Obvious Adams

We’ve Spent 20+ Years in Marketing. Here’s What We Learned

Marketing Against The Grain, 29 October 2026. The book comes up at 21 min 53 sec in.

One host reveals Obvious Adams, a 1916 marketing fable (republished and inexpensive on Amazon), as the final book. The story follows a successful businessman and concludes with 'lessons in obvious.' The host focuses on the fourth test of obvious: does your idea explode in people's minds, making them say 'now why didn't I think of that before?' He finds this an immediately practical test for evaluating marketing ideas, and floats the idea that he and his co-host should write a modern marketing fable inspired by it.

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