Purpose The study aims to examine historical evolution of public relations in Yugoslavia. The purpose of the study is to understand if Yugoslavia, with a specific socialist model different from other communist countries, had a specific model and understanding of public relations that was differentiated from other countries that were part of both the Western and communist blocs. Design/methodology/approach 14 interviews with marketing and public relations persons active in times of former Yugoslavia. Document analysis of available sources. Findings Yugoslavia developed its own model of public relations that evolved from propaganda toward self-managed marketing-centric system in 1960s, with the rise of public relations, diversification and gaining global exposure in 1970s, with the full development of its own model and competition between the private and public sector in 1980s. Based on the review of the available literature and interviews conducted, it can be concluded that the Yugoslavian model of public relations was a hybrid model, which was grounded on the communication theories developed in the USA simultaneously and contextualized within the dominant Yugoslav political ideology of administrative Marxism. Originality/value The research is the first study that analyzes the development of public relations in the entire territory of former SFR Yugoslavia. It offers new perspective of public relations evolution and provides historical evidence about the development of a specific model.
Selaković et al. (Fri,) studied this question.