Influential Marketing

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: I Bottled My Mother by Monica Nassif

Rohit Bhargava — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000

This is the story behind the “cult-favorite cleaning line inspired by Monica’s real-life mom, Thelma Meyer: a whip-smart, no-nonsense Midwesterner who raised nine children with little more than elbow grease, common sense, and a garden full of geraniums.” It’s an unusual memoir because of the combination of business advice and real-life stories, but it works because of the personality that comes through. Also, this one is a bit more personal for me since my team worked with Monica for the past year to get this book out into the world. Available for pre-orders now and you can also catch my podcast interview with Monica in last week’s episode.

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About the Non-Obvious Book Selection of the Week:

Every week I share a new “non-obvious” book selection. Titles featured here may be new or classic books, but the date of publication doesn’t really matter. My goal is to elevate great reads that perhaps deserve a second look which you might have otherwise missed.

Why America Needs Less Quietly Obedient Leaders

Rohit Bhargava — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000

In the headlines this month here in the US are the moves from the current administration to try and remove citizenship rights from Americans who were born in the country but may not meet certain additional criteria such as having parents who were also citizens. It has also become a big deal because of President Trump’s choice to attend the Supreme Court hearing in person. Pew Internet Research has a few pieces released this week that help to add some useful context on this issue. Firstly, there is the point that across the countries of the world, the birthright citizenship model currently used in the US is relatively uncommon.

According to NPR, the proposal appears unlikely to pass and perhaps the best way to understand the difficulties here is to consider some of the thoughtful questions that Supreme Court Justices have been asking about the proposed policy:

How would you know who the father is, or the mother? What if they’re unmarried? Whose house do they live in?
How would you adjudicate these cases? You’re not going to know at the time of birth whether they have the intent to stay or not, including U.S. citizens by the way.
So [are] we bringing pregnant women in for depositions? What are we doing to figure this out?

This is the part I find most interesting about the story. Too often, there seems to be little to no discussion or thought about the realities of HOW things will actually work once rules are made or changed. Case in point – the recent moves by US Department of Energy to reduce safety regulations at nuclear power plants which are highly likely to literally kill power plant workers in the long term .

So when the questions get real and are asked by people other than deeply invested journalists, it’s worth paying attention. We need more people in positions of authority to ask these kinds of questions about proposed policies instead of choosing blind loyalty and quiet obedience.

Lessons From Utopias, the World’s Most Expensive Beer

Rohit Bhargava — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000

It’s a cross between a fine liquor and a reimagined beer. It’s also $240 per bottle and banned in 15 states due to having an alcohol content of 30% which is higher than allowed for beer. This is Samuel Adams’ Utopias and whether you like beer or not there are some simple business and marketing lessons anyone can take away from this unique product. To start, it’s not a one-off idea:

“Utopias was actually born from another Samuel Adams creation — 1992’s Triple Bock, the beer industry’s first barrel aged beer, which sold for the then-unheard-of price of $100 per case. In 1999, the beer evolved into “Millennium,” and in 2002 it adopted the name Utopias.”

Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams, calls the beer a labor of love since it’s not a huge money maker for the brand. Its existence does something interesting for the rest of the beer maker’s products too … underscoring the attention to detail and craftmanship that presumably goes into their other products too. This is the sort of old-school marketing idea that is becoming rarer and rarer to see.

A unique product, promoted through an interesting story and something that feels distinctive and new … even though in theory any beer maker could have done it. There was a time when I would see a lot of ideas like this coming from marketers in all industries. It feels like a while since I’ve both seen and written about an idea like this which has little to do with technology or AI. Sometimes a good idea stands out simply because it would have worked at any moment in time. That’s still worth raising a glass to celebrate.

Why We Need a Resurgence of the People Who Hire People

Rohit Bhargava — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000

One history making moment from last week’s Academy Awards that was easy to forget was the addition of an Oscar for the role of Casting Director. Many in the industry felt this long-overdue award finally recognized the fundamental role that these experts play in the success of a production. Indeed, for most iconic movies and shows, it’s hard to imagine them with any other actor in the lead role. At a time when we are seeing a large restructuring of workforces and a reimagining of the talent required for businesses in the future, there is remarkably little focus on the professional humans who sit at the center of the business world helping place new leaders, fill gaps and sort through what may be thousands of applicants to find the right fit for any role.

The modern casting director of business is the HR director, talent manager or hiring expert. As automation changes the structure of teams, this role should be increasing in importance. You would therefore expect to see lots of conversation online about the future of recruiting. Inspired by reading about that award for casting, I started to dig into this topic and found that this conversation is strangely missing … apart from AI vendors selling tools to do it for you. Where are the experts imagining the future of recruitment and talent acquisition?

