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Why Netflix Uses Taste Communities Instead of Demographics

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Last week Netflix announced that they would be stopping their long standing policy of asking customers to vote on early pilots for programs to see if they have enough critical mass and audience to continue. In the same week, at a television industry event a Netflix executive shared that Netflix finds demographics to be useless … Read more

Binge Rooms: The Ultimate Immersive TV Experience

binge-room-contest

Back when I worked at a marketing agency I remember those times when I would see a campaign so inspired it would immediately make me wish I had thought of it. This new effort from FCB New York is one of those envy-inducing efforts. The goal is to position LG TVs as the ones that … Read more

How The Backlash Of Superfans Might Ruin Entertainment For The Rest Of Us

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Logan director James Mangold is worried that “the fear of upsetting an eager mob” of online fans might drive smart, creative people out of creating great art. For years comedians have been avoiding college campuses because of the inability for easily outraged youth to take a joke. Have we become so uptight that we are unable … Read more

Professional Clowns Have A Creepiness Problem, Thanks To “It”

The popularity of the horror film “It” has created some predictable losers … professional clowns. After a group of clowns had a slate of birthday party cancellations because of freaked out parents, they organized a rally in New York to prove clowns aren’t all that bad. It’s an interesting reputation challenge to imagine what you would … Read more

What A List Of The Most Streamed Star Trek Episodes Means

Just ten days before the highly anticipated Star Trek: Discovery finally premieres, Netflix released a timely list of the most frequently re-watched Star Trek episodes. If you are a trekkie, the full list will be fascinating – but I selected this story for another reason. It’s a rare look inside the treasure trove of data Netflix has about … 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

Kodak Brings Back Film, How To Be Funny On Stage, and the Professional Snowball Fighting League

The stories this week offer a valuable reminder that while we tend to focus a lot of our attention on looking forward toward the future, there can be a beautiful resonance that comes from looking in the other direction from time to time. Kodak brings back film, the ultimate “device like no other” from a … 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 Future Of Storytelling, Emirates Brilliant Strategy and the Smell Of Apple

Greeting from New York and the Future of Storytelling Conference! This week I’m at one of my favorite events of the year learning about the future of VR, interpretative dance and lots more at this wonderful gathering of creative people and innovators. If you happen to be in NY this week, check out their upcoming … Read more

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#1 WSJ & USA Today Bestselling Author

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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