Coolhunting: Chasing Down the Next Big Thing

by Peter A. Gloor, Scott Cooper

What do the iPod, MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube all have in common? They're fresh, they're hot, and most importantly--they're cool. But while many companies embark on the eternal quest for the next big thing, very few know how to actually find it. Coolhunting will take you into the very heart of the search and show you how to find trendsetters, spot innovations, and turn brilliant ideas into hot new trends. Major companies like Starbucks and Procter & Gamble have already discovered the power of coolhunting. Now, you can learn how * Tap into the principles of cool and identify the trends that are truly cutting-edge
* cultivate the skills and techniques of highly effective coolhunters
* pinpoint developing trends using smartbadges An invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes, Coolhunting will show you how to stay ahead of the curve and on the cutting edge of where your customers want to be taken.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

236 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept but the book itself seems a bit outdated. Not taking into account social media, crowd funding & sourcing, co-creation as advanced as we know it now - cos it just wasn't there yet.. Seems like by now you should be able to find better books about this subject.
Also, bit too theoretical and tech oriented for my liking. I'm interested in who, how, why, not in computer graphs picturing swarms, cool as that may be. Tho I realize more techie people might actually enjoy that part.

[Anandh Sundar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does connect the dots well with examples of Linux, Wikipedia, Deloitte, Google etc as well as non profit awards, scientific institutes etc. However, he does tend to use too much jargon like COINs which made this book a slightly difficult read, hence rating just 4* instead of 5*. While this book does not explain much in terms of actionables, it is worthreading for the variety of new mental models you get post reading

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that ties together swarm creativity, social network analysis and trend prediction. The final pages actually predict what happened last fall to the big 3 auto makers, well before it happened.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

terrible writing, poor hypothesis.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting standpoint on how to "predict" the next in marketing trends. all about paying attention and brainstorming where the norm, and not-so-norm is heading.

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read book for knowledge workers and entrepreneurs on concepts and social trends.