They who boldly reach for the innovative

Observing and attempting to study the attitudes and dispositions of the cool folks (people in the age group 14-34 years) has taken us on an amazing journey. Interestingly, this exercise reminds us of one of the physicists we used to read about in middle school — Werner Heisenberg. He postulated that there is a limit to the accuracy with which certain pairs of physical properties of a particle can be simultaneously known. It was called the ‘uncertainty principle' and we believe the tenets fit into our cool hunt to perfection. The moment we get a grip on one predilection, the others change while we are still in the process of observing! We learnt how information-hungry these folks are and how they expect brands to be transparent when we were trying to map factors that made a brand relevant. And while they are cult-brand worshippers, they do not necessarily buy or use those brands. Now that's a pretty definitive description. However, before you pre-judge their buying patterns based on old-style segmentation, here's our mapping result of their approach towards innovation.

The cool folks are frightfully open to accepting innovation. They are game for risking it by trying and eventually adapting to everything new — new products, new style statements, unusual fresh flavours and newer offerings. Almost two-thirds of the respondents were either certain or extremely likely to pick up a new, innovative offering. These people dislike being dealt with in a manner that's standard run-of-the-mill or matter-of-fact. One should not hurry and take this to be an excuse to get outlandish and exaggerated in approach or in terms of defining the need and thus the benefit (only 16 per cent of the respondents were willing to walk that path). The cool folks like honest efforts and lap up anything that genuinely pushes the limit. When we probed into what qualifies as ‘innovative', the responses were linked to technological edge (35 per cent of the respondents going for it), benefits (22 per cent) and convenience (28 per cent).

No wonder the cool folks do not wait for their friends to identify an exotic location for a holiday or do not hesitate to pick up a new gadget before someone else does! They move on their own in a manner that's individualistic — making bold choices and increasingly getting attracted to anything that intrigues and challenges them to being different. This is how our psychologist on board had analysed the motivation of these folks when they go out shopping. Getting on to uncharted territory and backing it up by putting one's money where their mouth is (which is actually making a purchase) is a certain trait. (Hopefully, the use of the expression ‘certain trait' is not blasphemy as far as believing in the uncertainty principle goes.) It is as if we are catering to a whole new generation of consumers who would kill to be the first-users! These are folks who are choosy yet spontaneous in their pickings and are early adopters.

Interestingly, while doing a qualitative probe to get a better understanding of the love for innovation came this response: ‘I seek newer technologies, newer flavours, and new designs for they provoke me.' Some even said unconventionality in a product offering resonates with their self-image. This is certainly worth another probe. Like we say, a cool-hunter can never rest. Heisenberg was lucky!

(Giraj Sharma is an independent brand consultant who is also a compulsive cool-hunter.)

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