Rohit Bhargava's Blog, page 86

Political Conventions And The Worst Men On The Internet

Legendary ad man David Ogilvy once said that “political advertising ought to be stopped. It’s the only really dishonest kind of advertising that’s left.” I wonder what he would say about the frenzied circus shows of the Democratic and Republican political conventions that have been televised globally these past two weeks. My lead story this week is about a fascinating story about the “provocateur” Milo Yiannopolous and what his story says about the state of media today. Thankfully, the other...

The Purpose Hotel, Dyson’s New Robot Vacuum And Target’s Big Bet On Kids | Issue #24

The big news of Unilever purchasing subscription site Dollar Shave Club for $1B this week probably dominated your newsfeed this week, and one that I had two separate journalists contact me about for comment. Subscription commerce is back in the spotlight for this week, but the more interesting stories this week for me included an expose from noted data analyst Nate Silver on why online ratings for films and TV shows targeted at women may be completely skewed, what technologists can learn from...

5 Stories That Explain Pokemon Go And Other Non-Obvious Insights

Based on the dominating news this past week about Pokemon Go, it was tempting to devote this entire newsletter to the subject – but that felt a bit lazy … so instead all five of my top stories on Pokemon Go are aggregated together into one and the rest of this week’s under appreciated stories include some bold moves Chinese retailer Alibaba is taking to encourage retailers to create virtual stores, a new gay reality dating show, and what the story of saving Twinkies might predict about the fu...

The Scary Future Of Media Consumption And Other Non-Obvious Insights | Issue #22

Curating this articleto find stories worth sharing with you every week has helped me hone my ability to read (and ignore) stories quickly. As each of us feels more bombarded with demands on our attention – the dangerous truth is that we spend less and less time appreciating the meaning of anything. That’s why this week I am sharing stories about an insane new way of watching television and how shockingly easy it is for anyone to access our private information alongside one photographer’s slow...

Intel Creates Drone Fireworks, Unilever Bans Sexist Ads and How To Spin Getting Fired | Non-Obvious Insights #21

Fear dominated the headlines this week as “Brexit” cast a scary spotlight on everything from the future of globalization to the belief gap between the young and old. Thankfully, amidst all the doomsday predictions, there were also plenty of stories of hope – from Unilever’s moves to ban sexism in their advertising to the story of a top executive that shows exactly how to turn getting fired into a bold personal statement. Also featured in this week’s insights, just in time for the 4th of July...

The Hot New Startup That Lets You Sell Your Own Data (And Other Non-Obvious Insights) | Issue #20

This week has been all about soccer in my house thanks to the simultaneous scheduling of the Euro Cup and Copa America, so the first story in this week’s email is a wearable tech idea for soccer fans that offers more a more immersive experience. Other stories this week spotlight how AI is being trained to predict when a couple might kiss, the surprising resurgence of notebooks and why your company might need an Artist In Residence. Finally, a story about a prescient new startup that turns big...

How To Pause The Internet (And Other Non-Obvious Insights) | Issue #19

There was plenty of big business news this week, from Disney’s long awaited opening of its signature theme park in Shanghai to Microsoft’s unexpected acquisition of LinkedIn. Chances are you have seen plenty of news about both – so true to the theme for this weekly email I won’t be spending much time on either. Instead, this week’s underappreciated stories will take you inside the first AI produced script, several new products designed to help us pause the Internet (and why we need them), pre...

4 Brilliant Exposés, The World’s Ugliest Color And Other Non-Obvious Insights | Issue #18

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 abouteverything from how the NYT and WSJ best seller lists really work to the true difference between Uber and Lyft. Along with these insider accounts, there was a telling new research announcement from Twitter and comprehensive new brand reputation tracking platform that you probably haven’t h...

What Whole Foods New Brand Says About You (And Other Non-Obvious Insights) | Issue #17

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 75 year old hero. Whole Food’s new 365 concept store and luxury retailer PIRCH offered divergent views of why experiential retail works, and my favorite Kickstarter project discovery this w...

The Creepy Things Uber Knows About You (And Other Non-Obvious Insights) | Issue #16

It seemed like the theme of the week was reduction through small tweaks as Twitter announced a long awaitedsmall 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 its once popular print catalog and forgotten social media darling Foursquare charted its own brave new course with a chatbot announcement. Yes, there was...