12 2019 July
6 Marketing Lessons From Ed Sheeran
There is a moment during a show at the Austin City Limits where Ed Sheeran finally starts to perform his biggest hit at the time:...
Read Now04 2019 April
The One Reason So Many Brand Pranks On April Fools Day Failed This Year
Why do some branded April Fools Day jokes work while others fall flat?
Read Now22 2019 March
How The Non-Obvious Trend Of “RetroTrust” Started Taking Off
One of the most popular trends from this year’s edition of Non-Obvious was a trend I called RetroTrust – the idea that we trust in...
Read Now21 2019 February
Samsung’s Quiet Innovation, Men’s Makeup and Why Long-Term Space Missions Might Need Funny Astronauts | Non-Obvious Insights 02.21.19
Samsung’s Quiet Innovation That Everyone Ignored This week Samsung launched the world’s first folding phone. They also defied Apple and Google by keeping the 3.5mm headphone...
Read Now14 2019 February
Jose Cuervo’s Tequila Train, Kim Kardashian’s Selfie Strategy and Barbie Focusing On Inclusion | Non-Obvious Insights 02.14.19
Why Jose Cuervo Wins With Its All-You-Can-Drink Tequila Train The temptation to create a “Strategic Spectacle” is popular for brands desperately chasing experiential marketing. Usually it leads to...
Read Now07 2019 February
Hotel Encourages Digital Detox, Cypto Founder Dies With Only Password To $190 million and Why SF Might Ban Facial Recognition | Non-Obvious Insights 02.07.19
The Hotel That Forces You To Take A Digital Detox In Sweden, one hotel has created a stunt designed to encourage you to stay off...
Read Now04 2019 February
4 Big Trends From The 2019 Super Bowl Ads That Explain Our Culture
The best part of the Super Bowl experience is always the advertising. That was particularly true this year thanks to another joyless victory by the...
Read Now31 2019 January
How Millennials Became Workaholics, Japan’s Big Hacking Experiment and Why People Believe Tabloids | Non-Obvious Insights 01.31.19
Millennials Glorify #Hustle,Take Unhealthy Workaholism Mainstream As we live through the rise of “#hustle culture,” this article provides a much needed reminder that we need to stop...
Read Now08 2018 November
Why Do Critics Hate Movies That Real People Love?
The Queen-inspired film Bohemian Rhapsody film was poorly rated by critics, yet became a big box office hit. Earlier this year, the same thing happened to Hugh...
Read Now17 2018 October
Amy Winehouse And How Dead Artists Might Come Back On Tour As Holograms
This week the father of Amy Winehouse announced a world tour in 2019 featuring a “hologram” of his daughter on stage. A digital avatar of Winehouse,...
Read Now15 2018 October
Do Fantasy Sports Dehumanize Athletes And Make Us Worse People?
As Washington Redskin’s running back Chris Thompson shares, “Fantasy football, it makes us not human. It’s almost like people think we’re just robots out there,...
Read Now15 2018 September
Why No Branding May Be The Next Marketing Trend
Last summer comedian and actress Mindy Kaling did a series of ads for McDonald’s with a curious omission – she never mentioned the brand. Instead, they would...
Read Now14 2018 August
Why Does The Internet Make Stupidity So Viral?
Earlier this week the US government had to officially ask people to stop jumping out of moving cars to dance in the streets in response...
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