Ivy Lee - A Quick Background
A pioneer of the 20th century Public Relations method, worked to convince companies to appeal and work with their publics. That relationship between a business and its consumers or interest groups, hadn’t been tapped into in the way he was proposing.
Ivy Lee Grew up in St Louis and graduated from Princeton. He worked for the campus newspaper, and made regular visits to former president Cleveland, as he was retired and living nearby. Clevland would give Lee exclusive stories to write about, allowing him to build his reputation as a reporter.
Lee worked as a newspaper reporter in New York from 1899 to 1903. With his craftiness and his method creating a better relationship between a given client and their publics, he was well sought after. Clients would hire him to help bridge the gap between themselves and their publics. He would learn how to address the media and keep them coming back for the stories his clients want to be heard.
He taught of honesty being the best policy. Staying one step ahead of a crisis meant communicating effectively, both the problem and proposed solution. This method of transparency has continued to grow and evolve over the years, and several versions of this strategy are employed today.