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KFC’s Surprising Reason For Launching Its Own Mobile Phone

On the surface, this announcement that KFC is partnering with Huawei to launch a new smart phone may seem like a random move. The phone will be branded in KFC signature red with an engraving of Colonel Sanders on the back to celebrate the brand’s 30 year anniversary in China, but that’s not really the … Read more

6 Awesome Ways Canada Is Celebrating Its 150th Anniversary

As we head into a time when both America and Canada celebrate their national birthdays – this week’s newsletter takes an inside look at some of the most significant ways that Canada is celebrating it’s 150th anniversary as a country. In contrast to the “melting pot” of America which has often been criticized for how … Read more

How To Build Trust In An Era Of Desperate Truth Seeking Consumers

It is hard to get away from the feeling that we are being manipulated all the time. This week there were plenty of new stories of divisive characters losing their audience, brands trying new ways to be more truthful, and talk show host John Oliver trying to define reality itself. The theme this week is the … Read more

Starbucks’ Mobile Crisis, Lego’s New Social Network, Realtor.com Invests In AR and How To Name Your Brand

Fascinating stories from the world of business this week included Lego’s bold move to finally create a safe social network online for kids, Starbucks’ growing pains from its mobile app that perhaps works too well, a new startup that will pay business travelers to skip the hotel mini bar to save money, and how augmented … Read more

Professional Ghosting, Why We Prefer Serious Robots and the Secret Genius Of Trump’s Paid Applauders

A tequila maker cashing in on the craft drink phenomenon, the surprising reasons why vending machines are so popular in Japan, how drones are evolving to offer unexpected solutions and what Trump’s fake audiences should teach us about media consumption.   Those stories and a highly entertaining ad that will show you everything you need … Read more

Tokyo Toilets, the World’s Rudest Billboard and Richard Branson’s Next Big Idea

This week’s stories span from a new design for the many buttons on Japanese toilets to a deeper look at the flaws inside one of the most frequently used metrics in business to measure loyalty: the Net Promoter Score. Other stories that stood out this week were a Swedish coughing billboard that may or may … Read more

15 Non-Obvious Business Trends Shaping 2017 (Retail, Consumer, Tech, Marketing, and Media)

Are you a member of the media? Visit our media kit to download a trend summary and more information about requesting an interview with Rohit >> This week I launched the seventh edition of my annual trend report featuring all of my research from throughout the year on trends. Many of you have already picked … Read more

The Scary Future Of Media Consumption And Other Non-Obvious Insights

Curating this article to find stories worth sharing with you every week has helped me hone my ability to read (and ignore) stories quickly. As each of us feels more bombarded with demands on our attention – the dangerous truth is that we spend less and less time appreciating the meaning of anything. That’s why this … Read more

Why Ugly People Make Less, Emoji Sculptures, CBS Bets On Star Trek, And Jet Blue’s Amazing Mother’s Day Ad

I have been on the road again this week, first in Miami speaking to a smart group of senior marketers at The Marketing Forum – and then in Atlanta for a private event with the Coca-Cola team behind the pioneering Journey digital magazine. The experience reminds me again how lucky I am to get the … Read more

Smart Wine, Driverless Race Cars, Rhode Island’s Marketing Flop and the Truth About Blackberry

Some weeks have more happening than others and this week’s list of the most under appreciated marketing stories was tough to curate. Interesting stories like Samsung’s new patent on “smart contacts” or Medium’s big announcement about the future of publishing narrowly missed the list – while stories like the Internet firestorm over Nest’s choice to … Read more

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In addition to Non-Obvious Thinking, Rohit is the author of 10 books on trends, the future of business, building a more human brand with storytelling and how to create a more diverse and inclusive world.

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