Transmission, by Hari Kunzru, pg. 214: "On the plane home from Dubai, Guy had finally accepted that perhaps he could do without the in-house video production team. The coolhunters could probably go too--they just seemed to spend all their time in Brick Lane photographing people's haircuts."

Coolhunters, also known as trendspotters, are paid to find out what the Next Big Thing will be, and bring this information back to their corporate clients. In an increasingly brand-dominated world, marketing has become the most important aspect to advertising, which has in turn become a vital aspect to captalism and commercialism. As a result, corporations are spending an increasing amount of time and money trying to find hot new trends first; the better to be the first to sell them. In the last few decades, however, it has become increasingly more difficult to generalize the preferences of a desirable demographic, so more research is required. Because this information can’t be found in books or focus groups, corporations have turned to these specific people who seem to have their finger on the pulse of the developing trends in culture.

Time - The Quest for Cool

Trendspotting – It’s a Cool Job and Somebody Has to Do It

The Coolhunter – a poem

Culture – Fad Gadgets|