iCoolhunt

Once a coolhunter identifies a potential trend, he must consider whether that trend has any potential.

Much like fire, trends require kindling. Without the right fodder, they will not spread. Here are some signs to look for:

A Powerful Endorsement- small scale trends may need only local influencers to get them off the ground, but it takes the adoption of a famous, usually aspirational figure to inspire the masses to adopt something new.

Media influence- popular TV shows influence culture more than one might expect. Though many fashion trends are spread thanks to popular movies and shows, even language and behavior can be altered by truly popular productions.

Necessity- even if a trend is not particularly "shiny" it has potential to spread if people have no other choice.

True Utility- a trend need not be necessary to spread; so long as it makes sense and offers a compelling improvement over current conditions, it has potential.

Some trends remain with a small group, and despite their potential, never spread. Nevertheless, the presence of any of these above factors is a sign that a maybe-trend has a decent shot at the big leagues.

by Simone Smith

How are trends created? How do they die? Let's have a look at the lifecycle of a typical trend.

Birth 

As with all forms of evolution, developments begin with mutations. The potential for a trend begins when someone wears, tries, says, or does something differently.  

Recognition

A fledgling trend will fizzle out and die if it is not recognized and adopted. A potential trend must have some sort of value or compelling trait that makes it conducive to replication. 

Spread

The point at which a trend gains real potential is the point at which it comes into contact with a trend setter: someone with a significant amount of social clout who comes into contact with a high volume of people. By adopting the mutation in concern, a trend setter will expose the development to a high volume of people who are likely to adopt it and evangelize it themselves. 

Hitting the Big Time

If a trend is adopted and spread by a trend setter, it can fairly be called a trend, however when a trend is helped by means unattainable by mere humans, it becomes something truly significant. 

This happens when trends are adopted and promoted by celebrities, featured in magazines and media outlets, and worked into books, movies, and television shows. At this point, a trend is exposed to a huge amount of people who, depending on the nature of the source, are very likely to adopt it- or at least spread it (thereby aiding further adoption). 

Selling Out

Once a trend gains considerable significance, people will inevitably begin to monetize it. This may happen after its initial spread, but will be even more pronounced should the trend make it into major media outlets. 

At this point, the trend has a presence in stores and is used as a crutch to sell magazines and pitch television shows. Trend setters and most of the trend’s early adopters are not likely to be involved with the trend at all any more- the only adherents at this point are latecomers and the trend's original, hardcore adherents. 

Death

A trend dies once everyone, even out-of-the-loop latecomers, see it as old news. Though components of the trend may now be a part of mainstream society, they are by no means new, cool, or exciting, and are likely to be seen as outdated. 

Zombie Stage

Some dead trends enjoy a short resurgence in popularity after their death as nostalgia, satire, or irony brings them back into vogue. Such revivals are typically short lived.

Rebirth 

After a trend has been completely obliterated, it may be reborn in a new form a long time after its last cycle. Those adopting this reborn trend are not likely to have ever come into contact with the trend in its previous incarnation. 

At this point, the trend begins its lifecycle anew, and may continue to do so for an infinite number of cycles. As they say, history is destined to repeat itself. 

The fun in this, of course, is that coolhunters will always have something new to search for. Happy hunting! 

Many people imagine trend setters to be young, fashionably dressed urbanites. Many are, which is why marketing agencies spend so much time trying to figure them out, but not all trend setters are alike, and many do not conform with the common stereotypes.

Trends come in many shapes and sizes. There are fashion trends and tech trends, but there are also language trends, lifestyle trends, religious trends, and dental care trends. Basically, there are trends to be spotted for every facet of life that you can imagine. While we are well acquainted with fashion, lifestyle, and tech trends courtesy of the media, coolhunters must also pay attention to trends in other areas.  

One must also keep in mind the fact that the uber-cool trend setter in one field may be a hopeless looser in another, and that a painfully missing fool in one arena may be the king of his own game! 

As a coolhunter, it is up to you to choose which fields you will explore. Though some are more popular than others, there's something for everyone! 

The modern coolhunter needs to have more than an eye for cool things. Much of successful trend spotting revolves around one's ability to spot cool people - namely trend setters. Though coolhunters are often seen as ‘cool’, they are rarely, themselves, trend setters. They just know where to find them.

Don't know what to look for in a potential trend setter? Here are some common characteristics:

Trend setters...

Wear clothes and use products in unconventional manners

Have significant (positive) influence on those around them

Come into contact with (and influence) a high number of individuals

Trend setters don't necessarily create trends. Quite often they’ll just notice and adopt a style or gadget through one of their low-influence friends. What differentiates trend setters is their ability to make a trend spread.

When you come across trend setters, make friends with them - and keep in touch! They may be tough to find, but they’re an invaluable source of information on the next big thing.

by Simone Smith http://www.harukosama.com/

Are you familiar with the concept of the eternal return?  It can be easily summed up with the line: “All of this has happened before, and all this will happen again.”

