The Non-Obvious Insights Blog. Non-Obvious Insights
The Non-Obvious Insights Blog.

Dedicated To Helping Readers
Be More Interesting
Since 2004.

As Featured In:

The Man Who Discovered Einstein & Why Big Ideas Don’t Work | A Marketing Keynote Presentation

You could say I’m a lover of history.

Not the boring “memorize which King came after which King” kind of history. No, instead I love the stories that history gives us of characters that we may already know, or objects we may interact with … but seldom think about in terms of their origins. This talk shares two of my favourite stories like that.

The first is how Einstein’s brilliance truly became appreciated in his time. If you think about it, he was a humble patent clerk with ideas that challenges the status quo. So why would the establishment believe him?  It turns out he owes his success largely to one man – Max Planck.  It’s exactly the type of hidden connection that fascinates me.  Would his ideas have been appreciated or understood without Planck?

The second story I also share is about the creation of the QWERTY keyboard design and its origins as a design “optimized” specifically for one purpose: to slow typists down. And yet when someone named Dvorak came along with a brilliant redesign of that keyboard, it was mostly rejected.  Why?

Finally, I also talk about James Dyson and his invention of a new type of vacuum cleaner and why that idea – though revolutionary in his industry, also ends up succeeding.  The stories of Einstein, Dvorak and Dyson illustrate a conclusion I often share in talks that big ideas are never enough. Though we tend to over glamorize them and under value the relationships and real people that are behind whether they succeed or not.

THE BACKSTORY: We live in a business world that tends to glorify the big idea. We devote entire conferences to it, and spend millions to hire and inspire people to develop more of them. Yet all too often big ideas fail. In this talk delivered at a large User Conference for marketing software provider Vocus, Rohit shares a combination of stories to illustrate why the big idea is never enough – and what success really takes is the right relationships.

WHAT IT SHOWS (FOR EVENT PLANNERS + SPEAKING BUREAUS): One of the techniques Rohit often uses that audiences rate highly is his ability to integrate interesting stories from history as a way to explain something happening in the world of business or consumer behaviour today. This talk, for example, shares the story of Einstein’s unlikely first champion (Max Planck) and why the modern QWERTY keyboard design was actually invented (hint: it was NOT to make us more productive).

To watch more videos, visit my full channel at https://www.youtube.com/rohitbhargava.

NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK FOR “TUESDAY TALKS!”

4 thoughts on “The Man Who Discovered Einstein & Why Big Ideas Don’t Work | A Marketing Keynote Presentation”

  1. Great ideas! Another fascinating fact about one of the
    world’s leading companies in “FMCG: The Future of Fast Moving Consumer
    Goods”

    Colgate is now the toothpaste most recommended by dentists
    in 37 countries – a depth of relationship exceptionally hard for a competitor
    to loosen.

    Check fmcgbook.com for more details.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

The Non-Obvious Insights Newsletter. Non-Obvious Insights
Layer 97
The Non-Obvious Insights Newsletter
Layer 118

Skip the obvious and anticipate the future with our weekly newsletter. Join over 25,000 subscribers and start receiving the stories (and insights) you’ve been missing.

Newsletter Subscribe

All Books

#1 WSJ & USA Today Bestselling Author

Rohit is the author of 9 books on trends, the future of business, building a more human brand with storytelling and how to create a more diverse and inclusive world.

Contact

Have a Question or Inquiry?

Just fill out this form, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours!

Contact

About You

What Are You Contacting Us About*:

Your Message