Writers’ Rough Drafts – Episode #58 With Rohit Bhargava

Or listen on: iTunes| Stitcher| Spotify| Google Play| Download

Rohit Bhargava is a trend curator, innovation and marketing expert, and author of six best-selling books (including the Wall Street Journal bestseller Non-Obvious). As founder of the Non-Obvious Company, he focuses on marketing disruption and innovation in the world, helping individuals and businesses learn how to be more interesting by focusing on things that are … well … not-so-obvious. 

His books cover a wide range of topics that include the future of business, branding with personality, and why leaders always eat left-handed. Previously, he spent 15 years as a marketing strategist for international heavyweights like Leo Burnett and Ogilvy. He also manages to squeeze in time to lecture at Georgetown University (with a hugely popular course that explores the connections between marketing and storytelling) and speaks to sold-out audiences into the tens of thousands.

What You’ll Learn About Writing This Week:

• Why you need to always move toward the adventure
• How making the non-obvious choice helps to propel you forward
• How marketing is really a form of persuasive storytelling
• How to manage your time to build a side hustle you love to do (even after working your 9-to-5 job)
• Why becoming a “collector of ideas” is the greatest skill you can add to your creative quiver
• The importance of doing your own research about any stories you consume from the media
• How to take the mindset of storyboarding from film and TV and apply it to your own writing

Mentioned in This Episode (Links and Resources!):

• Leo Burnett (Agency)
• Ogilvy
• Rohit’s blog
• Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity and How Great Brands Get It Back (first book) 
• Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action (second book)
• Teen Vogue
• Always Eat Left Handed: 15 Surprising Secrets For Killing It At Work And In Real Life 
• The Non-Obvious Guide to Small Business Marketing (Without a Big Budget)
• Non Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss, Predict Trends and Win the Future (Hitting the shelves January 7, 2020)

You Can Find More of Rohit and His Writing On: 

• His website, RohitBhargava.com
• NonObvious.com
• Twitter, @RohitBhargava

Tweetable Quotes From This Episode:

• On writing about the non-obvious: “I’m always trying to find new ideas and new ways of describing the world in ways I haven’t seen before.” – @RohitBhargava on #WritersRoughDrafts
• “[I’m] a collector of ideas in the same way that we collect frequent flier miles … we have to get better at collecting [ideas] over time.” – @RohitBhargava on #WritersRoughDrafts
• “That’s a pretty powerful, intentional way to consume media … by choosing to [read print].” – @RohitBhargava on #WritersRoughDrafts
• Why it matters to read print magazines: “It makes you a better writer because you see the way ideas are presented for different people who aren’t like you.” – @RohitBhargava on #WritersRoughDrafts
• “That’s the discipline that we now need to have when it comes to consuming any kind of media … the only way you can be a more intelligent consumer of media is by never trusting just one source.” – @RohitBhargava on #WritersRoughDrafts
• “The best marketers in the field use the principle of storyboarding to get you to care. Because at the end of the day, it’s about getting someone to care. If they don’t care, they’re not going to pay attention” – @RohitBhargava on #WritersRoughDrafts
• “Try and consume a variety of content, and encourage others to do the same thing.” – @RohitBhargava on #WritersRoughDrafts