 References to the eternal return have been traced back to ancient Indian and Egyptian philosophy.  It was discussed by Pythagoreans, Stoics, Christians, Jews, and modern philosophers (Nietzsche included) alike.  Are coolhunters exempt from those who can benefit from the concept? Absolutely not!

One often hears about fashions, lifestyle movements, and designs “making a comeback.”  Understanding that all things run in cycles is key if you want to be a successful trend spotter.

For this reason, history buffs make excellent coolhunters, and if you’d like to up your iCoolhunt game, consider reviewing trends, movements, and fads of the past.  You’ll be surprised to find styles and concepts that are uncannily similar to vogue contemporary movements- as well as of-the-moment fads that are a throwback to the days of yore.  Before long, you’ll be able to notice rekindling movements well before they hit the mainstream.

For your next coolhunting mission, consider, then, visiting a history museum instead of the hottest club.  Chat up your local librarian instead of the local hipster. And pass up the latest near-future novel for some good old-fashioned historical fiction.  You’ll be surprised by the wealth of coolhunting knowledge a bit of perspective can give you!

by Simone Smith

Just as a well-trained hunter may learn a great deal by observing animal tracks and broken twigs on the ground, an adept coolhunter can discern fascinating details by perusing urban streets and sidewalks.  Today more than ever, the ground beneath us harbors interesting clues surrounding the latest design and lifestyle trends. Two particularly valuable markings to look for are street art and chalk markings.

Street Art

While most of us are accustomed to finding street art plastered over urban walls (and now, many indoor gallery walls as well), more and more of the most interesting contemporary graffiti can be found on streets and sidewalks.  Most of ground-bound street art is stencil work, however some pieces (such as those by Stikman, a well-traveled American artist) are made with material similar to that used to delineate crosswalks and lane markers.  By getting to know major street artists in your city, you can bring yourself closer to the latest design and artistic movements- plus get a whiff of social commentary or an inkling of the local zeitgeist.

Chalk Markings

Though traditionally associated with child’s play (and sometimes street art), chalk markings serve as excellent clues revealing new urban gaming movements.  Chalk has increasingly been appropriated by fully grown (if youthful at heart) adults for use in alternate reality games (to mark clues and game elements), scavenger hunts, and extended, marathon-like games of tag.  If you find unusual markings on the ground made in chalk, and happen to notice a pattern with them, continue investigating- you just might discover a fascinating (and cutting edge) new urban game!

by Simone Smith

Are you a fan of coolhunting? So much so that it’s not enough to scour the streets for the latest, most elusive trends?  If that’s the case, you might enjoy unwinding after a good day’s hunt with some engrossing, classic coolhunting fiction.  

If you want to read one of the most influential coolhunting novels out there, look no further than Pattern Recognition by William Gibson.  Just as Gibson influenced the way society perceived the cyberpunk genre with his 1984 classic Neuromancer, he changed the manner in which the coolhunting world came to be viewed with this first installment of the Bigend series.  

Pattern Recognition traces the curious, twisting adventure of one Cayce Pollard, a uniquely sensitive coolhunter who finds herself searching for the creator of a mysterious series of mysterious, anonymous online video clips referred to as “the footage.”  Spook Country and Zero History, the two subsequent novels in the series, trace odd trends and the pursuit thereof in increasingly intriguing and oblique manners.

William Gibson’s attention to detail and insightful perspective on the world of trend spotting (not to mention a whole slew of other cutting edge movements) is sure to delight any amateur, professional, or even armchair coolhunter.  

For a more brief and straightforward (but equally entertaining) read, coolhunting fans might also enjoy So Yesterday, a 2004 novel by Scott Westerfeld.  This fun bit of teen fiction is a lightening fast read that offers both a fun peek into the more corporate side of coolhunting, as well as the way in which various trends are both harnessed by- and marketed to- youth.  

by Simone Smith

It's always a bit embarrassing when someone explains your projects better than you do. But Simone Smith  - the San Francisco-based author of a couple of excellent how to articles on iCoolhunt (How iCoolhunt Works, How to Use the iCoolhunt Bookmarklet) on hubpages.com and an accomplished trendspotter herself - has a real talent for writing insightful analyses on coolhunting and related issues. Visit her blog Cultural Espionage and there you will find one of the most accurate and comprehensive analyses of the trendspotting industry that you can find online. We especially like the following definition Simone gives of the trendspotting practice:

Hi! Some great news from iCoolhunt:

Over the last 6 months we’ve been working hard on something very, very special. If you landed here you might already know what we're talking about.

The iCoolhunt web app is the most significant addition to the service we’ve ever released.

iCoolhunt is now the easiest and best way to coolhunt both on the web and in the real world. Web-based photo bookmarking meets iPhone location-based social gaming and photo-sharing! 

What's more, you can now easily log in with Facebook, in addition to sharing prey with both Twitter and Facebook. You can also check the latest prey directly on our Facebook App. And there will be much, much more in the next few weeks.