Rohit Bhargava's Blog, page 58
September 10, 2020
The Non-Obvious Insights Show – Episode #234
The show where we curate the most interesting and underappreciated stories of the week. On this week’s episode, we’ll be talking about Gucci’s $10,000 virtual dress, the return of the NFL and the entertaining future of fundraising and much more!
Stories in this week’s episode:
https://time.com/5881265/story-behind-time-new-american-revolution-cover/
September 9, 2020
5 Reasons the Return of the NFL Is Such A Big Deal
The NFL is easily the most popular sport in America and the new season starts today. Despite mostly empty stadiums (except the ones in Ohio and Florida), the pent up demand for ANY live entertainment and the popularity of the sport seem poised to drive some record profits this year for the league and team owners … if the entire season happens, of course.
To further break down the significance of its return, here are five reasons why the return of the NFL is such a big deal and you should be watc...
September 4, 2020
The LA Olympic Committee Helps Fans Dream of 2028 at the Perfect Time
The first time I saw Izzy, I knew he was a mistake.
I was living in Atlanta and it was sometime before the 1996 Olympic Games. I hadn’t even graduated from college or taken any of my marketing classes … but I had a gut reaction that the mascot officially named “Whatizit” and nicknamed Izzy was a disaster. Most people agreed. Years later, it remains one of the most widely ridiculed examples of Olympic branding from any of the Summer Games.
That summer in Atlanta jump started my lifelong love aff...
September 3, 2020
The Non-Obvious Insights Show – Episode #233
This week’s stories will include desperate airlines selling in-flight meals online, the LA Olympic committee’s brilliantly inclusive new logo, how to use stupidity to get a promotion, a conversation with Silicon Valley’s last ethical thinker and how a Japanese rock star and Lady Gaga are showing us the future of virtual performances.
This Week’s Stories:
A trader accidentally sold 5 million of the company chairman’s shares in a classic case of ‘fat-finger’ https://markets.businessinsider.com/...
August 31, 2020
Is New York Dead Forever? Inside Seinfeld’s Feud With James Altucher
Two weeks ago when writer James Altucher published a well-argued article titled “NYC is Dead Forever. Here’s Why …” – he set off a firestorm of debate. Many long time New Yorkers rushed to defend their beloved city from his dire prediction. Famous New York comedian Jerry Seinfeld was one of them, as he argued in a NY Times Op-Ed that America’s most famous city would rise once more as it has before. Which ignited another round of debate, and inspired Altucher to write a follow up. The feud is fun...
August 27, 2020
The Non-Obvious Insights Show – Episode #232
In this episode, we talk about …
Why the Republican National Convention was a flop (read the full article)
The biggest secret about competing on Masterchef
How magic helps introduce pioneering technology
Empathetic cars that can cure your road rage
The debate about whether New York is dead forever
Why your next health screening may be via selfie
An ancient species that will haunt your dreams
A new survey that says Generation X has lost hope for the future
And another selection for my Non-Obviou...
August 26, 2020
8 Things You Can Learn From Both U.S. Political Conventions About Persuasion
Over the past two weeks, I actively watched both the Republican and Democratic Political Conventions and actively ignored the mostly useless commentary from cable news political pundits. My aim was to hear and experience the original talks and segments from both conventions without the biased real-time analysis. I was watching not only the live and pre-recorded talks, but also the structure of each of the events, who spoke, how the pieces were integrated and what the overall experience was.
Th...
August 22, 2020
Branding Lessons From the Shady History of the Oreo Cookie
I love a good branding story and the history of the Oreo cookie has plenty of fascinating hooks. The story starts with two feuding brothers, Joseph and Jacob Loose, who ran competing bakeries that came up with two cookies that were essentially the same: the Hydrox and the Oreo. For years the Hydrox dominated, until the 1950s when the brand Hydrox began to sound like many cleaning supplies on the market while the Oreo made two big strategic choices that propelled it to become “milk’s favorite coo...
August 20, 2020
The Non-Obvious Insights Show – Episode #231
In this episode, we talk about …
Lessons in humble creativity from the best small agency in America
Transparent toilets and they might actually work
A stunning VR expose of factory farms filmed by an activist group
Apple seeing challenges to their monopoly from Fortnite and others
Time crystals and why they aren’t as cool as they sound … yet
Insights about female voting patterns over the past 100 years
Teacher shortages and how to rethink education in a pandemic
A curious new database of recipe...
August 16, 2020
How Japan’s “Culture of Cute” Traps Japanese Women
Last year I went to Japan for the first time and experienced the inescapable presence of “Kawaii” culture. It is a word that describes the overwhelming cuteness of icons, mascots and media that focus on pastel colors, large rounded imagery and anime characters with big eyes and (often) short skirts. In many cases, it overlaps with how women are portrayed in Japan – a fact that writer Alyssa Pearl Fusek writes critically about in this article. Here’s an excerpt:
“There is “weakness,” “transience,...
