Dear Reader, Are companies using “sludge” — deliberate customer service obstacles — to avoid angry customers? Could the shift toward smaller, independent agencies be a bright spot in a struggling industry? Did Carnival Cruise just launch a case study in destroying brand loyalty? These questions will all be answered in this week's newsletter. In other stories, we'll look at why Copenhagen’s adult-only park is sparking fresh urban planning ideas and showcase a book that explains exactly how...
13 days ago • 7 min read
Dear Reader, In this week's edition, I decided to take an unexpected deep dive into the world of art and museums. You'll find several stories and recommended reading on this topic below including a book that was featured in last year's Non-Obvious Book Awards. In other stories, two brothers buy an abandoned Boeing 727 for $10k, Digg may soon be reborn, a new paint makes buildings "sweat" to help them keep cool, how technology is changing the way perfumes get made and marketing secrets from...
20 days ago • 6 min read
Dear Reader, In just about every industry there are assumptions that we typically make ... like what sort of speakers people want to hear at an event. Or who should be responsible for archeological discoveries. The stories in this week's newsletter challenge some of these beliefs—from a revealing new study on why event planners are moving away from booking celebrities to who the "perfect astronauts" of the future will be. You’ll also read about Denmark’s bold experiment with deputizing...
27 days ago • 7 min read
Dear Reader Fellow Trend Curator, Heading back home today from Lima after nearly two weeks on the road, my airport experience here in Peru inspires the first story in this week's newsletter all about the power of optimism. From my surprisingly smooth experience at Lima’s brand-new airport (despite the headlines) to groundbreaking innovations like sugar alternatives from tropical fruits and revived EV batteries, there are plenty of stories and causes to feel good about the future in this...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Dear Reader Fellow Trend Curator, Greetings from London! I'm here all week for the inaugural SXSW London event along with a side trip to Lisbon for the APCC Summit to talk about the future of retail and shopping centers. The common theme among both is the power of creating experiences and why they continue to matter so much in a digitally enhanced world. Over the past week I've shared an AI-driven idea sharing tool from the stage along with Henry as we launched the new paperback edition of...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Dear Reader Fellow Trend Curator, What if the world's brightest people aimed higher than prestige and paychecks? A powerful new book dares the next generation to do better—and start making a difference. Meanwhile, the future of radio is being actively created and debated: from NPR’s funding battle to AI DJs. In other stories this week, LEGO joins the "book nook" trend with a grown-up Sherlock Holmes diorama and a new Olympic style competition throws all doping rules out the window and...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Dear Reader Fellow Trend Curator, Millennials are reclaiming joy through “hobby energy,” ditching hustle culture to embrace unmonetized, feel-good pastimes like flower arranging. Meanwhile, Lyft’s AI chatbot hints at a better future for gig workers, and AI-powered animation is the first and fastest moving frontier in Hollywood's emerging relationship with AI. In Europe, a coffee shop is going viral for offering free drinks in exchange for juicy gossip ... proof that personality marketing...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Dear Reader Fellow Trend Curator, It is exactly a week until our team hits the ground in Austin for SXSW, our biggest event of the year. From pajama parties to 7 minute meetups to a fireside chat about the future of events, Non-Obvious will be heading all over the city and our biggest goal is to encourage more human connections in a time when we could all really use them. See a full list of all our 2025 events and collaborations » For the seventh year in a row I will be premiering another...
5 months ago • 8 min read
Dear Reader Fellow Trend Curator, “Get ready to honor one of the earliest forms of restraint.” Ok, I know that’s an odd way to start this week’s email but I had to do it considering today is National Handcuff Day. You have to love when marketers create random holidays for PR reasons … though I’m not exactly sure who’s winning with this one. Unnecessary holidays aside, it’s the usual chaos over here as the two week countdown to SXSW in Austin starts. Once again I’ll be debuting a new talk from...
5 months ago • 7 min read