The coolness of social media

Coolbrands.co.uk produces an analysis of Britain’s ‘coolest’ brands and has just released its latest findings.  Brands may be nominated by members of the public and the coolest are selected by an expert council and members of the public before the top brands are identified.

Coolness, as Coolbrands admits, is subjective.  The judging criteria they use are:

·         Style

·         Innovation

·         Originality

·         Authenticity

·         Desirability

·         Uniqueness

(Usefulness, value or impact do not seem to get a look-in.)

The latest top 10 features Apple, BBC’s iPlayer, Google, Twitter and YouTube.  (Luxury brands such as Aston Martin, Liberty and Bang and Olufsen also appear).   ‘Attractions and the arts’ features as a category (cool brands in this category include the Glastonbury Festival and the Royal Albert Hall). 

Unfortunately libraries do not feature at all, even though there are innovative, stylish and unique libraries out there.