Rohit Bhargava's Blog, page 54

Are Men Struggling More Than Women In Today’s World?

The headline of the story and this provocative question may feel biased.

In a world where men have enjoyed privileges and opportunities for centuries that women have only recently been able to enjoy, even suggesting that men (and particularly boys) are somehow ignored and that there may be a reversed “gender gap” feels like hypocrisy. Yet the danger of boys and men being left behind as our culture evolves is one that author Richard V. Reeves describes as urgent in his new book Of Boys and Me...

What the Popularity of Closed Captions Tells Us About the Value of Making Accomodations

Twenty years ago when I was leading web production teams, we had to ensure our sites were compatible for people with slower browsers, screen readers and any other accommodations. At the time, I remember feeling like this was far too much effort for a relatively small population. Eventually I realized the problem with this mindset and began to understand how many people are left behind when technology is not accessible.

In the WSJ this week, there was a feature story about how closed captions (onc...

Here’s Why Everyone Loves the 90s Again

Non-Obvious Story of the Week from Rohit Bhargava

Why are the ’90s so popular? According to self-described “white boy rapper” Vanilla Ice, “the ’90s was the last of the great decades, because after that, computers killed the world.” Now the 54-year old rapper is headlining the “I Love the ’90s” national concert tour along with “other forgotten acts of that decade including Color Me Badd, Coolio and Tone Loc.” He has a new energy drink flavor named after himself, and he’s even opening a pop ...

New Global Study Reveals the Emojis That Make You More (Or Less) Attractive

Forget the best and worst pickup lines, now thanks to Adobe all single people have some data on the emojis to use (and which ones to avoid) when trying to appear more attractive. This is just one data point from the recently released 2022 U.S. Emoji Trend Report from Adobe’s font team. Other conclusions from the report:

Adding emojis to your messages makes you cooler, friendlier and funnier.Emojis can boost mental health by making it easier to express ourselves.The crying while laughing emoji...

Why Are We So Unprepared For Predictable Things?

Non-Obvious Story of the Week from Rohit Bhargava

It’s been exactly a week since Queen Elizabeth II died and my newsfeed is still filled with a combination of mourning and criticism as Britain grapples with the loss of its longtime monarch and figurehead for decades of colonialism. The story that captured my attention, though, was the plight of more than 800 brands that had the “royal warrant” from the Queen to use the British coat of arms in their marketing because a member of the royal fa...

Monopoly Makes Kids Angry, For Their Own Good

“Throwing the Monopoly board across the room has the potential to strengthen your relationship with your family.” That’s the unusual insight at the heart of a new brand advertising campaign from Monopoly that showcases kids raging after a turn doesn’t go their way.

I really wish I was in the room when they presented the insight behind this campaign to Hasbro. It’s bold, clever and deep in a way you don’t expect marketing to be. If it hasn’t already, this is sure to win some industry awards. A...

What If We Could Repurpose All Parking Lots?

Non-Obvious Story of the Week with Rohit Bhargava

Parking lots are an eyesore and steal livable space in many cities, yet they have always been treated as a necessary urban evil. But what about in ten years? Or twenty? As cities build out more convenient and faster public transportation, many of these current parking garages may not be so useful in the future.

Anticipating this, a duo of architecture firms in Calgary have created the design for a convertible parking lot that can easily b...

Frederick Douglass and How Photos Will Shape Our Idea History In the Future

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”

Frederick Douglass wrote these words nearly 150 years ago, but hearing them this week as I watched a production of American Prophet playing at Arena Stage, they felt like a surprisingly relevant reminder to speak out for a more just world. Already being descri...

A Sadly Common Case Study In Leadership Failure

Last year Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa banned the usage of agrochemicals by local farmers in an attempt to become the first country with 100% organic agriculture. On the surface, the move seems like a perfect example of visionary leadership. Just over a year later, it is being declared a failed experiment. The “catastrophically wrong” initiative resulted in lower farming yields, barren farmland usage and widespread farmer protests. What went wrong?

This story is a sadly recognizabl...

3 Marketing Lessons From The Minions Movie

Last night we got dressed up to see a movie.

To be more specific, my boys and a group of their friends created their own matching yellow t-shirts while I sported a black t-shirt and Gru-scarf to complete our crew. Our dedication was slightly before the full hype started for for the latest installment in the Minions franchise – Minions: The Rise of Gru. This #minionscult fever has led the film to a blockbuster opening and a meme that has overtaken Tik Tok and other social media platforms, fil...