Is Anything Cool Anymore?

GQ Article: Is Anything Cool Anymore?

“If everything can be cool, is anything cool?"

This is the question posed in W. David Marx’s new book Status and Culture (which has now moved directly to the top of our reading list).

In the book, Marx unpicks the collapse of the linear trend cycle which we, too, have been tracking for more than a decade.

This unraveling has left a lot of brands grappling with where they belong in an increasingly fragmented marketplace that has seen fast fashion devolve into ultra-fast fashion.

Marx also explores the collective fixation with the past that has created perma-trends that just won’t budge (90s, Y2k to name a few) and he digs into the TikTok trend cycle which churns out trends at such a speed that once anyone over 40 knows their name, it’s already over. (👋 coastal grandma)

As Marx puts it: “Consumers have grown too smart to fall for any of this.”

Couldn’t agree more.

So, what’s a brand to do in this age of ultra-fast fads (mixed with nostalgic longing)?

🛑 Stop chasing trends. (Seriously)
💡 Start investing in knowing your customer: discover their unmet and unarticulated needs.
💰💰 Meet these needs in a way that your competitors (who are still chasing that TikTok trend from 6 months ago) could only dream about.

Want to learn more about how focusing on your customer can uncover the biggest opportunities for your brand? Download MOONSHOT’s latest report.