Chasing Cool
For the past month I have been reading a book about “standing out in today’s cluttered marketplace.” I had been looking for a book about marketing or advertising ever since I got into this industry one year ago. Now maybe this is because I am a newbie and do not have the industry knowledge and experience most have, but I thought this book was awesome. There were so many insights and thoughts about marketing from some of the top names in the industry.
The authors, Noah Kerner and Gene Pressman with insight from Andrew Essex all bring different ideas and views from their industry and market. Kerner started out as DJ and became the co-founder and CEO of the marketing agency Noise. Pressman was co-CEO, creative director, and head of merchandising and marketing for Barney’s New York for more than 27 years. And Essex is the CEO of Droga5, a New York advertising and communications agency.
Over the course of the 227 pages they discussed such things as being the next iPod of your industry and what chasing cool really means. One thing I found interesting was the concept of a “cool hunter,” or a “trendspotter.” It never occurred to me that companies actually hire someone to look for what is cool or what is the next upcoming trend. “I can’t imagine having to hire a so-called Cool Hunter. If I had to go to someone else to be cool, I’d just pack up my bags and find a new profession.” Tony Hawk makes a good point, if you are an expert in your industry shouldn’t you already know what is cool and what isn’t?
Without making this blog into too much of a book report and rambling on and on, I enjoyed this book. I think it gives great insight into the marketing industry and the various challenges each market faces. It is a good read for those of us “newbies” to the advertising and marketing industry.
To get a sense of the book and what it is about…visit their website. Chasing Cool
Posted by Kristin on June 27th, 2007
Filed under Advertising, Branding, Marketing | No Comments »
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