Date of Award

2017

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration

Specialization

Marketing

Department

Interdepartmental Program

First Advisor

Hillary Leonard

Abstract

Cool has long been an elusive, and yet, attractive target for brands. Many brands in the streetwear/sportswear industry seek to be seen as cool, yet few achieve this goal. Even for those that do, the perception of cool proves to be fleeting. This qualitative work, based on long interviews with managers from leading streetwear/sportswear firms, sought to understand what they believe to make and keep brands cool. Five key drivers of cool were identified – Authenticity, Associations, Accessibility, Originality, and Storytelling, and a model for how these drivers of cool interact to make and keep brands cool was developed.

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