Creating Ever-Cool: A Marketer's Guide to a Kid's Heart [Hardcover]

Gene Del Vecchio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1997

By achieving what the author terms ever-cool status, brands are able to gain young customers for life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author Gene Del Vecchio is a longtime entertainment researcher, writer, and president of his own consulting firm in Valencia, California. He has helped entertainment giants create, develop, and market blockbuster entertainment for over 30 years. Gene is also the author of two fantasy novels for young adults, one of which received the Young Adult Choice Award by the International Reading Association. His clients over the years have included The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Pictures, Starz, PBS Kids Sprout, Mattel, and MGA Entertainment.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (September 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565542568
• ISBN-13: 978-1565542563
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #529,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gene Del Vecchio is a longtime entertainment researcher, writer, and the president of his own consulting firm in Valencia, California. He has helped entertainment giants create, develop, and market blockbuster entertainment for over 30 years. He has researched and consulted on well over a hundred TV shows, films, and franchise-based product lines from toys to apparel.

He's the author of six books, the latest being Creating Blockbusters! which details key principles that lead to blockbuster success in films, TV shows and books. Gene is also the author of two fantasy novels for young adults; The Pearl of Anton which received a Starred Review in Booklist and The Sword of Anton which received the Young Adult Choice Award by the International Reading Association. His clients over the years have included The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Pictures, Starz, PBS Kids Sprout, Mattel, MGA Entertainment, Nestle, Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eeeeever-Cooooool, January 5, 2001

By 

Judith A. Jewer (Pickering, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating Ever-Cool: A Marketer's Guide to a Kid's Heart (Hardcover)

Are you looking for a secret formula to guide your kid focused marketing decisions? Gene Del Vecchio's book - "Creating Ever-Cool A Marketer's Guide to a Kid's Heart" is truly insightful. It is the closest thing to a secret formula that I've come across.

'Ever-Cool' is a book that answers a seemingly simple but actually quite complex question... Why do some brands in the kids marketplace remain the favorites of children year after year - generation after generation. Exactly what gives these brands their staying power? 'Ever-Cool' answers this question in a well written and entertaining style.

The book has 4 sections: 'The Introduction' , 'The Child's Psyche' , 'A Kid's World and Culture' and 'Marketing to a Child's heart'.

In 'The Child's Psyche' section Del Vecchio examines the timeless and underlying needs of childhood. From the differences between girls and boys, to their fears and fantasies.

'A Kid's World and Culture' investigates children in the world today. Their self awareness, shifting family structures, and universal (hopefully) experiences of childhood such as going to school, and living in the neighborhood. The 'Marketing to a Child's heart' section contains lots of advice and suggestions on how to utilize these insights.

I found the concept that there could be 'Kid Psyche Gaps' in the market place to be particularly intriguing. Del Vecchio explains it in the following way: Psyche Gaps are "that part of the child's psyche that is not currently being satisfied by a competitor" (pg. 221.) Clearly identifying what these gaps are and strategically developing a product to fill the gap is very sound marketing.

Another really cool part of this section is the 'Kids' Idea Matrix'. Del Vecchio provides a creative idea development aid that works in the following way: "By forcing our eyes to see relationships, we help our brains consider the ideas that are born from them. This can be accomplished with a system I call Matrixing a simple process of putting various categories of items in front of our eyes, side by side, in a fashion that will help us to easily mix and match them. The items we will force together are those that we have discussed throughout this book." (pg. 185) Del Vecchio essentially is showing us how to use his ideas.

Del Vecchio also briefly covers advertising, setting up a research program, and ethics. All in all I personally have no hesitation in recommending this book. I found it to be highly insightful and an enjoyable read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction on how to reach children, July 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Creating Ever-Cool: A Marketer's Guide to a Kid's Heart (Hardcover)

People who want their products to excel in a child's world get a unique insight as to what triggers children. Del Vecchio shares his extensive experience with the reader in a language which is down-to-earth. Add to this an extensive use of case materials which sets it all into perspective, and you have a book which is of interest to any marketer.

The reader is left with an enthusiatic feeling of "this can be done with my product".

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Secret Weapon for Kid marketing!, July 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Creating Ever-Cool: A Marketer's Guide to a Kid's Heart (Hardcover)

Short version: Buy this book now, and get it shipped to you overnight!

This book is the secret weapon for anyone who markets to kids or wants to. Gene Del Vecchio manages to make the subject entertaining and engaging while teaching you a pile of indispensible techniques to capture a kid's heart.

Not only does the book teach you how to market products better, it gets you thinking different. Suddenly, you're developing products and strategies with kids in mind, and you understand why certain products are big hits with kids.

Another funny thing about this book...it helps you to understand kids better. For readers with their own kids, this could be the greates value of all.