Rohit Bhargava

Founder of the Non-Obvious Company & Best-Selling Business Author

Rohit Bhargava

Founder of the Non-Obvious Company & Best-Selling Business Author

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Biography

Rohit Bhargava is an innovation and marketing expert, skilled facilitator, and keynote speaker. After a successful 15-year career as a brand and marketing strategist at two of the largest agencies in the world (Ogilvy and Leo Burnett), Rohit became an entrepreneur and has since started three companies. He is the 3-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author of nine books on topics as wide-ranging as the future of business, building a brand with personality, and how to create a more diverse and inclusive world and has delivered sold-out keynote presentations and workshops to business leaders in 32 countries.

As a keynote speaker, Rohit has been invited to share his insights at some of the most forward-looking organizations and stages in the world including Intel, NASA, Disney, JP Morgan Chase, LinkedIn, Microsoft, American Express, CES, SXSW, the World Bank, Coca-Cola and hundreds of others. At SXSW in particular, the long lines outside his popular Featured Session talks have wrapped around the entire Austin Convention Center and down the stairs to the lower level. After his packed session one year, an attendee tweeted after his talk that "he's no Beyonce, but definitely worth standing in line for." It's one of Rohit's favorite after-talk endorsements. He is indeed no Beyonce, but his sessions are still pretty darn entertaining.

The Non-Obvious Trends series which he first started as an online trend report and then turned into a book in 2015 became his signature publication, with annual editions for the next five years, and culminating in the international bestseller Non-Obvious Megatrends, which hit #1 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list and also the USA Today bestseller list. To date, the series has been read or shared by more than 1 million readers and won more than twenty international book awards including recognition by the Leonard L. Berry Marketing Book Award, the Eric Hoffer Business Book of the Year, and a Gold Medal in the Axiom Awards. His latest book, The Future Normal, co-authored with Henry Coutinho-Mason was released in March 2023.

Outside of his consulting work, Rohit also teaches his popular signature course on storytelling and marketing at Georgetown University in Washington DC and has been invited to deliver guest lectures at many other prestigious schools including Stanford and Wharton. For the past 17 years, Rohit has also been writing his personal “Influential Marketing Blog” which has been featured in global media and named one of the top 25 marketing blogs in the world by AdAge magazine. He is regularly interviewed and featured as an expert commentator in global media including Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, and NPR. Rohit also writes a monthly column for GQ magazine in Brazil on technology and trends.

Thanks to his many years of sharing insights, Rohit has been recognized alongside visionary business leaders like Sir Richard Branson and Tom Peters as a “Top 100 Thought Leader in Trustworthy Business Behavior” and was named by global recruiting firm Korn Ferry as one of the “Most Influential South Asians In Media and Entertainment.”

On a personal level, Rohit is married and lives with his wife and two boys in the Washington DC area. He is a lifelong fan of anything having to do with the Olympics (he’s been to five so far and is really looking forward to Paris 2024!) and actively avoids anything having to do with cauliflower (yuck!). Outside of work, Rohit believes that the most entertaining and impactful job he will ever have is being a great dad and teaching his sons to be kind when no one expects it, curious about the things others take for granted, and confident enough to change the world.

Speaker Videos

KEYNOTE Innovation Trends and Marketing

Speaking Reel

Rohit Bhargava: The 4 Elements of Non-Obvious Thinking | SXSW 2024

15 Non-Obvious Trends Shaping Our Future Normal with Rohit Bhargava | SXSW 2023

Innovation, Trends, Marketing, and Diversity

Rheem Keynote | How To Be A Non-Obvious Thinker with Rohit Bhargava

Becoming a Non-Obvious Thinker

People Who Understand People Always Win

Three Barriers to Predicting The Future

7 Non-Obvious Trends Changing the Future | SXSW 2019

Rheem Keynote | How To Be A Non-Obvious Thinker with Rohit Bhargava

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Speech Topics

7 Non-Obvious Trends Shaping the Future Normal

What does it take to identify world changing trends that will actually last? For the past decade, Rohit Bhargava and Henry Coutinho-Mason have been on the front lines of the future—going into cutting-edge labs, private testing facilities, and invite-only showcases around the world. Now for the first time ever, this exclusive talk will reveal the most powerful stories and instigators that are already shaping humanity’s next decade. From biophilic skyscrapers to generative AI to haptic interfaces, this keynote will offer a clear-eyed overview of not only the technology changing our world, but also explore the deeply human questions all this advancement will raise. Rather than offering “futurist theater” with obvious forgettable examples, this talk is updated with new stories (sometimes pulled from that morning’s news!), a charismatic delivery style, and interactive exercises to deliver a memorable experience for any size audience. This is not a boring academic talk. Instead, it's a pull-no-punches, always entertaining, constantly surprising, highly actionable (and deeply non-obvious!) glimpse into what the future will look like ... and how each of us can train ourselves to anticipate big shifts before they happen.

This program will help leaders and teams:

Create a strategy to take their organization into the future and navigate significant change or disruption either through industry shifts, restructures, pandemic effects and/or new leadership.
Gain exposure to cutting edge ideas and technologies (as well as the innovators behind them) that can help inform new initiatives and products.

The audience will leave with:

A greater understanding of the fundamental forces of disruption that are shifting consumer behavior and beliefs across industries and what this means for them.
A roadmap of relevant innovations and advances that can help to shape strategic planning and current efforts around building products and services for existing and future potential customers.
for existing and future potential customers.

How to Lead the Future with Non-Obvious Thinking: See What Others Miss & Shift Your Perspective

This candid, fast-paced session reveals the five habits of non-obvious thinkers that can help you see opportunities others don’t, be more resilient, and lead the future.

