Good Is the New Cool Guide to Meaningful Marketing
How Brands Can Win with Conscious Consumers
1. Edition March 2025
288 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
How brands can evolve to win with conscious consumers
The Good Is the New Cool Guide to Meaningful Marketing is your guide to future-proof your brand with purpose-driven strategies and activations that meet the demands of the new world of conscious capitalism. This book takes readers behind the scenes at some of the world's most famous brands--from purpose-driven pioneers like TOMS, the Honest Company, and Chobani, to household names like Oreo, Call of Duty, and Brand Jordan--to show you how a new wave of marketers are collaborating with values-driven creators of cool like Pharrell, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber.
In this book, readers will learn about:
* How brands can authentically discover and deploy their social purpose in ways that drive brand love and financial growth
* The Seven Steps of Meaningful Marketing, including "Think Citizens Not Consumers," "Solve Problems from the Everyday to the Epic," and "People are the New Media"
* How brands can collaborate with nonprofits to make money and do good at the same time, using examples from Product(RED), Rivet, and Choose Love
The Good Is the New Cool Guide to Meaningful Marketing earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of all forward-thinking leaders in business, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, seeking to ride the winds of change and market in a better, more meaningful way.
Why We Wrote Good Is the New Cool 7
Bobby's Story 13
Afdhel's Story 19
Part I: Good Is the New Cool 23
Chapter 1: How Good Became the New Cool 25
A Day in the Life of Conscious Consumers 26
Millennials and Gen Z Have New Expectations of Brands 30
2024 Millennial and Gen Z--Purpose and Consumption Statistics 31
The Disruptive Impact of Technology on Advertising 35
The Crisis of Meaningfulness in Marketing 37
Chapter 2: The New Model of Marketing 41
The Time Is Now 42
How to Harness the Power of Cool 45
The Architects of Cool Are on Your Side 52
The New Nonprofits 57
Part II: The Seven Principles of How to Market Like You Give a Damn 61
Chapter 3: Know Your Purpose 63
Scooter Braun, Founder, SB Projects 65
Peter McGuinness, President, Chobani 75
Amy Smith, Chief Brand Officer, TOMS 83
Chapter 4: Find Your Allies 89
Jenifer Willig, Founder, (PRODUCT) RED 91
Greg Propper, Cofounder, Propper Daley 97
Dan Goldenberg, Call of Duty Endowment, Activision Blizzard 105
Chapter 5: Think Citizens, Not Consumers 111
Fernanda Romano, Dulux 113
Eric Dawson, CEO and Christina Rose, CMO, Rivet 119
Justin Parnell, SVP Marketing and Insights, Oreo 123
Chapter 6: Lead with the Cool, But Bake in the Good 131
Jason Mayden, Chief Design Officer, Jordan Brand, Nike 133
Mimi Valdés, Chief Creative Officer, I Am other 143
Jocelyn Cooper, Cofounder, Afropunk 155
Chapter 7: Don't Advertise, Solve Problems 163
Elyssa Gray, Head of Creative and Media, Citibank 165
Peter Koechley, Cofounder, Upworthy 171
Marco Vega, Cofounder, We Believers 183
Chapter 8: People Are the New Media 189
Kfir Gavrieli, Cofounder, Tieks 191
Jaha Johnson, Manager, Common and Usher 195
Josie Naughton, Cofounder, Choose Love 209
Chapter 9: Back Up the Promise with the Proof 215
Laura Probst, Head of Social Goodness, the Honest Company 217
Bobby Campbell, Manager, Lady Gaga 227
Andy Fyfe, Community Development, B Lab 239
Part III: How to Get Started Today 247
Chapter 10: Dream It, Do It, Share It! 249
Our Final Thought: Think Transformational, Not Transactional 253
Resources and Other Links 257
References 259
About the Authors 263
Acknowledgments 267
Index 269
--Vicky L. Free, former CMO, Global Brand Marketing, Adidas
"Every business, brand, and individual involved in the business of brands should sit up and take note."
--Paul Woolmington, CEO, Canvas Worldwide
"Afdhel, Bobby, and the team at Conspiracy of Love are the real deal. Smart, empathetic, strategic and seasoned; they really know how to guide an organization to imagine and realize their essential Purpose."
--Tom Herbst, former CMO, The North Face
"As we begin to enter the golden age in which brands unlock the tremendous potential of technology to do good, VC's and founders alike should treat this book as their indispensable guide to creating disruptive businesses with integrity and soul."
--David Jones, Founder and CEO, The Brandtech World
"As the world rightly moves to stakeholder capitalism, how companies lead, market, and transform their culture will require a reexamining of purpose. Good Is the New Cool should be their handbook."
--Eve Rodsky, Author of FairPlay
"Bobby and Afdhel shine a light on the global changemakers using their creative influence for good, and illustrate how bold action can both push culture forward and lead to impactful and lasting social change."
--Michaella Solar-March, Chief Marketing Officer, Two Trees Management Co.
"The beautiful thing is that a purpose-driven existence doesn't have to happen outside of your day job. Good Is the New Cool offers a clear and inspirational formula for individuals and brands to bring happiness and meaning into their everyday lives."
--Tauna Dean, Founder, Kind World Collective
"Afdhel, Bobby and Conspiracy of Love are wise and trusted partners helping us to authentically navigate the space of purpose with our brands to drive business growth."
--Ciara Dilley, Senior Vice President, Future Portfolio and Occasions, PepsiCo
BOBBY JONES is a visionary entrepreneur and inspiring storyteller whose work has helped leaders in over 140 countries drive meaningful innovation and growth. He is a Co-Founder of Conspiracy of Love, Good Is the New Cool, and RIVET, and inspires audiences through keynotes and workshops to find fulfillment in their work.