Without this, the danger is that more companies turn to AI tools and platforms as a default and the human side of recruiting is lost. So, I’m curious about your experience, whether you have (or are currently) in the job search market or have been recently. Are you seeing any equivalents of casting directors in business imagining the future? If so, I’d love to know and spotlight their work.

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Humanish by Justin Gregg

Rohit Bhargava — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Do you talk to your cat or name your car? The good news is, it’s perfectly normal and human to do so, according to author Justin Gregg. His first love, from a research perspective, was dolphins and in his previous writing he talks about what we have learned about their language and why so many women believe in the power of giving birth in the ocean alongside “dolphin doulas.” This is just one of the fascinating stories Justin shares in his book that explains the curious human habit of naming inanimate objects (described by science as anthropomorphism). If you want not just to understand the fascinating history of this distinctly human habit but also explore the powerful new questions that this behavior raises in a world where we are already experiencing AI that mimics and supplants human relationships, this book will open your eyes and give you lots of perspective to share.

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About the Non-Obvious Book Selection of the Week:

United Unlocks Excitement by Finally Serving the Neglected Back of the Plane

Rohit Bhargava — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

This is a time when travelers could use some good news after hours long delays at airports fueled by political impasse on funding TSA. So the timing is good for United Airlines to announce their newest offering, the Relaxed Row. Unlike most announcements in the airline space that promise some new luxury upgrade for premium (and highly profitable) customers, this is an innovation for the back of the plane. As United’s announcement describes:

“United Airlines today announced the United Relax Row: a set of United Economy seats that can transform into a couch, creating a more comfortable option for customers traveling in the United Economy cabin on long-haul flights. United is the first North American airline to offer this kind of seating option and holds North American exclusivity on the design. This new, dedicated row of three seats is outfitted with individually adjustable leg rests that fold up at a 90-degree angle to create more room to sleep, stretch out or watch a movie.”

Predictably, the announcement is getting rave reviews and lots of excitement from consumers even though it doesn’t officially come out until next year. Aside from being a great idea, it does also point to the sad reality of just how desperate economy class travelers have become for any sort of effort from an airline to make their increasingly pitiful journey with shrinking seats just a little better. Yes, this is also a revenue generating idea from United since these seats will likely be sold at a premium … but if other airlines are paying attention, it may finally spark some innovation for the other 90% of travelers who aren’t sitting in those lie-flat business class seats.

Words That Don’t Exist (Yet) – A Big New Book Announcement!

Rohit Bhargava — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

If you happen to catch some of the news coming out of SXSW last week, you’ll already know that I made a big announcement from the stage about my new book coming out in October: Future Words. It is already up for pre-orders on all retailers and if you do pre-order a copy NOW and let me know by email, I have a few bonuses that I can share with you over the next few months including:

An advance preview of the full book before it comes out
A chance to contribute words (and get featured in the book!)
More special, secret, non-obvious swag and cool stuff that I haven’t come up with yet but will definitely be worth it! 🙂

Regarding the book itself, the vision is to create a compendium of words that will exist in the future but don’t yet, to describe scenarios, people, situations and emotions that we are currently living with, but that language has not yet been named. What kind of words?

Since I know you’re wondering – here are a few words that I shared from the stage that we will probably include in the book:

Angorithm – A system designed to use rage as a reliable method to incite engagement and capture attention.
Credentropy – The gradual erosion of trust in institutions, experts and credentials until no one believes anything anymore.
Riftmonger – One who deliberately sows division and manufactures chaos among others for personal gain.
Sloptimism – The genuine inability to tell when the output from AI is noticeably terrible. Most often practiced by sloptimists.
Shallowing – The active process of becoming less thoughtful and more coddled as a result of overly helpful technology.

Meta and Amazon Both Prove in the Same Week That Tech Company Greed May Have Some Limits

Rohit Bhargava — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Last week, three seemingly unrelated stories offered a glimpse into a perhaps hopeful version of reality. After losing over $84 billion dollars, Meta finally shut down their VR platform Horizon Worlds. Over the same span of time, other virtual platforms such as Second Life (launched in 2003) have built a hugely loyal audience. Analysts suggest Meta’s failure came down to their refusal to let creators copyright their content and their predatory commissions model only offering creators 52.5% of the revenue they create. In contrast, Second Life’s virtual economy moves roughly $650 million per year, and Linden Lab has paid out $1.1 billion to creators over the platform’s lifetime.

