Coolhunting: Chasing Down the Next Big Thing (Hardcover)

~ Peter Gloor (Author), Scott Cooper (Author)
Key Phrases: collaborative innovation networks, swarm creativity, collaborative innovation network, Theatre Ink, The Family, Enhanced Gravity (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Coolhunting reports on useful techniques for helping to see what's coming. Wrap it in a plain brown wrapper, and read it surreptitiously". -- Harvard Business Online Tom Davenport

“If success in business means determining your core business and then adapting that core as our customers' needs change quickly, then coolhunting is a skill we all need to master. This book, entertaining and informative about current culture, is a terrific place to start.”

-Jack Covert, 800-CEO-READ Blog

Collaboration increases the odds of success. The book is filled with examples of companies networking with people and other companies -- Chicago Daily Herald

Named one of "10 Business Books to Read this Summer" -- Entrepreneur Magazine

The authors offer software ... you can download free to visualize and analyze online Collaborative Innovation Networks ... Cool stuff. -- Reading, Writing re: Management

What "cool technologies" are, how they often evolve into blockbuster products ... and techniques to find that next cool thing. -- R&D Magazine

You will discover the practical tools you need to find the hottest trends - and the people who set them. -- Innovation Watch

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (April 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814473865
• ISBN-13: 978-0814473863
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #377,506 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The new birth of cool, June 5, 2007

By	Francesca Grippa "Francesca Grippa" (Italy) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gloor & Cooper's volume, "Coolhunting" provides deeper insight into the synergy between new social phenomena and innovative product developments. Their use of a descriptive and accessible language, paired with contemporary case studies and reviews of logical patterns provide readers with the necessary tools to refine their thinking toward becoming future change agents. There are numerous failures in the business applications of social networks, such as friendster.com's fatal reliance on "expert advice" from VC firms. Collectively, these failures prove that "common sense" is best described as a misnomer when applied to dynamic social networks.

A fresh interpretation of history reminds innovators that there's a predictable answer waiting (only and always) for knowing eyes. I'd urge all people who are seriously interested in Coolhunting and Swarm creativity principles to look for truth in the galaxies, not in the stars; follow the sage advice of unknown origin (though often attributed to American patent genius Ben Franklin), "Don't judge a book by its cover." Indeed, there is no proven method for 100% accurate predictions of social phenomena, however, Gloor & Cooper have created a usable map for identifying the landmarks along the way to successful business applications of social network analysis.

All researchers, practitioners and prospectors for "the new birth of cool" should study and apply the principles contained in "Coolhunting" to their analyses.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Paradox of Coolhunting Coolhunting, June 2, 2007

By	Angelica Marte (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Review for "Coolhunting: Chasing Down the Next Big Thing" by Peter Gloor & Scott Cooper, New York, published by AMACOM 2007, 1. Edition, 236 pages.

The title of the book keeps its promise by chasing down the next big thing: coolhunting. It is a very well grounded in theory, though fun and inspiring book to read about coolhunting for coolhunting, a subject becoming a big subject (June 1, 07: 807,000 google hits). As described by the authors, coolhunting "is not as simple as the simple description - uncovering the source of trends - often given". Coolhunting also investigates how groups of people work together to innovate in so called COINs (Collaborate Innovative Networks), nourished by swarm creativity.

Both authors are renowned, much valued scientists in their respective fields, who published extensively on different interdisciplinary topics. Peter Gloor has many years of experience in management. This strong foundation enables an academically profound and comprehensive book with illustrative examples and inspiring stories about an intriguing, and in many ways paradox issue. Paradox, because "cool" products, themes, issues, designs, ideas etc. are not for everybody, as upon becoming public knowledge they actually loose their "cool" factor. This is the paradox the book is dealing with in a very open, dedicated, and informative way (and perhaps not everybody wants that secrets like this are broken). Beyond, with Social Network Analysis one can even visualize the process how groups of people collaborate, communicate, and innovate. As the authors state: "There can never be too much communication! And talk in galaxy, not as stars!"

When I started to read the book, I was surprised, and quizzical about the openness and diversity of the exemplifications, from personal stories to business cases to the constitution of Switzerland. Further, values like altruism, sharing, fun, responsible citizen came across. My mind was attuned to a technological driven book from two MIT researchers. Far from it! This is a truly diversified, innovative approach combining social processes with technology (coolhunting in swarm creativity), sometimes translating these innovations into real business (coolfarming).

In their recent article "The New Principles of a Swarm Business" (MIT Sloan Management Review, Summer 2007) they state three principles which are contradictory to usual assumptions: gain power by giving it away; share with the swarm; concentrate on the swarm, not on making money. This is exactly what the authors are doing with this book: giving away the information how to reveal innovation; sharing it with the people; for the third there is a blog to be found, where the authors concentrated on the people, not on making money: [..]

This innovative book is a must for everybody interested in detecting, even visualizing how innovation emerges in all kind of fields. It provides insights into a meta process applicable to nearly any kind of issue, therefore making a significant contribution to the open source movement, being innovative and open itself. Consequently, giving you everything you need to chase down your next big thing.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A 3.5 star special masquarading as something a little higher. I have trouble calling this a business book., July 1, 2007

By	Jeff Lippincott "www.Jlippin.com" (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book was a tough read. When I finished it I asked myself "Why did I read it?" And I asked myself "What did I get from it?" I know I read it thinking there would be some good insight provided into how to identify trends and trendsetters so a reasonably quick profit could be made by jumping on the bandwagon. And now that I have finished the book I know that I certainly didn't get what I was looking for.

As far as I am concerned, the book uses too much of its own terminology and has to spend too much time defining terms. And the authors cite too many names and specific instances instead of smoothing over all of that and telling a simple easily digestible story. The title of the book is "Coolhunters." And that is fine. But why was there so much coverage of "Coolfarmers" in the book. That was a sideshow, and should have been left out in my humble opinion.

Basically I learned that coolhunters are seekers of trends and trendsetters. A coolfarmer is a leader of trendsetters. Swarm creativity is creativity resulting from a collective mindset. And Collaborative Innovation Networks (COINs) are teams of trendsetters who share ideas, information, and work in order to produce swarm creativity. Then social networks are cited as an example of some COINs. But so what? I still need to have all this pulled together for me so I can recommend the book to someone interested in starting a business or make their business better. I can't do that!

This book had 10 chapters as follows:

1. Why "cool" matters
2. Swarm creativity creates cool trends
3. Swarms can better predict the future
4. About trendsetters
5. Coolhunters look for coolfarmers
6. When swarms go mad
7. Do-it-yourself coolhunting with technology
8. Coolhunting by automated social network analysis
9. Five steps to becoming a coolfarmer
10. The coming world of swarm creativity