Wayne Yap

One man destroyed entire governments.

Just to sell more bananas.

He also convinced millions of women that cigarettes were "freedom" - just to increase corporate sales.

And rewired how every brand manipulates your brain today.

Meet the father of modern propaganda: 🧵 https://t.co/dITvfuzFYK

Edward Bernays wasn’t your average adman.

Born in 1891 in Vienna, he was the nephew of Sigmund Freud - yes, THAT Freud.

Bernays took Freud’s theories of the unconscious mind and applied them to public persuasion, revolutionizing marketing forever. https://t.co/V2ffNsHnTE

In the 1920s, smoking in public was taboo for women.

Bernays saw an untapped market for Lucky Strike cigarettes.

At the 1929 NYC Easter Parade, he staged a spectacle: stylish young women lighting up cigarettes in public.

He called them "Torches of Freedom."

Sales exploded. https://t.co/HlpDXDLM6N

But Bernays didn't stop with cigarettes.

In the 1950s, bananas were big business for United Fruit Company.

When Guatemala's president Árbenz pushed reforms threatening profits, Bernays spun him as a communist threat.

This led to to a CIA-led coup in 1954 to protect corporate profits.

Bernays believed facts alone couldn’t sway the masses.

Instead, he engineered consent by tapping into deep psychological desires.

He called it “the conscious and intelligent manipulation” of public opinion.

Today, we call it PR.

His techniques were everywhere:

• He turned bacon and eggs into America’s breakfast staple.
• He made hairnets essential workplace safety gear.
• He orchestrated the elaborate "Light's Golden Jubilee" to celebrate Edison’s bulb.

Bernays showed the power of perception.

He wrote groundbreaking books:

• Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923)
• Propaganda (1928)

These laid the framework for modern marketing and political campaigning, influencing generations. https://t.co/hAVshBuLiR

Bernays lived to 103, leaving behind a complicated legacy.

Some hail him as a visionary; others condemn him for manipulating democracy for profit.

But one thing’s clear:

His fingerprints are on every aspect of modern life. https://t.co/gZM61T1r9v

A bit bout me:
• Former #1 poker player in Singapore (Won $3m)
• Acquired 5 businesses - Did a 152x from $2.5k MRR to $380k MRR in 2.5yrs
• AI Agent Nerd

Now, I help businesses build AI agents so their teams can 10x quality output.

Work with me here: https://t.co/QQJ5N3mQuv

I hope you found this thread helpful.

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