In many cases, what is and isn’t cool can be quite subjective, with not everyone agreeing on the answer. However, there are many brands and websites where the large majority would agree “Yeah, that’s cool”. Brands falling in to this category that spring to mind at the time of writing are Bose, Apple (yeah, Apple), Dribbble, Tag Heur and HBO. These brands, and all ‘cool’ brands, share common characteristics that can be applied to any website, product or service. These are; Premium Price, aesthetics, originality, exclusivity, targeted advertising.
Premium price
I can’t think of one cool brand that doesn’t charge a premium within its category. Cheap brands can become what I’d describe as “ironically cool”, i.e. so crap people pretend the brand is somehow cool because of it. However, any brand that is genuinely cool is to a certain degree aspirational. Either we want one or we want to be like one. If your website is informational and/ or free to consume you can still feel expense through an exclusive web design and high quality content e.g. www.webdesignerwall.com. The conundrum is, is a brand cool because it is expensive or is it expensive because it is cool?
Aesthetics
People like to look at beautiful things, be it other people, products, websites, paintings etc. It keeps our attention and makes us desire it. I find myself navigating around my iPhone with no real purpose but just because it’s a joy to use. That’s cool! Glossy, high res, non fussy, consistent designs backed up by confident copy combine to create products, services and websites that make us want to interact with the brand.
Originality
The cool brands are original in what the offer or in the way they offer it. They aren’t necessarily the first to market, but the way they package and present what they offering instinctively draws people towards them. For example, web design showcases are nothing new and the market is pretty much saturated, but dribbble.com is making a big splash through its original approach to showcasing work. There use of invites to become a member leads us nicely to…
Exclusivity
A brand feels special when we feel like we are a member of an exclusive club. This can be through a high price (e.g. Rolex), an invitation only model (dribble.com) or a limited number available (e.g. iPhone at launch). Creating a critical mass of followers waiting to get their hands on your brand is a tried and tested marketing technique to generate both buzz and demand and one Apple plays very well. The downside to this approach is when the product becomes available to everyone and the exclusivity diminishes e.g. Twitter.
Targeted advertising
Essentially branding by association, you can utilize the coolness of an existing website by being seen to advertise on it. Mailchimp.com does this through advertising on the likes of smashingmagazine.com and other leading web design blogs. On the flip side, if you are seen on poor quality sites, you will as equally be associated with them.
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