I had the good fortune to spend time with Edward Bernays in his later years. As one of the replies here points out, his women-smoking campaign was just one factor in a ,major socio-behavioral change -- but that's pure Bernays -- tell the story over and over the way you want it told. He wanted more contracts with big brands and he got them. Perhaps more than anything else he was a genius at self-promotion. He was also a conservative elitist who believed that leaders, however they got in their position, should lead and PR or propaganda should support them.