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4 Brilliant Exposés, The World’s Ugliest Color And Other Non-Obvious Insights

This week I was intrigued by a combination of fascinating new research and refreshingly honest exposés. The ANA published a controversial report on media rebates and I read insightful in depth articles about everything from how the NYT and WSJ best seller lists really work to the true difference between Uber and Lyft. Along with these … Read more

What Whole Foods New Brand Says About You (And Other Non-Obvious Insights)

In my quest for interesting ideas to share with you this week, I found several stories that really got me thinking. Dos Equis’ new search for a campaign spokesperson to replace Jonathan Goldsmith, the “Most Interesting Man In the World,” reminded me of just how beautiful and rare it was for brand to have a … Read more

The Creepy Things Uber Knows About You (And Other Non-Obvious Insights)

It seemed like the theme of the week was reduction through small tweaks as Twitter announced a long awaited small tweak to eliminate photos and videos from the allowable 140 character character tweet limit, the FDA made small changes to the iconic nutrition facts label after two decades, Victoria’s Secret made a change to finally discontinue … Read more

Branding Secrets Of Lin Manuel Miranda, Inside The Hyperloop and Google’s Vision For The Future

This week was filled with big news about big brands. Google revealed its upcoming roadmap of innovation. Fast Company interviewed the creator of the wildly popular musical Hamilton on how he built such a powerful brand so quickly. Slate offered a glimpse into the secret brilliance of Under Armour’s non-lifestyle basketball shoe inspired by Steph … Read more

Game of Thrones Fights Piracy, Why Writing Skills Matter, and Lockheed Martin’s School Bus To Mars

I am sitting in an airport lounge in Zurich and putting the final touches on my selections for the most under appreciated stories of this week navigating through stories about perhaps the greatest underdog sports story in soccer history, YouTube’s ongoing plans to kill the cable television industry and Budweiser’s slightly desperate attempt at relevance … 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

Google’s Stealth Incubator, Buzzfeed’s Secret, Apple’s Woes And The Color Of The Year

My mind has been on startups and new ideas lately, as I spent most of this past week at Collision in New Orleans learning about what is new and listening to several dozen startup pitches. And so the stories this week are also influenced by this lens as I feature articles about Google’s latest move … Read more

Zika Killing Billboards, Facebook’s Tip Jar And HBO’s Ambitious Hologram Strategy

This past week it was hard to escape the dominating headlines of the US political primary – and the announcement of a coming change to the faces on the $20 dollar bill. Outside the mainstream news, though, were several relatively quiet stories that contained potentially huge implications for marketers and business overall – from a … 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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#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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