Why are Some Brands "Cool?"

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I saw a job advertised the other day for a Social Media Manager to head up the Windows 7 project at Microsoft. My first reaction was that it will be a tough, but interesting job. That got me thinking about Microsoft. In my lifetime they’ve managed to go from “Cool” to distinctly “Uncool” Why is that? Why are some brands, like Apple or Audi or Bose “Cool”, when others like Hewlett Packard or Hyundai or Sharp, are just not?

Product

There’s no question that product has a major, major impact on a brand’s cool, but it isn’t everything. Skoda, for example make superb cars, and they make them so well, but they couldn’t ever be described as cool. Conversely, B & O Hi-Fi doesn’t sound nearly so good as much cheaper Japanese systems, but they remain the coolest of the cool.

In blogging terms, the product is the writing we produce, so to have half a chance of being cool, we need to start from a good base with quality content.

Pricing

Here’s an interesting thing. Pretty much any brand you can describe as cool charges a premium for it’s product. Do they charge more because they are cool, or are they cool partly because they charge more? There are examples of both. But there’s no question that it’s a common element of cool brands.

Most of us don’t charge people to read our blogs, so the only way we can incorporate this element is to create a perception of expense. Does the theme look custom? Is the quality of the content really tight? Does everything work well?

Promotion

Marketing plays a big role in a brand’s coolness. Where the advertising is placed, how it’s designed, how it’s worded. You won’t find Bose advertising in anything but high end publications, using stunning photos and minimalist wording.

Similarly, we should promote our blogs to the right audience, by commenting on similar style blogs, by ensuring those comments add some value. Don’t take an advert swap on an irrelevant or much smaller blog, it just diminishes your own brand.

Branding

The world’s cool brands are very clear about what the brand looks like. You can recognize an Apple product at a hundred paces, Audi don’t even need to use their name on their cars – the logo does the job for them. Interestingly, I believe this has been Microsoft’s biggest downfall. Pretty much everything they do has a separate brand behind it. There’s the Vista brand, the X-Box brand, the Office 2007 brand – each with it’s own logo and marketing. I wonder if they may have had a chance of maintaining their cool, if they had stayed faithful to the original Microsoft branding across all their products?

We’ve talked at length about the importance of branding ourselves and / or our blogs, and this message should drive home that we need to maintain our consistency, wherever we are on the net.

Aesthetics

One thing that all the really cool brands have in common is that they are aesthetically pleasing. Research shows that attractive people tend to earn more and generally do better in life, and that seems to apply to products as well. Would Mashable be so cool if Pete Cashmore was ugly, fat and middle aged? Would Bose be able to charge the money they do for speakers if they didn’t look so damn cool? Of course, there are exceptions. The original Land Rover could never be described as attractive, but it is seriously cool.

Once again, we’re back to blog design with this one.

There are no guarantees about becoming a cool brand, but if we can do these things, we at least give ourselves a chance. So to summarize:

Have a stunningly beautiful blog
Make sure you look as attractive as possible in the photos you post of yourself (!)
Stay consistent all across the web with your branding
Promote your blog in places that are relevant to your target audience
Spend money on the way your blog looks
Deliver superb content, thoroughly checked and edited

And maybe, just maybe you’ll become one of the cool brands!

If you enjoyed this, you might also like:

1/ What is Web 2.0?

2/ Blogging as a perfect consumer circle

3/ Why you should do it now – the story of Boatman Pete

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Its wonderful that way this blog has been branded and written.

Keep em coming

Akshay

It's really very simple. Brands are cool when their products are pretty.

James Tindall's last blog post... Merce's Isosurface - by Golan Levin and Collaborators

Have you still got the beard? Your beard was cool - change your image and see what happens!

I'm on a quest to bring back motherly. After all would you rather have a cool mother who is too busy working out and dieting to serve good food, or one who is ready to bake you an apple pie at the drop of a hat? Only teens want cool moms, and even then you probably won't convince them you're cool ;-/ My teens like motherly!

Good article though. Design is key.

Mike, YOU ROCK! Keep up the good work!

sarah mae's last blog post... My Abortion Story

Those are excellent points for bloggers to keep in mind. Well said.

All you fellow 31DBBB er's are wonderful!

Sarah Mae, that is such a moving story.

Readers - check our Sarah Mae's last post on her comment. Compelling and extremely moving. Quality writing.

Mike

@alison. The beard has gone. I put it to a Twitter vote and the consensus was strongly in favour of me reverting to being a smooth man again.

Mike

Interesting concept. I think you hit it on the nail about Mircosoft and branding in general.
Personally, I see opportunities for improvement in my blogs in every area you mentioned.

Looking forward to learning more.

Interesting observations, Mike.

I started to reply to your post here, but it got long enough to justify a post on my own blog: The "Cool" Factor vs. the Sacred Cows.

This was my first visit to your blog, but I'll be back!

Holly's last blog post... The "Cool" Factor vs. the Sacred Cows

Hi Mike,

It's so thought-provoking; I don't know where to start! I agree, I disagree, I'd like to discuss some points further ... we need several hours, a deck and some margaritas!

Briefly, I love your exploration of what makes some brands cool and the five areas you've identified. Certainly, "product" or "content" or some kind of core value is at the heart of things, and all the rest of the branding including aesthetics, pricing and promotion emanate out from there.

