Why consumers seek ‘coolness’: Understanding the vernacular meaning of cool

The charm of coolness is seemingly enhanced by the mysteriousness of what cool actually means. Figuring out how to be “cool” is arguably an important phenomenon amongst many modern cultures today. Consumers identify their coolness by seeking products and brands that provide them with cool status (Belk et al, 2010). While researchers have identified this cultural shift having a significant impact on how consumers are buying products, an in-depth understanding of its origin and meaning of this vernacular usage for the relevant consumer research is limited. As such, the purpose of this research is to understand consumers’ ‘cool seeking’ behavior by exploring its possible determinants using a stepwise regression analysis. Drawing evidence from the Arab world our findings indicate that although the primary need for uniqueness drives cool identity, status concern is the most dominant predictor of cool-brand consciousness. We also demonstrate that in the Arab world cool is influenced by West, but not related to income, religion or gender.