Bacon ‘n’ eggs are a staple of the American breakfast, one that fast-food chains have tried to capitalize on with a never-ending transformation of the morning McGriddle Croissantwich whatchamacallit.

What you—and they—might not even know is that the whole idea of a balanced breakfast of bacon ‘n’ eggs was a product of more than just pigs and chickens. It took a survey of more than 5,000 doctors in the early 1920s by public relations pioneer Edward Bernays to convince Americans that a hearty protein-rich meal was recommended first thing in the morning.

In fact, from 1919 until 2011, egg production has skyrocketed from 1.6 billion to an Egg McMuffin-worthy 6.5 billion.

Seems all of us country breakfast lovers owe PR a debt of gratitude. But eggs aren’t the only industry or brand to campaign its way to the top through public relations.

Just take a look at this infographic to learn the other campaigns that cooked up something equally as big (while perhaps not as delicious).



(via PR Web)