The Emergence and Development of Corporate Media in the Pre-Digital Era of Public Relations

D. Oltarzhevskyi

Abstract


Purpose. This study examines the emergence and development of corporate media in the pre-digital era within the context of the global history of public relations and analyzes the socio-economic factors that shaped their formation.

Research methodology. The research is based on a historical analysis mainly of secondary English-language sources published from the early 1900s to the present that address the origins and evolution of corporate media. A systemic approach was applied, employing methods of general review, descriptive analysis, synthesis, and scholarly interpretation.

Results. The findings indicate that corporate periodicals emerged spontaneously in the mid-nineteenth century in response to practical business needs arising from industrialization, expanding production, and growing moral expectations regarding corporate responsibility. These publications appeared prior to the institutionalization of public relations as a professional field and contributed significantly to the formation of its instrumental foundations. Corporate media integrated practices of journalism, advertising, and public relations, thereby expanding creative approaches to native content production and strategic communication.

Novelty. The study offers an original perspective by conceptualizing corporate media not merely as communication tools but as a system-forming element in the historical evolution of public relations. It proposes a holistic interpretation of the logic underlying the development of corporate publications in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Practical implications. The results may be applied by public relations and corporate communications professionals to enhance reputation management, trust-building, and the implementation of strategic communication practices in modern organizations.

Key words: corporate communications, corporate media, corporate periodicals, corporate publications, history, PR, public relations.

References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.32840/cpu2219-8741/2026.2(66).3

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