Noah Kerner: Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today's Cluttered Marketplace

[mehastings]

All right. This book suddenly seems to be popular. New members are joining on a daily basis, just to plug this book and never return (oh wait...maybe they can't return). Either way, I thought it was high time that the members here paid a little attention to this super-dee-duper book!

Since I haven't bothered to read the book, I'll have to give you some of the awesome insight I've gotten about it on Amazon.com. I'll start with some tidbits from the "Book Description" that will no doubt tempt you into buying it right off the bat...

Book Description
Cool isn't just a state of mind, a celebrity fad, or an American obsession -- it's a business. In boardrooms across America, product managers are examining vodka bottles and candy bars, tissue boxes and hamburgers, wondering how do we make this thing cool? How do we make this gadget into the iPod of our industry?

Nike and Target endure as relevant brands not because of a shortsighted and gimmicky campaign. A dash of bling and a viral website don't amass long-term value....

Chasing Cool includes interviews with more than seventy of today's most respected innovators from Tom Ford and Russell Simmons to Ian Schrager and Christina Aguilera.

So, if you're looking how to make your pointless product the "IPod of its industry", but know that "a dash of bling and a viral website" just aren't going to cut it, buy this book so you can take some advice from "respected innovators" like Russell Simmons and Christina Aguilera.

Russell Simmons, my personal hero believes from the bottom of his soul that

"Simply chasing cool is really a bad idea; inspired by cool is a great idea. Walk the street, see what's going on, and spit it out in your own way. Don't do it because you research it, do it because you breathe it."

If you still aren't sold, perhaps the wise words of the first Chasing Cool "fan" to visit here will truly get the message out.

One of my favorite parts of the books are the photos with quotes every twentysomething pages- they are very creative and exciting to read.

That's it, I'm inspired. Must log off now so I can get to the bookstore and buy what will undoubtedly be the last copy of Chasing Cool left on the shelves. I hope I don't end up on a waiting list!


PS. If you are a college student and would like a "virtual internship", which may or may not include posting Chasing Cool SPAM on forums and creating positive reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, please visit Chasing Cool's website.

 

[Stewart]

For a book that talks about marketing the promotion of it certainly leaves a lot to be desired. For those that haven't seen the volume of spam about this book appearing here then be aware it's one of the most transparent attempts at false reviewing since Ned Vizzini's Be More Chill hit this forum back in July, 2004.

And it is spam. It may be the case that it's not Noah Kerner or Gene Pressman that's directly posting but it's fair to presume an implicit involvement, even if it is just encouraging numpties to waste their time posting poor reviews to this forum which will, as soon as possible, be removed. It does the book nothing but harm and it certainly won't help it stand out in "today's cluttered marketplace".

 

[Stewart]

You really have to appreciate the ineptitude of those behind the promotion of something that I will guess, sight unseen, is absolute shit. Surely a great deal of marketing is identifying your market. Another first time poster has joined up to verbally fart on about Chasing Cool and promptly been removed. Why is it never the people who have been here a while who have read these books?

 

[Stewart]

I found an extract of this rubbish and right there, a couple of lines down, was this illiterate mess:

Of course, companies have always looked longingly into other company's [sic] yards.

I also note that all the review of it on Amazon.com are all by reviewers who have decided to make their first review about this. Yeah, right. Despicable marketing. Certainly not cool.

 

[mehastings]

Well, I haven't been able to find a copy of this book anywhere. I just don't understand. Dozens of people seem to have read it, but my local shop hasn't had a single copy, nor has anyone called to request it. Weird. I thought perhaps that the library might be able to help me out, but they can't help me out either. I'm so very sad.

Will continue the search tomorrow!