JULY 22, 2026
The Fake Elephant Meant to Fool Real Elephants
Medieval Indian armies couldn't get near enemy war elephants. So they dressed their horses in masks and fake armored trunks to pass as baby elephants, so full sized elephants wouldn't charge and other horses would get spooked. Did it work? There isn't really proof one way or the other. The idea is on full display inside museums in Rajasthan and it's a fascinating story that will fuel your imagination for how innovation worked hundreds of years ago. What other clever hacks from history deserve re
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How It All Started
A Short Backstory Of This Blog
This is a blog about non-obvious ideas. Originally launched on the Typepad platform in 2005 as the Influential Marketing blog, the stories at first focused mainly on digital marketing while Rohit worked at Ogilvy Advertising. In 2015 Rohit officially rebranded to the Non-Obvious Insights Blog and published his WSJ bestseller Non-Obvious. For the past twenty one years, this blog has coined new terms, introduced future marketing practices and inspired the next generation of non-obvious thinkers and marketers.
