Are Cool Brands Really Cool?

The results are in, and according to CoolBrands this year’s coolest brands are….

These results throw up a number of interesting questions, not least about the use of the word “cool”.

It would be interesting to ask students to name their 20 “coolest” brands and see how many appear on both lists!

The first thing that worries me about these results is the apparent lack of understanding of the word “brand”.  The iPhone tops the list - but surely that’s a product, not a brand.  Whilst there might be an argument for the iPod (in 4th place) being a brand, since it relates to a group of products, the appearance Apple in 3rd place really brings into question in my mind how reliable the data is - has there been some double-counting going on? 

The second concern is who are the people who have come up with this list?  The CoolBrands website states that the information has been gathered from both consumers and an expert council.  But questions have to be asked about an organisation that calls itself “cool” when we all know what most teenagers today think of that word!  So does this mean that the list has been compiled by asking older consumers?

Still, from a teaching point of view it’s useful for thinking about the reliability of market research, as well as “what makes a good brand?”.  In addition, CoolBrands have produced a useful insight into some of the brands that appear on the list.  It can be found here.

Revision Presentation - Marketing Mix: Introduction to Products & Brands [17 May 2012]
A detailed look inside Apple’s Foxconn factory [24 Apr 2012]
Strategy - How Nokia was overtaken by Apple and Samsung [17 Apr 2012]
Apple under fire for e-book deals [17 Apr 2012]
Strategy & Technological Change - Whatever Happened to BlackBerry? [14 Apr 2012]
Sony - Hirai’s Turnaround Strategy - in Video Clips [13 Apr 2012]
Organisational culture, strategy and performance in fewer than 1000 words [9 Apr 2012]
Move over Apple, Samsung, Sony & Nokia. Here Comes China’s Huawei [7 Apr 2012]
Two Lesson Videos on Nokia - Will their Strategy Work? [13 Mar 2012]
Apple’s new CEO and a new iPad - A Change in Leadership [9 Mar 2012]
Start-ups - the Wooden Smartphone? [4 Mar 2012]
Video starter - Inside the iPad factory [21 Feb 2012]
Ideas not Hierarchy Makes a Business - Steve Jobs on Teamwork & Culture [13 Feb 2012]
The history of Apple’s product innovation - in 30 seconds [10 Feb 2012]
Strategic choice: What should Apple do for its investors? [29 Jan 2012]
The tablet takeover? [23 Jan 2012]
In Business - technology developments in 2012 [3 Jan 2012]
Who do you think should be named Brand of the Year 2011? [22 Nov 2011]
Nationwide gets “Streetwise” with it’s marketing [17 Nov 2011]
Revision Quiz - Marketing: Products & Brands [1 Nov 2011]
Strategy case study - does Microsoft have a long-term strategy? [21 Oct 2011]
Meet the CEO of Dropbox - the man who said no to Steve Jobs! [20 Oct 2011]
Leadership video - A heartfelt apology from the boss [15 Oct 2011]
How Mattel & Hot Wheels ‘activated boys of all ages’ [19 Sep 2011]
Can investment in R&D provide a competitive advantage? [31 Aug 2011]
Apple and Innovation - Iconic Product Launches by Steve Jobs [24 Aug 2011]
Leadership - Farewell to Steve Jobs [24 Aug 2011]
Smartphone market shares spell trouble for Nokia [17 Aug 2011]
Samsung seeks a ban on Apple products [30 Jun 2011]
CSR - Should Apple Pay More for its Geniuses? [14 Jun 2011]
Corporate longevity: the lessons from IBM’s 100th birthday [14 Jun 2011]
CSR - Apple: Big Profits but Dirty Data? [21 Apr 2011]
CSR - Apple audits the supply chain [15 Feb 2011]
CSR - Avoiding the child labour hotspots [15 Feb 2011]
Leadership - can Apple really be a one-man band? [19 Jan 2011]
Starter activity - Name that brand [9 Jan 2011]
Justin King on the Sainsbury’s Brand [21 Dec 2010]
Revision Crossword - Product Basics [6 Nov 2010]
Microsoft - Competitive Strategy in the Post-PC world [30 Oct 2010]
Gap’s new logo lasts…one week [12 Oct 2010]
Culture & Change - The Challenge Facing Nokia [27 Sep 2010]
Leadership & Strategy - “Welcome to Nokia” [20 Sep 2010]
Lesson Starter - Brand Logo Bingo (1) [19 Sep 2010]
Can new leadership revive Nokia’s fortunes [12 Sep 2010]
Fighting for a share of the fast-growth tablet market [11 Sep 2010]
When is a Ping not a Ping? When its an Apple [1 Sep 2010]
The links between Physics and Marketing [29 Aug 2010]
Does Nokia’s Strategy Need An Upgraded CEO? [30 Jul 2010]
Toyota UK fights back with tv & Youtube advertising campaign on quality [26 Jun 2010]
The Dark Side of the iPad and iPhone? [26 May 2010]
Long Product Life Cycles - Grocery Brands Stand the Test of Time [26 May 2010]
Some facinating data on research & development data at Apple, Google & Microsoft [25 May 2010]
Strategy Case Study - Diversification for the Bread Family [21 May 2010]
Top 10 Grocery Brands and the Power of Default Behaviour [2 Apr 2010]
Global technology giants are hoarding their cash [26 Mar 2010]
Financial Ratio Practice Resource - Apple Inc [27 Feb 2010]
Are these really Britain’s most disliked brands? [17 Feb 2010]
Branded coffee shops prove resilient to the UK recession [17 Feb 2010]
Advertising Coming To A Windows 7 Desktop Near You [18 Nov 2009]
Advertising spend for four global brands [29 Oct 2009]
Protecting a brand - global giants struggle to fight off the counterfeit fakers [31 Aug 2009]
Q&A - What goes into the “marketing mix”? [1 May 2009]
Is this a sensible strategic decision by Microsoft? [15 Feb 2009]
Q&A - What is a brand name and what are the advantages of having a strong brand? [1 Feb 2009]
Young, white and super-skinny models out of fashion? [10 Jan 2009]
A Great Overview of the UK Retail Sector’s Problems [4 Jan 2009]
A Brand Extension Too Far? [18 Dec 2008]
Video case study - Yorkshire firms battle over trademark [10 Nov 2008]
End of the road for Pizza Hut [6 Oct 2008]
Quick starter puzzles on the high street retailers [5 Oct 2008]
No-sweat deodorant and other failures [27 Sep 2008]
Protecting a business idea - Bratz hit by copyright damages [1 Sep 2008]
Apple overtakes Google as the new King of Silicon Valley [22 Aug 2008]
New product development creates waves in the pool [17 Aug 2008]
Insights into the private affairs of Britain’s largest retailers [13 Aug 2008]
Australian expansion proves a move too far for Starbucks [29 Jul 2008]
FT Global Brands Survey [24 Apr 2008]

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