Issue 1 of 4
25 years old. Still impossible to enter.
Since 2001, CoolBrands has picked out the brands with genuine cultural standing in the UK.
That’s 17 books, from Selfridges and Spotify to Sipsmith, Secret Cinema and Savage X Fenty. Our last book was for 2022/23.
- 2001CoolBrands begins. Brands with genuine cultural standing, picked by people who know.
- 17 booksFrom Selfridges and Spotify to Sipsmith, Secret Cinema and Savage X Fenty.
- 2022/23Volume 17. Then we went quiet.
- 2026/27Year 25. An independent Chair, a Selection Panel, public proof and Volume 18.
- 2027For the first time, built on independent consumer research alongside expert judgement.
Then we went quiet.
But we’ve used the time well.
CoolBrands is back for its 25th year, rebuilt from the ground up and better for it.
What’s changed
An independent Chair.
Professor Jonathan AJ Wilson of Regent’s University London chairs the programme’s selection.
A Selection Panel.
Nine leaders from across UK culture who choose the annual Top 10 and the Sector Leaders.
Written rules on conflicts.
Anyone with a link to a brand steps out of that decision, and it goes on the record. Now the rules are written down for anyone to read.
Proof.
Every licensed CoolBrand gets a public verification record, so customers, buyers and AI search can check it for themselves.
Research.
From 2027, CoolBrands is, for the first time, built on independent consumer research alongside expert judgement.
What hasn’t changed
No forms, no case studies, no 2,000-word essay on your brand purpose. The experts decide who’s cool. That’s the whole point.
Why bother?
Because cool has never stood still. It starts in the margins, earns respect from the people closest to it and ends up shaping how we live. Good marketing helps build that. CoolBrands is how it gets recognised by someone other than you.
Cool is easy to claim. Harder to prove.
Plenty of brands call themselves cool. Far fewer can show that people who know culture independently recognised them. Now that recognition comes with a seal anyone can check, new research into how people see your brand and a place in the 25th-anniversary book.