Rohit Bhargava's Blog, page 25

What the Democrats Got Wrong About Media at the Convention

One of the truths about our new media environment is the central role that influencers are taking in the content people consume and trust. Particularly when it comes to young people and their media diet … so it’s no surprise that politicians are courting these influencers and hoping they can help inspire the younger generation to come out and vote. At the Democratic National Convention this past week, influencers took such a central role that they were credentialed and treated like VIPs.

Unfo...

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Ultralearning by Scott H. Young

As we head into the end of the summer and back to school times, learning might be on your mind and everyone else in your family too. Learning, of course, isn’t just for school and one of my favorite books all about how to learn better is Ultralearning by Scott H. Young. Nearly every page of this book is full of useful and non-obvious advice. Take notes as questions instead of answers. Attack your weakest point and learn that thing you find most difficult. If you care about long term retrieval, s...

How Crocs Is Taking a Page from LEGO’s Marketing Playbook

Brand partnerships can be tricky. One partner may eclipse the other. It can be hard to stand out or make the right commitments. I’ve always admired the way LEGO used partnerships to leverage the content and stories of their partners but add their own unique lens through the various items you could build through co-branded LEGO sets
with nearly every popular movie franchise series, from Marvel to Harry Potter. Recently, some lists of the many varied collaborations the Crocs brand has been doing ar...

Best & Worst Marketing Ideas from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

It’s time for another review of the best and worst of the Olympic Games marketing. This isn’t a complete list but some of my initial impressions based on reading and what I’m seeing here on site in Paris too. Let’s start with the winners.

Best of Paris 2024 Olympic Marketing:

The Openness Medal by Samsung  – Rather than being another brand trying to celebrate champions, this wonderful idea challenges Gen Z to be vulnerable and share their failures openly on TikTok. This is exactly what the...

Four Entirely Predictable Olympic Stories That Happen Every Time

Anyone who follows the Olympics knows there are some media narratives that happen every four years and always turn out the same. There are myths and then reality. Since so many people ask me about those stories, I built my own list over the years. For your entertainment, I thought I’d share them. I could go and easily find multiple stories to support each of these – but they are the stories you see every time and will definitely happen in four years before the LA 2028 games too.

Myth #1: The ...

Women’s Athletics Are a Big Story at Paris 2024 … But Equality Remains a Challenge

This is the first Olympics which will have true parity in terms of male versus female athletes and competitors. It’s a big story here at the Olympics, and rightfully so, but the Games also showcase a different reality that may not be realistic to project onto fan behavior outside these Games. Unlike non-Olympic time sports audiences, fans here and watching on TV seem equally excited and tuned in for sports like swimming, track & field, or tennis, as well as less popular sports like badminton, ju...

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Parisian Charm School by Jamie Cat Callan

The author of the provocatively titled book French Women Don’t Sleep Alone, Jamie Cat Callan,  followed up her hit debut book with this more approachable guide to being charming—Parisian Charm School. I read it several years ago despite it’s obvious focus on being a guide for women to access their flirtatious side … whether seeking a romantic partner or not. What I found fascinating was the lessons in the book that transcend the world of dating. She talks of the importance to “recognize the valu...

Parisian Charm School

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week

The author of the provocatively titled book French Women Don’t Sleep Alone followed up her hit debut book with this more approachable guide to being charming—Parisian Charm School. I read it several years ago despite it’s obvious focus on being a guide for women to access their flirtatious side … whether seeking a romantic partner or not. What I found fascinating was the lessons in the book that transcend the world of dating. She talks of the importance to “re...

The Best Part of the Olympics You Don’t Get to See … Country Houses

For me, every Olympics has different highlights, from being one of the few non-athletes allowed in the Olympic Village in Beijing to watching Usain Bolt complete a fourth gold in Rio. One experience you might not see much coverage of are the unique country houses created by the delegations from various countries. This year, the houses featured reconstructed Mongolian gers, wood cabins from Slovakia, an open beach volleyball court at Casa Brasil, a full broadcast studio and three level experience...

The Real Reason the “Created with Human Intelligence” Badge Probably Won’t Work

Freelance artist Beth Spencer had a brilliant idea that went viral. She suggested that artists hand draw their own version of a “created with human intelligence” badge to put on their work to distinguish it from AI-generated art. The idea caught fire among other designers presumably also looking for a way to separate their art from the wave of generated content online. It’s a great thought, and one that we might hope succeeds … but it won’t.

The reason I say that, though, isn’t because of...