http://www.gladwell.com/1997/1997_03_17_a_cool.htm

In this writing piece by Malcolm Gladwell, the author of The Tipping Point, he explores the systematic approach that Nike, Reebok, and Converse take when they are trying to introduce new products or get an idea for which type of products will be “cool” in the very near future. Converse and Reebok send out “Coolhunters”(this is a legitimate job) to the streets of New York, Chicago, and other major cities to get a feel for what the “cool kids” are wearing or buying.

In this long article, there is one specific summary of what goes on when the coolhunters go out to the streets to chase the “cool”. “We went to Dr. Jay’s, which is the cool place to buy sneakers in the Bronx, and Baysie crouched down on the floor and started pulling the shoes out of her bag one by one, soliciting opinions from customers who gathered around and asking one question after another, in rapid sequence.” What they are essentially doing is marketing or producing products for people who will tip that critical point over. They do not seem to care the style or products that the ordinary people are wearing or buying. A quote from the article supports this idea. “The rule of thumb at Reebok is that if the kids in Chicago, New York, and Detroit all like a shoe, it’s a guaranteed hit.” These coolhunters from Nike, Converse, and Reebok understand the idea of cascade and the tipping point. The cool kids, who the coolhunters can only pick out and spot, are in this case experts as compared to the experts in our class who can create an accept or reject cascade. This same concept is used by these coolhunters. They are using the cool kids as the experts of “coolness” who will create a buzz around a particular product or start a new trend. If these cool kids accept or like the prototype products that coolhunters bring to them, the coolhunters know for sure that those particular products will do well in the market.

The story of Hush Puppies in The Tipping Point seems to confirm or support what the coolhunters are doing. The unpopular Hush puppies were only selling about sixty five housands pairs a year. How did this low number of sales all of a sudden turn into four hundred and thirty thousand pairs in 1995? Let’s just say that “cool kids” in SOHO and village in New York City were buying the Hush puppies. They were the early adopters or the experts who created the cascade. The rest is history; many famous designers used Hush puppies in their fashion shows which in turn created more buzz around them.

Another particular concept that these coolhunters seem to be aware of is the idea of fragility of cascades. In our class, we learned that it is quite easy to offset or disrupt a cascade. The first rule of the cool seems to reflect that idea: “The quicker the chase, the quicker the flight. The act of discovering what’s cool is what causes cool to move on, which explains the triumphant circularity of coolhunting.” The nature of what is cool is very fragile just like a cascade in that it only takes few coolkids (the experts) buying or wearing new products that are not currently popular to put an end to what is cool now. Once the coolhunters are able to pin down or discover what is cool now will only cause the cool kids (experts) to switch their style or buy new products that are not popular. This may explain why particular styles of clothing or shoes always come and go in fashion.