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Nov 26 2015

Live in Chicago: How Public Relations Works

74 min 3 movies discussed
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After a year of taking it on the road, Josh and Chuck are releasing their show on public relations. Learn all about the ways you're manipulated on a daily basis and the man who invented it in this fascinating live episode.

AI Summary

In this fascinating SYSK episode recorded live in Chicago, Josh and Chuck dive into the disturbing yet captivating story of Edward Bernays, the man who literally invented public relations and modern advertising as we know it. They explore how this nephew of Sigmund Freud weaponized psychology to manipulate the masses, transforming advertising from simple product descriptions into the fear-and-desire-based marketing that dominates our world today. Through wild examples like his campaigns for hair nets and women's cigarettes, the hosts reveal how one man's cynical genius shaped the very fabric of modern consumer culture and democratic society.


Movies Discussed

Hey Dude
Hey Dude
1989
★ 6.8
"Hey Dude, the 90s called, David Lasher and Christine Taylor, stars of the cult classic show, Hey Dude — Referenced in podcast promotional material at the beginning and end of the episode."
Mad Men
Mad Men
2007
★ 8.1
"everyone's seen Mad Men. It was like a piece of dry toast, coffee, and a cigarette — Used as a reference point to describe what breakfast was like before Bernays promoted bacon for breakfast." — Josh
Poltergeist
Poltergeist
1982 1h 54m
★ 7.2
"AOL Instant Messenger and the dial-up sound like poltergeist — Referenced in promotional material comparing dial-up internet sounds to the supernatural film."

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