As Featured In:
Webby
AdAge
HBR
WSJ
Japanese Hotel Has First Round Of Robot Layoffs I first wrote about the Henna hotel, staffed entirely by robots, more than two years ago. It seems that the experimental property in Japan has discovered a hopeful truth: people sometimes prefer people. And so it may also be the first example in history of robots being … Read more
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
Should technology be a source for hope or fear? That was the question that seemed to emerge this week as I read several stories offering a recap from the TED Global conference as well as new initiatives in natural language search from Google and a legal debate about how and if people should be able … Read more
In this recap, there are many stories of companies behaving badly, stupidly or with evil intent. United airlines replaced their employee bonuses. BrewDog launched a painfully bad pink beer for women and MIT found that more than half of all ridesharing drivers make less than minimum wage. There is hope, though, like the success story of Arby’s … Read more
This was a busy week with continuing stories from the Olympics, teens showing leadership, and the launch of a questionably moral new reality show from Netflix. Other stories this week take a deeper look at the potential of predictive banking, the rapid rise of StockX as a competitor to eBay and Emirates wonderful new ad that … Read more
The power of empathy was a big theme this week, in stories from Amnesty International and a “robotherapy” chatbot. Both look at new and interesting ways for us to better understand one another and get help when we most need it. New Survey Reveals Multiple Reasons Why Icelanders Are So Creative A new published study … Read more
This story has made the rounds this week, but it deserves it. The Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah received a one star review, based on how insanely difficult the mountain was … so they embraced it. The original review reads: “I’ve heard Snowbird is a tough mountain, but this is ridiculous. It felt like every trail … Read more
What if you could have a stranger hand deliver your package internationally? While intriguing on paper this idea has many challenges given security concerns and the relative inconvenience of actually delivering. With all the potential pitfalls, what would it take for an idea like this to succeed? Adding a social community could be the key. … Read more
In their bid to improve upon being named the best airport in the world, Singapore’s Changi Airport is using technology to get even better. From robot chefs to smart wheelchairs, travelers are well taken care of. I find it more interesting how much of Changi’s innovation is behind the scenes. For example, giving their 600 baggage handlers … Read more
As the highly anticipated solar eclipse approaches, there are plenty of towns and brands finding creative ways to cash in. Chiquita created a humorous video about the impending “Banana Sun,” there are “eclipse chasing” flights selling for $10,000 and Krispy Kreme even created an “eclipse donut.” This article takes a deeper look at the windfall that seems to be approaching small … Read more
Non-Obvious Thinking is my latest book about the 4 secrets of becoming a non-obvious thinker - released 10/01/2024.
Rohit Bhargava is a trend curator, founder of the Non-Obvious Company and the 3-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author of ten books.
Skip the obvious and anticipate the future with our weekly newsletter. Join over 25,000 subscribers and start receiving the stories (and insights) you’ve been missing.
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.
