Comic-Con Virtual, Ultra-Tiny Phones, Understanding Arranged Marriages and Why 2064 Will Be a Big Year | Non-Obvious Insights #227

Dear Newsletterest,

Comic-Con has been happening all weekend and it's virtual. I just wrote an article about one of the panels and some virtual presenting lessons it offers. In this week's newsletter you'll also read about the uncertain future of brand personality, Millennials moving back to their childhood bedrooms, Netflix's controversial new show on arranged marriages, floating movie theaters, a study predicting world population decline in 2064 and a curious new ultra-tiny phone.

There was no video show due to family reasons last week, but I'll be back this coming Thursday with another extended show featuring my LIVE take on the most interesting stories of the week. Until then, stay non-obvious, enjoy the stories and let me know what you think about them by responding to this email.

Trader Joe's and the Sadly Uncertain Future of Brand Personality

I believe brands should act in human ways and have a personality. In fact, I wrote a book on it more than a decade ago called Personality Not Included, and I have long used Trader Joe's as an example of how to effectively create and share a personality. From their unique "Fearless Flyers" to the way they have retitled ethnic foods with slight variations of their brand name, I enjoy the way they bring their brand to life. This week, thanks to pressure from an online petition, they will remove these "racist" versions of their logo from brand packages and go back to just using Trader Joe's standard brand.

While I understand the sentiment behind the petition, to me the criticism seems misplaced. This is a brand that was unafraid to be playful and have personality, and now they are being accused of racism and forced to kill that personality in a small way. How will this affect not only their brand, but others that have been built with this same storytelling approach? It would be a marketing tragedy if brands become afraid to do anything to demonstrate their personality or have a sense of humor because of criticism like this. Yet this is exactly what may be happening right now, and it's hard to watch at a time when we need more humanity and personality from business, not less.

Comic-Con Goes Virtual, and You Can Watch It This Weekend For Free ...

I have wanted to go to the Comic-Con event for years, but never quite managed to make it. This year, I finally can - because the entire event is happening virtually. It started on Thursday, and there is already an excellent panel you can watch on how teachers are using comic books to help students learn. Over the past few days, there have been panels on "causeplay," the future of gaming and a Star Trek panel featuring a table read of the season finale from Star Trek Discovery. Check out the full schedule and pick the sessions that interest you here >>

Millennials Move Into Childhood Bedrooms and Revisit Their Youth

Many young city dwellers left their apartments to move back home with parents when Covid-19 shut down everything. For most, that meant moving back into their childhood rooms, and having a unique forced opportunity to make peace with their own younger selves. This NY Times article explores how many are treating it as a chance for introspection. It's a moment that may feel unwelcome for some right now, but ultimately feels like a gift that any generation would be privileged to get.

Netflix's Controversial New Show On Indian Arranged Marriages

A new Netflix eight-part mini-series called Indian Matchmaking has been sparking a big debate online because of how it shines a spotlight on what one observer called "Brahmanical patriarchy ... shaped by gender, caste, and economic relationships." The show tells the story of arranged marriages from the perspective of a famous matchmaker who uses "biodata" to connect people. Watching it reminded me how lucky I am to be married to an amazing woman, along with just how stupid most of us can be when describing who we think our "ideal" mate should be (including how they focus on skin color, height and economic status). In the show, as in real life, the people who seem to find a connection most easily are the ones who are flexible enough to accept and love someone as they are, rather than trying to shape them into who they imagine they want their perfect spouse to be.

Zero Touch Spaces and Floating Movie Theaters Offer a Chance to Get Out

As stir-crazy communities look for any way to get out and enjoy the outdoors together while maintaining safe social distancing, this week there were several examples that seem to be taking off across the globe. From floating movie theaters where people sit in socially distanced boats in Paris, Chicago and San Francisco, to individual exercise pods in Toronto - these "zero touch spaces" experiences will continue to grow as people seek out safer ways to get out of the house and participate in group social activities without the crowds.

World Population Will Decline Starting In 2064, Shifting the Current World Order

After peaking at 9.7 billion people in the year 2064, researchers believe that the world's population will begin to decline. The primary reason cited is more empowerment of women/girls and widely available contraception. The researchers go on to talk about the major impact this is likely to have on economies around the world, and particularly the balance of power as current "third world" nations will be the ones who likely have the highest percentage of productive young people working. Still, this means the world has yet to add another billion people before we reach this peak - so given the problem is decades away, we can be sure almost every politician and government will completely ignore the report.

How Ultra-Niche Phones Are Going Tiny, Rugged and Bringing Back Keyboards

For the past few years, a small Chinese phone maker named Unihertz has been offering phones unlike anyone else. Their Titan model is like an old-school Blackberry with a full keyboard. The 4-inch Atom XL is small and rugged, built to survive some serious punishment. And their latest phone, called the Jelly, is currently up on Kickstarter and has a tiny three inch screen and a brilliant backer video that spotlights some more unusual benefits of the tiny phone, including IR support to use it as a TV remote, two SIM card slots (so you can use it when you eventually get to travel internationally again), and a low price so they can position it as your backup phone. Clearly its working - they already passed half a million dollars in backers.

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