LeadershipTube

The Century of the Self - Part 1: "Happiness Machines"

JustAdamCurtis

The Century of the Self - Part 1: "Happiness Machines"

Why leaders watch it

Shows how corporations learned to tie products to emotion; interesting history of marketing, not a leadership skill.

The first part of Adam Curtis' documentary series on Sigmund Freud and his nephew Edward Bernays, who invented public relations. It shows how Bernays used Freud's ideas to link mass-produced goods to unconscious desires and create modern consumer persuasion.

Topics: Persuasion & negotiation, Company case studies

Related