The other two stories both involved Amazon, where the first is about the backlash against the brand for potentially causing a financial crisis at USPS due to their refusal to negotiate rates and allegedly demanding unsustainable concessions (a well-known pattern for a brand known for using their monopoly to strong-arm partners in negotiations). The second is about the brand’s announcement that they will start offering 1 and 3 hour deliveries in some cities, which experts also warn may lead to more injuries, accidents and other “human horrors.”

What’s the theme between these stories? Well, firstly the fact that they are stories at all. Often these sorts of impacts are hidden as the cost of doing business so it’s a positive sign to see them getting so much attention. It does also point to a broader shift where companies increasingly need to answer for the human impacts of the ways that they choose to make money. For that reason alone, it’s worth paying attention to and sharing.

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: China’s 90% Model by Ram Charan

Rohit Bhargava — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Despite the recent postponement of the highly anticipated US-China Summit, now is a perfect time to better understand the state of relations between these two superpowers and this timely book is the ultimate guide to all the factors most people aren’t writing or talking about. Written by renowned business leader and CEO advisor Ram Charan, China’s 90% Model offers the provocative perspective that “America is losing a war it barely knows it’s fighting.” Based on dozens of interviews and trips to China over more than a decade, along with firsthand conversations with global CEOs – this is a clear-eyed look at the current political and economic tension between these two nations along with a perspective on what it would take for America to emerge again and shift its trajectory.

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About the Non-Obvious Book Selection of the Week:

Huggies Expensive Sh*t and the Age of Experiential Advertising

Rohit Bhargava — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Stunts are nothing new in the world of marketing, but they are not usually done via live streaming nor include quite so specific of a problem as diaper blowouts. When Huggies wanted to showcase their “blowout-proof” diapers that guarantee to keep that poop contained–they decided to prove it in real time. The resulting campaign dubbed “Expensive Sh*t” shows recently fed babies crawling around on top of expensive items like a white wedding dress or an expensive car.

The one-hour live stream is super watchable and brings the idea to life in a fun and terrifying way. It’s also a technique that more marketers may turn to as a way to capture fractured attention and get past the hurdle of people increasingly dismissing things as potentially AI created. Thankfully, the diaper works and the blowouts are contained. Otherwise, that shit would get super expensive … and no one wants to see that.

A New Product That Imagines an Anti-Surveillance Future

Rohit Bhargava — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

One of the biggest viral tech stories this week was an announcement from a company called Deveillance that announced a product called Spectre 1: the first smart device that stops unwanted audio recordings from happening around you. This is an emerging category around anti-surveillance that is likely to continue to rise as people get frustrated by tech that seems to be always watching and reporting on their movements. Others have called it “tech cloaking” (a lovely Star Trek reference), but the idea is that products and services that enable this will be more popular with future consumers.

As Deveillance founder Aida Baradari explains:

“People should have a choice over what they want to share, especially in conversations. If we can’t converse anymore without feeling scared of saying something that’s potentially taken out of context or wrong, then how are we going to build human connection in this new age?”

The Spectre 1 won’t be out until later this year and is likely to carry a hefty price tag of about $1,199 but the category envisioning is one that will continue to grow in appeal and almost certainly these prices will come down as more people finally choose to take privacy into our own hands and protect themselves from being surveilled.

The AI Startup That Raised $1B While Betting Against Generative AI

Rohit Bhargava — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

When a Turing Prize winner raises over a billion dollars to create a new model for the future of AI, people should be paying attention. Yann LeCun and his company AMI Labs are planning to build “world models” instead of large language models. These are models that are designed to learn from reality instead of predictive text. More importantly, he believes that in six months, every AI company will be talking about world modeling. It’s cause for excitement and concern, as tech writer Shelly Palmer shares in his newsletter:

“I love this journey, but the tech also terrifies me. I keep asking myself what scares me more: a future where AI fundamentally misunderstands how the world works, or a future where it actually understands the world completely. Both scenarios have kept me awake recently.”

There are a lot of questions right now around what exactly world modeling is, how it can be trained and how it might be corrupted. For now, it’s a space to watch and a term to bookmark.

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Don’t Be Yourself by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Rohit Bhargava — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

The provocative title of this book describes its premise but rather than being an exaggeration, Don’t Be Yourself actually does lay out a pretty convincing argument for why “you do you” is probably the worst advice you can give anyway. Filled with interesting non-obvious advice that goes opposite to the cliche advice you often hear – this is the prefect book to share with anyone who feels overwhelmed by the demands of our culture and wants to do things a different way.

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About the Non-Obvious Book Selection of the Week: