As a follow up to our previous posts, especially this one here, asserting that HR and talent management decision makers must also own or, at least, drive the brand, here is the HR Ignite presentation encapsulating that concept, delivered at the HR Reinvention Experiment conference. For a primer on the Ignite format, take a look here.

Thanks to V180 Media for shooting the video and to Joe Gerstandt for organizing.

If you are interested, as we are, in archetypal phenomena, especially as they relate to brands, then you will be as excited as us to see David Croneberg’s A Dangerous Method. It tells the story behind Carl Jung’s astonishing psychological insights, learned first under the mentorship of the great Sigmund Freud, but then innovatively developing after Jung’s break with Freud in a groundbreaking leap of psychoanalytical thought.

We have referenced Carl Jung’s analysis of dreams before in this post here, as well as our use of brand archetyping as a tool to aid clients in deciphering and articulating their true selves (such as that for Omaha Steaks here, for example). What is exciting about A Dangerous Method is the opportunity to see a rendition of the formative relationships and experiences that spurred Carl Jung towards his spectacular insights. Not only that, but the film is in the hand of the auteur, David Cronenberg, which promises a unique and memorable experience. It should be in Omaha this week!

I was at a brand conference recently and heard Dan Hill give the keynote address about emotionomics, facial coding and innate human physical reactions. We know that people say one thing, but may feel differently or behave in a manner inconsistent with what they have told us. That is a minefield for sellers seeking to connect with their consumers.

Dan Hill spoke about the need to tap into consumers’ unconscious feelings in order to understand how to truly connect with them. His premise is based upon the non-verbal, instinctive physical cues that humans inevitably provide in response to situations, especially those cues in facial expressions due to the unique physiognomy of the human face. Consider the fact that there are a number of innate behaviors that are not socially developed, such as the tendency of a baby of any cultural background to smile and recognize smiles, or that people blind from birth also instinctively know how to smile. (more…)