I hope you are having a week to be thankful for and spending it with family, whether you celebrate American Thanksgiving or not! My chosen stories this week range widely, from a potentially industry changing announcement from Airbnb to the rise of a new inclusive type of fashion that caters to people with physical disabilities. There is an article about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that will be live streamed in 360 degree video (which you can watch this morning!) and finally a piece on a disturbing and enlightening article on what forensic scientists can learn about you from your phone. Finally – as we head into Black Friday tomorrow, there is a simple idea from me about the one thing truly worth buying. As always, thanks for reading – it means a lot to me!
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Image Source: [CNBC]Judging by the news coverage of Black Friday in the US this year, it is hard to tell if the trend is toward more brands finding a sense of responsibility and opting out of the consumer frenzy or running toward it. As many of us head toward this day of buying things we mostly don’t need, perhaps it’s time to remember the one thing we desperately do … but often fail to appreciate: real journalism. Subscriptions to the NY Times exploded after the recent US election (see story link below) and that is a sign of hope – but we need to choose to keep this support alive. So as you buy whatever you plan to buy this long weekend, consider becoming a subscriber to a top tier media organization and supporting their work.
Airbnb 2.0 = Book A Custom Trip/Tour With Your Stay!
Image Source: [WIRED UK]There are some brand extensions where you slap your forehead and wonder why you didn’t see it coming. This is one of them. This week Airbnb launched a new “Trips” feature in selected cities, offering the chance for hosts to create experiences along with stays (or independently). This idea of traveling with a local is one that has the potential to disrupt many parts of the travel industry just as the nightly stay part of the brand did when it first gained traction.
Image Source: [Harvard Business Review]In a timely piece about how to cope with stress and avoid getting burned out, organizational change consultant Kandi Wiens and Annie McKee, author of the forthcoming How to Be Happy at Work, Primal Leadership (with Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis) share that the real secret to dealing effectively with stress may be to increase your emotional intelligence and ability to empathise with others.
The Forensic Secrets That Your Phone Might Reveal About You
Image Source: [NY Times]We often think about the data being collected on us and our behaviours being measured through our phones, but most of us don’t realize how much information about ourselves we leave on our phone through microbes of bacteria, dirt and germs. The good news is that the information anyone might measure there is still relatively trivial (like what type of sunscreen you wear), but it does raise some interesting thoughts about how your phone might become more useful as a diagnostic tool in the future.
Image Source: [Stylus]What if more clothing was designed specifically for the physically impaired? That is what this short piece explores and calls a “healthware movement” thanks to multiple examples of new innovations in fashion such as pants with higher waistbands for the wheelchair-dependent, clothing with integrated weights that act as therapy tools for those with sensory disorders, and shirts that allow for the easy insertion of medical ports. The entire movement is also a beautiful reminder that as we move toward a world of “connected clothing” where technology and fashion increasingly intersect, it is important that we don’t unintentionally leave those with disabilities behind.
Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade In Virtual 360 Video On YouTube!
Image Source: [Engadget]The final story in this week’s roundup is a link to a video for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade which will be available on YouTube in a 360 video format. If you haven’t had a chance to try this new video format, visit YouTube and you can drag the screen 360 degrees to watch the parade from any angle you choose. Though it is not quite virtual reality (or even augumented reality) – this is a sign of the coming interaction that these types of annual events will likely have for people watching at home.
Every week I review more than a hundred data sources to curate the best and most under appreciated marketing stories of the week. The aim of this email is to spotlight these “non-obvious” stories, along with a quick take on why they matter for you. I hope you find this email interesting and useful … and am always open to your suggestions on how I might make it better!
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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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