Press 1 for The Cool Factor. [Part One]

After the World War 2, so many cultures were interwoven with many others to create a more global culture. This era prepared the world for what we are experiencing in the digital world today. Europe borrowed Art forms from England. New Yorkers had a few thing to teach the Dutch on how to dress. Advertising became a big spender as the world was now getting their cigarette pre-rolled. Thanks to Lucky Strikes. The Marlboro man came in the throes of it. Jazz had travelled as far as Berlin and there was a semblance of a global citizen. Varied point of views were burgeoning and the art form was becoming the major platform to do so.

Against all of this backdrop is a counterculture that prevailed till now; actually getting even stronger. The Cool culture. There are so many schools of thoughts as to what exactly is cool but the coolest thing about Cool is that you keep finding it. If it is well defined and pinned down, then it's no longer cool.

We hear of cool stories, cool personalities. cool stuff, cool dude, cool babe, cool gadget, cool ad, cool hangout, cool Christ [ ignore the last one, conservatives will fight you. Howbeit, I'm aware that loads of teenagers going to churches today seek the cool factor, hence the branded services by many churches we know]

As Personal Brands, the Cool we should be talking about is the Behavioural Cool. Symbology, expressions, postures, styles etc. You need to have a current appeal. You need to trend.


Who really defines the Cool for you as a brand going places? You. And it cannot be a conclusive thing as Cool is never made in the factory or Brand brainstorming session. Cool is observed. What can you see around you? What's on the cover of major magazines? What are Tshirt designs looking like from major designers? What are people's Facebook pages like? What are people within your area of influence tweeting about? Book covers. What colours are now predominant? Check out the colours on major paints style guide. See Films, what are Art Directors predominant styles? Look at Advertising. What's in? All of this is called Coolhunting. They do not necessarily turn you to Cool. You have to press 1.

To press 1 is to have your own Point of View. There are three proven ways to do this.
3. You can decide to follow the trend. That's pretty basic. Such personal brands are not differentiated
2. You can decide to mix and match current trend with a much older one. It's mysterious and touche.
1. You can decide to be an underdog; going against everything.  This is the hardest one to pull off.

Being an underdog to popular trends is the Cool master itself. What was cool about Fela Anikulapo Kuti was his deviant point of view from popular ones. Lady Gaga is trending because she steps right outside of the boundaries. Madonna did pretty much. Michael Jackson.

This is the hard part. How do you know you are cool by the choices you make or represent? The foolproof answer is: do cool people like it? If they do, then you are cool. Only cool people can affirm cool people. They are the young minds of our days. The modern day child. They avoid popular but they choose cool. They are proud that they know what is cool but they can't define it. They just know it when they see it. With Digital Media, you can measure just about anything. If you think you are cool, check the people following you. Are they Mainstreams, Resigned or Regulars? You are cool when you have other underdogs right behind you. Cool is not a fashion statement, it is a point of view that has a following. It is physicalised in the way we move our body, the way we pose, our facial expressions, our voice colours etc. It's not just the dress that we wear. Let's talk about Bob Marley for a second. Having dreadlocks do not make you such a great brand, it's having a point of view that is refreshingly different. Then the Rastafarianism begins to make some sense.

What do you really stand for? And who are the people following it? That's how you find Cool. Enjoy your day.

Join us at 4th PERSONAL BRANDING WITH KENNY BRANDMUSE workshop coming up in July. Find us on Facebook or send email to info@kennybrandmuse.com