2011- New Year, New Opportunities. Everyone is excited to see what this year will bring with it. As marketing budgets are on the increase again, I'm trying to keep my composure as my mind goes on a field trip imagining all the great and not so great brand initiatives we will get to share and discuss!
But before that, I want to go back to 2010 one last time. As you all know the list of CoolBrands 2010/2011 has been published, so I decided to take a look at the Top 20 brands and see what they all have in common. Aston Martin topped the list followed by iPhone and other big names such as Google, YouTube, Alexander McQueen, Jimmy Choo and Dom Perignon amongst the rest. It seems obvious to me that what gave these brands the cool status was a list of assets endlessly discussed on different blogs and papers worldwide. They are unique in concept and aesthetics, usually come at a premium price (and quality), make good use of social media, have a strong brand identity and story, have a loyal following, are proactive with trends and have a brand name which is as overused as the term sliced bread.
Of course there are other factors which may have brought about such popularity, which set me thinking about a particular idea. When we think of cool people, we could easily picture them owning products from these Top20 CoolBrands. But is it the cool status of the brands that make these people cool or is it these cool people who give brands that edge over others?
Take Aston Martin, for example, we are all familiar with the exquisitely fabulous cars, but could it have possibly acquired the cool brand accolade because of its priceless association with 007? What about Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Jimmy Choo? The latter two were not even in the list in the previous years. So could an association with movies such as Sex and The City and other celebrities, boost the status so much as to make a brand generally perceived as cool?
For the newer celebrities, on the other hand, wearing and owning cool brands is what ups their status, features them in the press and sky-rockets their public recognition and reputation. It is also what makes people belong in social groups in everyday life. If being in possession of an isomething (pod, pad, phone) means you are 'in' for some, not having a blackberry means you are out for others.
So I guess the conclusion I came to is that there is a cycle where brands become cool due to their associations and endorsements by people who in turn, are cool due to the brands they own.
Before I leave you, here's the complete list of the Top20 2010/2011 CoolBrands and a link to the full list of 500 CoolBrands for different categories:
Here's wishing you all a Happy New Year, full of what I hope will be, interesting, funny and insightful blogs from me to you.
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