what others will accuse you of. But “get right” with yourself first, so that you don’t feel icky about it. It’s a lot easier to sleep at night when you know you haven’t sold your own core values down the river to manipulate your fellow humans for a buck.
Commit to Ongoing Ethical Reflection
Regularly assess the potential impact of PR strategies on society and individuals, considering both immediate and long-term consequences. When someone wants you to do something that feels wrong in your gut, it’s usually not worth it. In the short term, sure, you need a paycheck, but if these people are willing to be this shady, they won’t hesitate before throwing you under the bus later. Protect yourself and your integrity. You’ll thank yourself later.
Don’t Be a Short-Sighted Idiot
Think about the task before you. Is this something you’d feel proud to share with your family?
Conclusion: Upholding Integrity in Public Relations
The "Torches of Freedom" campaign exemplifies the profound influence public relations can wield in shaping societal norms and behaviors. It also highlights the ethical pitfalls that can arise when “bottom-line” objectives overshadow social responsibility.
As stewards of communication and perception, PR professionals bear a significant responsibility to navigate the delicate balance between persuasive messaging and ethical integrity. By remaining vigilant and reflective, we can ensure that our work not only achieves strategic goals but also upholds the trust and well-being of the public.