I’m not sure I agree that being cool is something to aspire to. As with your examples of Land Rover and Microsoft, many brands were uncool – incredibly so – before they became cool (again): Hush Puppies, Volvos, Mickey Rourke. Likewise, we can see numerous examples (Crocs, garage bands) of brands that fade from coolness, sometimes in the blink of an eye.

Maybe I’m conflating cool with trendy, but sometimes consumers do, too. Consumers and trends are notoriously fickle.

Cool is great for those who profit from it, but I’ll always encourage entrepreneurs (and bloggers) to lean into their authentic, unique value and brand it in a congruent way. May or may not be cool, but probably will be sustainable.

Keep these great ideas coming, Mike!

Samantha Hartley | Enlightened Marketing's last blog post... Business Cards: Invest in the Brand in Your Hand

Thought provoking - I might just write something exploring the difference between cool and trendy.

I do think many brands maintain their cool even when they become untrendy. I don't think Micky Rourke ever become uncool, but he lost his general popularity.

Mike

Mike,
Some brands just are like that aren't they. But it is definately a question of choice. My cool is not your cool. But certain brands have a ability to convince the masses that they are cool.

Have you ever watch Top Gear - BBC Prime. They have a Cool Wall. It's really funny to watch these guys argue as to which car is cool or not.

Nice One

Yep, love Top Gear Robert. In fact we have a "Cool wall" at home, having copied their idea. I always remain on the cool side of the wall, only because I put my photo where nobody else in the family could reach it!

Mike

At first, when I read the title, I thought, "Eh. Not a big subject for me right now." But since you mentioned the notoriety this post received at 31DBBB, I just had to see.

And I am swayed! EXCELLENT post! I love how you contrasted your examples. They made the point for me that branding IS a big deal and I should probably be paying more attention to it!

Thanks!
CJ

CJ's last blog post... Corporate Branding, What Are The Pro's And Downside? Is It Effective For Small Enterprise?

Thanks for looking CJ. And thanks for the kind words. Branding is a big deal on the internet, and one that it's easy to miss. There is just so much information coming at us so fast, a clearly defined brand can stop someone in that split second before they hit the back button and are lost forever.

Mike

Great post, Mike! Your post rocks and it's a no-brainer that Mashable picked it up and Tweeted it! I've definitely subscribed to your exemplary blog and I wasted no time following you on Twitter. I have also Tweeted your post. I'm making a note to followfriday you tomorrow on Twitter. I'll be reading your blog and Tweeting your posts.

Have an excellent day! :)

Mike,
Saw this link viaProBloggers 31DBBB challenge. Very good read. Now I know why mashable Tweeted it! Can't wait to get home and watch the video from the new post you made today. Btw mashable just tweeted that one too! :) Congrats man. Well deserved.

Harold Martin's last blog post... My Relationships: Part 2

Hi Mike,

I liked the way that you paralleled the brands that you highlighted.

Some brands focus more on what they have to offer their audience, and sadly loose sight of how important design and aesthetics are. It is known that a "corrupt/sabotaged/tainted" image will turn brand investors (any individual/organization that places trust in any shape or form in to the brand) away. This is important for brands to keep in mind when building their brand - Seth Godin speaks of return-on-design in his blog (http://tinyurl.com/dm64ra).

I do advocate design as an important aspect when investing in a brand, whether you are the brand leader (financially investing in a smooth and aesthetically stunning design) or the individual buying in to the brand.

Look forward to more.
Ciao for now!

Too bad I was outvoted on the beard. Go with what is popular. Will you still "talk" to me now that you're famous? Just kidding!

Alison Kerr's last blog post... Garden Corner 4/23/09

Marketing has a huge presence behind all 'cool' brands- that's a given. The packaging also helps as well- whether it be physical product packaging, or a social media celebrity's appearance, it helps to look put together and branded, regardless of whether you pitch Apple or Microsoft.

That being said, some of my favorite products are independent, some of my favorite artists aren't well known, and some of my favorite restaurants are mom and pop shops. It's all about the personality and presence behind the brand!

With the exception of one reference to content, you talk about branding from a creative point of view. A brand is far more than that. A brand is a long term profitable bond between an offering and a customer. It's based on the offering providing economic, experiential and emotional value to the customer.
Microsoft blew it because, for instance, it launched products with 100,000 bugs and then sat back and watched mugs like all of us encounter the bugs and tell Microsoft so they could fix them. Imagine selling a 747 with a 100,000 bugs? (Simplified but you get the picture).
All the cool brands invest massive resources in the organisation first. Ie the stuff works. And if it doesn't, generally they get it fixed sharpish.
Simple really.
twitter: brandconsultant

Marcus's last blog post... Definition of a Brand

Hi Marcus

You're right to suggest that I may have focused too much on the creative. But I would say you're trying to do the same in boiling brand down to reliability, and there are many examples of where that isn't the case.

Alfa Romeos don't "just work" and their dealer network in Europe is not very good at "Fixing them", yet they remain a hugely enigmatic and very cool, brand.

My Mont Blanc pen is sitting in a drawer right now, and a cheap pilot Tecpoint is sitting on me desk. Why? Because the Pentel writes better - it "just works". But I'm sure I know which is the stronger brand.

Mike

Interesting concept.

Great post, Mike! Your post rocks and it's a no-brainer that Mashable picked it up and Tweeted it!

These observations of yours are applicable to say the least; I think it's interesting how you've managed to leave the blurbs sort of open-ended so that they can be applied and implemented using different methods.

Keep up the good work.

Herbert's last blog post... On Freelancing