How significant are the topics of cool hunting and trend spotting in the world of marketing?
Big difference, in my opinion. Trend spotting is about finding ideas that are moving through Rogers curve, moving from the geeks to the mass market. Cool hunting, on the other hand, is about finding the otaku, the obsession of the nerds that will never really spread. Devilrobots Tofu Bobblehead is cool, but not a trend (http:// www.toytokyo.com/shopping/index.php/page/product/product_id/5885). Finding a trend is important if you want to grow, especially if you have a long lead time for your products. Trends allow you to have others take bigger risks and you can follow along, quickly. It’s an art, though, and sometimes it’s easier to just invent your own trend. 3. Do you need a culture of innovation to create something that is cool? You need a person. Or several people. Fearless people or passionate people. It’s people who make things that matter, not organizations. 4. What is the best way to create an infectious idea, product or service? You need to make something—I know this sounds ob
