Foreword

A n awful lot has been written recently about new technology and
how it is changing communication with consumers. Social media
and consumer interaction are often at the forefront when discussing
brands these days. It has always been the case that when new methods
of reaching consumers become available, no marketer wants to miss
out on the ‘miracle’ solution. The newest gadget or technique sooner
or later finds its way into the marketing plan, at the very least as
‘a test project’. But understanding the changing habits and behaviour
of a generation is more important than hoping to capitalize on new
technology or new media. The real question is, how do you evolve
your brand, or even reinvent it, to ensure its appeal crosses genera-
tions? How do you establish and retain a real connection?
This book will help you to consider the evolution of different
generations in society and what’s important to them. Read through
the research, get some insights from the interviews and the anecdotes
about current brands, refresh your memory on some of the theoreti-
cal concepts that you may have forgotten about and discover some
newer ways of thinking. It will become very clear that brands have to
re-think their relationship to consumers. Either that or become old
and obsolete to their current customers.
To make a product, give it an image, ask an agency to find a crea-
tive angle to make it memorable and carpet-bomb until you reach the
desired awareness levels, might not work anymore. Consumers might
not listen or even care. The main drivers of your brand are now the
people that actually know about it and use it. Who knows about your
brand, uses it and what they say about it, has become much more
influential than the message you are broadcasting.
As far as I am concerned, the main elements that help to build
strong brands have not changed. What has changed is that weaker
brands can’t get away with it anymore and that any mistakes that are
made cost more. A strong, consistent identity for your brand has
always been important. But as you have less control on how your
brand is presented on the internet, it becomes even more important
that you don’t confuse people by changing personality and tone with
every new re-launch.

How Cool Brands Stay Hot.indb 15 10 /2 8 /2 0 10 11:0 5:2 1 A M

 xvi Forew ord

Strong brands always had a more interesting and unique point of

view to share with consumers. But today the depth and the authenti-
city of the stories behind a brand, and the skill with which they
are told, have become more important because brand stories have
become part of everyday conversation, be it real or virtual. M ore
people are aware of your brand, more people have a strong opinion
about it and every day more people find out the many new ways to
share that opinion with others.
As current society moves towards total transparency, brands need
to know what they stand for and who should care about them. This
book delves into how the current generation feel about brands, and
interact with them. It contains many practical insights and situations
that I recognize from my own experiences, especially when I was
helping to build the N ike Skateboarding brand. Here are a few insights
from the book that I can testify to:
M
The incredible importance of product and brand design to
make your unique style visible and easy to recognize.
M
The vital and growing role of channel management: where can
a product be found, where can you really experience it and
who are your true partners? Retail as a logistical middle man
simply does not make any sense in a future where everything is
so easily available.
M
The power of story telling and original content, leading to a
situation where there is no need to tell your own story because
others are doing it for you. Relevant and exclusive information
is really the new social currency.
M
The power of collaboration and association between like-
minded people and brands as opposed to the old-fashioned
idea of us against the rest of the world.
I could continue but it all starts with one absolute insight: the key to
brand survival over generations is authenticity and connectivity.
The essence is to let the organization BE the brand. D o not com-
promise your brand D N A, your history, your deepest conviction
about why the brand exists. At the same time you must have a relation-
ship with the current G eneration Y that enables you to to understand
their spirit and true habits, and let that guide the creative evolution
of your brand. Capturing the spirit of an era to help evolve the core
of a brand is very different from catching the next trend.

How Cool Brands Stay Hot.indb 16 10 /2 8 /2 0 10 11:0 5:2 1 A M

 Forew ord xvii

And that is what this book is about. I do not consider it part of the
trendwatching or cool hunting industry. It is just a valuable tool to
help you to understand the spirit and the habits of a generation.
N othing more, nothing less. It doesn’t describe a model for capturing
a younger audience. There is no way to manipulate youth. There is no
menu of tips on how to ‘seduce the next generation’. But it should
encourage you, as a brand manager or marketing professional, to
be yourself, to sometimes take inspiration from seemingly random
information, to lose yourself in interesting stories and characters that
might have nothing to do with your daily routine. And let this all lead
you to an idea, a test, a project that fits your brand.
I guess it’s being creative.

Gert Kerkstoel
Investor and former global business director, Nike SB

How Cool Brands Stay Hot.indb 17 10 /2 8 /2 0 10 11:0 5:2 1 A M