Hunting For "Cool"

“酷”典子的诞生。Creating a cool successful product is not as easy as you might think.

For businesses that want to cash in on the next big trend, figuring out what's cool and what insn't can be a big problem. The fact is that "cool" is constantly changing. Product development takes a lot of time and money, but if new products miss the mark  and aren't "cool," they won't sell. The solution, of course, is to predict what the next big trend will be - before it becomes cool -and to design products accordingly.

While predicting future trends isn't easy, a good place to start is with an understanding of how successful products diffuse into the marketplace. Let's say you develop a new product that is better than anything currently on the market. You develop an advertising campaign and introduce the product to the public. No matter how great your product and advertising, chances are your product will not gain momentum immediately. Rather, a few innovative people will give it a try.

If  all goes well, they will be followed by "early adopters" - a small group of thoughtful people who have been carefully watching your product's performance. Only after these "early adopters" have accepted your product will the majority jump on the bandwagon.

Unfortunately, creating a trend isn't as simple as designing a quality product and some great advertising. For decades now, people have been exposed to thousands of advertisements each day. In consequence, people - and especially young people - have become stubbornly advertising-resistant and increasingly less likely to respond to traditional advertising. This hardening of customers means that companies are no longer able to manufacture "cool" through well-coordinated advertising campaigns.  Instead, they have had to find ways to manipulate trends as they emerge.

To do this successfully, companies need to discover potential trends through focus groups and online research. Alternatively, they can use cool hunters - researchers that seek out innovative people on the cutting edge and report on what they like and do.

Once a company understands what things are becoming cool, it needs to create an association between its product and the trend. This can be accomplished through creative advertising or product placement. The company might, for instance, hire "cool" people to use the product and introduce it to their friends. They might even hire people to throw a party complete with free product giveaways.

For businesses, being "cool" can mean the difference between success and failure.


Writing Tips:
Only after these "early adopters" have accepted your product will the majority jump on the bandwagon.
Only after.............(what happen).. will.........(what happen).
This writing pattern is for writing on the situation that only the situation #1 happen first, then the situation #2 will happen.

Vocabulary Tips:
cash in on something - take advantage and make money of it.
cash- 现金
cash in (on) -利用，靠什么事物赚钱。利用什么事物用“”。
*The company cashed in on the Olympic games by manufacturing authorized merchandise.
*The child star's parents were accused of cashing in on their son's fame.
diffuse- 传播，散播，散布，传导。spread.
*Facebook is a very effective way to diffuse information.
*This innovative music style soon diffused among the teenagers.
*The heater diffuses heat throughout the house.
momentum- 气势，动力，热度。force, power to go forward, become popular.
*The election campaign gradually gained momentum by creating many controversial issues.选举宣传。气势看涨。。创造出许多争议性的议题。　
*The Marketing department developed new strategies to keep the momentum of this product.　行销部门。。发展出新策略。。保持。。在市场上的热度。
develop- grow.　发展，开发。
resistant-抗拒某种东西，耐什么东西。 resist-抗拒，抵抗。
*an antibiotic resistant bacteria.－抗药性细菌。
*heat-resistant plastic.－耐高热的朔膠。
resistant-　抵抗力，耐受度，
*These plants are resistant to drought.这些植物具有抗拒干旱的能力。
manipulate-操纵，巧妙运作，掌控。
*Smart entertainers know how to manipulate the media.操纵媒体。
*This politician is good at manipulating his supporters.　巧妙运作，操纵他的支持者。
*Alex is tired of being manipulated by his girlfriend.　被。。。掌控。
cutting edge-最前端，最尖端的。
*The new model is on the cutting edge of Android phone technology.　新款式。。
*Paris is always on the cutting edge of fashion trends.
emerge-　浮出，出现，脱出，显露，现出。
campaign -战役，会战，竞选活动。从事，从事某活动。
alternative- have another choice.　二选一，其他选择，取舍。


Chat Room:
wagon - 车，
jump on the bandwagon.
The iPad is so popular now, everyone is jump on the bandwagon.
on the wagon -戒酒，（ 跳上水车，宁可喝车上不干净的水，也不再喝酒了）
water wagon- 水车。运送水的车子。
fall off the wagon-破戒，从新有碰酒，喝酒。（从戒酒的水车上掉下来，破戒了，戒酒失败）
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advertisements - “广告”的通称，　又简称 "ad."
commercial　-　电视上或电台的广告。
a television commercial.－电视广告。３０－４５秒钟左右。
a radio commercial.－电台的广告。
trailer-预告片，　电影的预告片。
Movie theaters usually  show trailers before a movie begins.
infomercial-资讯型的广告，电视购物台的广告节目。时间较长，３０分钟到一小时。