This program is ideal for leaders and teams who want to:

Create a strategy to take their organization into the future and navigate significant change or disruption
Understand their future customers and prepare their business to serve needs those customers haven’t demanded yet (but will one day)
Broaden their perspective outside their industry so they can take ideas from many sectors and expertly apply them to their own roles and business

The audience will leave with a grasp of:

Five immediately usable habits they can integrate into their daily lives to broaden their perspective, be more creative, and see the world differently
The fundamental forces of disruption that are shifting consumer behavior and beliefs across industries and what this means for them
What trends are, what they aren’t, why they matter, and how they can start to identify trends and patterns of behavior for themselves

The Art of Non-Obvious Storytelling, Marketing & Branding: Create Brand Loyalty, Stand Out from the Competition & Be More Persuasive & Engaging

This “non-obvious” keynote will teach you how to apply the secrets of the world’s best storytellers to create more persuasive marketing and a brand that commands trust.

This program will help leaders and teams:

Achieve buy-in at all levels of an organization for branding, messaging, or strategic shifts either planned or already happening
Align a team across departments with a shared understanding of branding, positioning, marketing, storytelling, and the part everyone plays in shaping the organization’s perception in the marketplace
Articulate why storytelling matters and make it more approachable and realistic for everyone to use in their daily roles.

The audience will leave with:

The key principles of storytelling and guidelines for applying them in a business context to improve communications and be more persuasive
A 360-degree view of marketing, branding, communications, and sales, and the way these elements should collaborate, no matter what department they work for within your organization
A template for crafting a persuasive company story and then bringing that story to life through actions, communications, and everyday practices

The AI Future Normal: A Non-Obvious Look At What Will Change (And What Won't) With Artificial Intelligence

You might have heard that AI will change everything. Or that it won't. What's the truth about AI and how can you really get ready for the inevitable disruptions it will cause? In this candid talk, renowned "non-obvious" trend curator and best-selling author of The Future Normal Rohit Bhargava will demystify the innovation behind A.I. and offer practical tips for how to leverage its potential for your industry. Going beyond the technology, this talk offers a deeply human and wisely optimistic look at how organizations, leaders, and professionals at all levels will be able to win with AI without giving up autonomy or becoming irrelevant. If you're looking for a human-first perspective on the opportunity of AI without all the hype, this talk will offer the roadmap to win in an AI-driven future normal.

This program will help leaders and teams:

Understand the real potential and dangers of AI by spotlighting current tools and capabilities.
Openly address the ethical concerns about AI and offer a perspective on how to handle them.
Propose a method for developing the best A.I. strategy that works for your industry and organization.
Understand the promise of AI deeply enough to explain it to others and converse about it.

The audience will leave with:

An optimistic yet realistic view of the positive potential of AI as well as an understanding of its potential dangers.
Actionable insights on how to develop the right AI strategy for their organization and goals.
Practical knowledge about the current and future potential use cases and capabilities of AI

The Non-Obvious Method To Leading Diversity (When It’s Not Your Day Job): How Leaders Can Make Diversity & Inclusion Happen

This keynote offers an approachable introduction to diversity and inclusion for busy leaders. Inspired by the world’s most ambitious gathering of diversity experts at the Beyond Diversity Summit and the WSJ bestselling book Beyond Diversity, this talk is specifically for leaders who don’t spend all day working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Instead of blaming and shaming or focusing on a long list of “- isms,” this optimistic keynote candidly approaches some of the biggest myths and realities of diversity while offering practical suggestions to actually build a more inclusive and diverse team.

This program will help leaders and teams:

Understanding why building a more diverse and inclusive world matters and what is driving the current conversation and cultural demand for this to be a priority for all companies
Put DEI efforts into context and understand what matters most when it comes to creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace and company culture
Shift away from “blaming and shaming” and instead approach the topic of DEI from a place of positivity and optimism to help everyone shift their thinking without feeling forced or minimized in the process

The audience will leave with:

A shared sense of purpose for why DEI matters and how to adapt their current workplace or business practices to be more inclusive and equitable.
How to better identify instances of unconscious bias or unintentional discrimination and correct these moments or the policies that enable them.

Testimonials

“Rohit’s presentation was one of the most successful in our chapter’s history … his presentation drew rave reviews for delivering real content in an entertaining and easily accessible style.”

- American Marketing Association

“After a long day for our attendees, I was originally reluctant to have a post dinner address to our marketing executives. However, Rohit’s content and delivery had us hanging on his every word. He somehow feels the mood of the audience and tailors his message accordingly. This is not the first time we have used him, nor will it be the last.”

- Richmond Events

"Rohit Bhargava has clearly embraced his own principles because the audience at Brand ManageCamp didn’t just like his session on 'Likeonomics' – they loved it (and him). Rohit went above and beyond in making sure his topic to close Brand ManageCamp was valuable and memorable. He is that rare mix of scary-smart and super engaging and he is a pleasure to work with.”

- Founder at Brand Manage Camp

"When we asked Rohit to create a custom keynote and training video to teach our team about digital, we expected it to be educational. What Rohit managed to deliver blew us away! His content and style makes digital and social media approachable. His non-obvious trends were perfectly customized for the insurance industry and his content and delivery received rave reviews from our entire team.”

- Director of eMarketing at Prudential

“Over and above being a fantastic speaker, booking Rohit also means you get a partner. Most speakers sign the contract and then perform. Rohit went over and above to help market his keynote, deepen attendee engagement and generate opportunities to build off his speaking engagement. On-stage he is mesmerizing as he guides the audience through trends in modern marketing drawing on his experience as an agency executive and working with 100s of brands."

- ad:tech

“Rohit is a dynamic speaker, bursting with knowledge and examples about content creation/curation and the business value of likeability. He was one of the Vocus Conference favorites.”

- Marketing Manager at Vocus