WINNER OF THE 1997 ATTICUS AWARD, STRATEGY CATEGORY "Fantastic! Creating Ever-Cool is a 'must-read' for all manufacturers and advertising agencies that are marketing to children." Bennett Wolk, Director Worldwide Consumer Research Mattel Toys By its very nature, "cool" is a nebulous distinction. What is cool one year, or even one month, may not be the next. Yet some products are able to remain consistently cool year-in and year-out. In their quest for a share of the $171 billion of purchases that kids influence every year, marketers strive to develop such cool products. These the author terms "Ever-Cools." The Barbie doll represents a perfect example of an "Ever-Cool" product. Barbie rides the trends and fads, assuming various guises to reflect current coolness. Mothers who had Malibu Barbie dolls now buy Baywatch Barbies for their daughters. This is an exploration of achieving the elusive Ever-Cool status.

Gene Del Vecchio is the president of his own consulting firm in Valencia, California. He is the former senior partner, director of planning & research in the Los Angeles office of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, the world's sixth-largest agency network with 1996 billings totaling $8.3 billion. Del Vecchio was Ogilvy & Mather's resident kid expert, having spent nearly twenty years within the kids' arena. His experience has allowed him to identify one of the key attributes that the most successful kids' products have in common. This quality is what Del Vecchio terms "Ever-Cool." Now, the secret formula for achieving Ever-Cool status is available to marketers everywhere in this, his first book. Throughout his career, Del Vecchio has conducted hundreds of studies with children and has been called upon to help develop ideas for toys, foods, cartoons, promotions, and screenplays. During his years at Ogilvy & Mather, he has won both the David Ogilvy award and three industry Effies for his contributions toward effective advertising. Creating Ever-Cool: A Marketer's Guide to a Kidís Heart won the prestigious 1997 Atticus Award (strategy category) from the WPP Group in a worldwide competition. He holds a bachelor of arts degree, Phi Beta Kappa, in Economics from UCLA and an MBA from USC. Gene Del Vecchio is the father of two children, Matthew and Megan. He considers this his strongest credential.