We were talking with a client the other day about what makes for cool work.
As good a definition as I've ever heard, especially when applied to what we do, is "EFFORTLESS ORIGINALITY". Trying to be cool never seems to work.
The coolest work tends to come from confident brands that have a strong sense of what they're about, and which strut that what-they're-about stuff in their ideas. The least cool work tends to come from briefs that are rooted not in a strong sense of the brand, but in a desire to reflect the interests and lifestyle of the target audience.
We've worked on beer here for donkey's years and done some reasonably cool work. However, in every campaign, from Tennent's Lager to Grolsch, there have come times when we've found ourselves trying to "inject more sociability" into the brand imagery. Invariably this has meant some kind of suitably "cool" on-trade setting. Invariably it has led to an unsuitably uncool dip in campaign quality.
On the subject of cool, there's some interesting stuff on wikipedia. The entry covers concepts of cool, theories of cool, cool as an elusive essence and cool as a marketing device.
It also includes this conversation on cool from The Simpsons.
Homer: So, I realized that being with my family is more important
than being cool.
Bart: Dad, what you just said was powerfully uncool.
Homer: You know what the song says: "It's hip to be square".
Lisa: That song is so lame.
Homer: So lame that it's... cool?
Bart+Lisa: No.
Marge: Am I cool, kids?
Bart+Lisa: No.
Marge: Good. I'm glad. And that's what makes me cool, not caring,
right?
Bart+Lisa: No.
Marge: Well, how the hell do you be cool? I feel like we've tried
everything here.
Homer: Wait, Marge. Maybe if you're truly cool, you don't need to
be told you're cool.
Bart: Well, sure you do.
Lisa: How else would you know?
That's the coolness thing sorted then.