Coolhunting: Chasing Down the Next Big Thing

MIT Sloan School of Management vets Gloor and Cooper strip ""cool"" of its cool in this half-baked introductory lesson to trendspotting. Beginning with a definition of ""cool"" that includes ""excellent,"" ""fun"" and ""makes the world a better place, in some way,"" the authors show how the excellent, fun iPod is truly cool because it's ""keeping kids out of trouble."" Strung together with the thinnest of strings, this textbook-style read covers a double-handful of basic new media concepts, including the ""swarm,"" a future-predicting, trendsetting collectivity; the ""coolhunters"" who get down in the trenches, uncovering those swarms; and the ""coolfarmers,"" nurturing know-it-alls who encourage the fruition of nascent creativity. Redundancy creeps in early, as the repetition of these terms-along with the mantra, ""don't be a star, be a galaxy""-may lead readers to question whether Gloor and Cooper have a grasp on the latest trends in trendspotting. The authors' advice-brainstorm with others, the best ideas come from unlikely places, etc.-is mostly familiar, having been put to use by everyone from Ben Franklin to Google, but at least it's reliable.