Second That Emotion is a book about Zealots, Disciples, the Congregation, emotion, illogical leaps, social contracts, movements, and culture shifts.  The author, Jeremy D. Holden, is the Chief Strategy Officer, at Publicis Kaplan Thaler, New York.  The composition composed by Holden is notable, throughout, for its thoughtfully insightful and expertly opinionated nature.  The substantive body is further joined notably to contemporary life.  A distinctly plain English writing style is used by Holden in presenting his many intriguing thoughts, insights, and opinions.

Considerable research referencing adds considerably to the didactic strength of the book.  Multitudinous citations for textually relevant research materials are given, on a chapter by chapter basis, in a “Notes” structural appendage, joined structurally to the textual corpus.

Additionally, some “Figures” are embedded, in substantively germane fashion, in the textual terrain.

Nine chapters comprise the pillars structurally upholding the book’s foundation.

The first chapter, foremost, is about “social contracts”, which Holden opines are the key ingredient regarding the creating of movements.  Exhibiting the thoughtfulness and insightfulness that pervades the book in its entirety, Holden expounds on particular social contracts, and their real life underpinnings, in diverse contexts extending to politics, history, celebrities, and brands.  According to Holden, social contracts are created by individuals; and it is individuals such as voters, fans, consumers, and customers (not politicians, celebrities, and companies) who decide the terms of social contracts.

The substance of Chapter 2 is formed principally by discourse appertaining to the principal groups driving and perpetuating movements; namely, “Zealots”, “Disciples”, and “the Congregation”.  These respective groups are profiled; and the distinctive roles they played respectively are analyzed in the context of several real life examples.  Holden’s intellectually panoramic view of groups and movements thoughtfully and insightfully sights:  the ouster of President Mubarak; the Occupy Wall Street protests; the launching of the movie, The Blaire Witch Project; the Audi A3; Representative Ron Paul; Julian Assange and WikiLeaks; and Winston Churchill.

As evaluated by Holden, the historical nature of societies is to seek to elevate one person above all others.  And, in Chapter 3, Holden discourses with much acumen on the subject of leaders.  In Holden’s view, concerning  political culture shifts, and likewise concerning culture shifts that are humanitarian in nature, there is a need for a leader to emerge  who, significantly, must have the profile of a Disciple (in order to bring along the leader’s Congregation).  Holden further considers commercial culture shifts, shining an intellectually illumining flashlight on selected companies and corporate leaders.  Throughout the chapter, the tapestry of leader centric discussion is interwoven craftily with strands of insightful and thoughtful comment relating to Zealots and Disciples.

The thematic emphasis, of Chapter 4, is that people demonstrate very little logic with regard to their perceptions and choices.  In Holden’s judgment, illogic (what Holden terms “illogical leaps”) shapes personal relationships, impacts how strangers are viewed, affects how people judge other races and cultures, and also influences how people perceive particular corporate brands.  In the enframing context of illogical leaps, Holden, over the chapter’s course, draws readers’ attention to a multiplicity of relevantly instructive examples (reaching, for instance, to:  Brad  Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Yoko Ono, Saddam Hussein, and White Castle burgers).

The theme, of following Chapter 5, is that social media are of central importance with respect to the creating of culture shifts, both because social  media facilitate information sharing and also because social media enable mass participation which may be an emotional beacon (to connect, for example, to politicians).  Holden offers discerning comment regarding  social media and illogical leaps.  Online research tools also pertinently garner Holden’s instructive attention.

Certainty, especially in the context of being a sanctuary, raptly engages the focus of Holden, in Chapter 6.  Holden explains that sports, for instance, are an emotional sanctuary, with traditional sports rivalries providing a sense of certainty and comfort.  Holden goes on to explain that simple ideas, likewise, can provide a sense of certainty.  As the pages of the chapter unfold, Holden (with eyes riveted sharply on the sanctuary of certainty) thoughtfully and insightfully scrutinizes:  the mobile app Angry Birds; single malt whiskey; and Southwest Airlines.

At the start of Chapter 7, Holden opines that signs, symbolism, and iconography are pivotal to forming social contracts and creating movements.  Within this frame, intellectual artist Holden (with pen in hand) skillfully crafts a picture revealing some details of:  the eagle, as the standard carried by Roman  legions; the Nazi swastika; the donkey and the elephant, as the respective symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties; the FedEx logo; and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Showing his usual edifying erudition, Holden, in Chapter 8, expounds instructively on the potentially deleterious effects of breaking a social contract.  Holden’s intellectually sharp sighted and widely ranging vision , in this context, spots:  BP and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; Neville Chamberlain; Tony Blair; the 2011 NFL contractual imbroglio, entangling players and owners; alleged unintended acceleration of Audi cars;  the “Jack’s Back” campaign, of  Jack in the Box restaurants; and banks.

The crux, of concluding Chapter 9, is the summarizing of key tenets for creating a culture shift.  Holden also provides some examples where these tenets were in evidence, encompassing:  Ronald Reagan; Harry Potter; and Google.

Critical minded readers, without the intention of being churlish, may caution that, although Holden compellingly articulates distinct views, these views can neither be proven, nor disproven, in a quantitative, scientific way.

But clearly, the insights and thoughts proffered by Holden should be of  immensely alluring reading interest to a wide band of  persons, certainly including: advertising, marketing, and other businesspeople; politicians, celebrities, and other public figures; and behavioral experts.

 

© 2013 Leo Uzych

 

Leo Uzych (based in Wallingford, PA) earned a law degree, from Temple University; and a master of public health degree, from Columbia University.  His area of special professional interest is healthcare.  Twitter @LeoUzych