CoolMaterial.com sells “stuff guys want.” It carries the latest in martial arts movies, technical apparel and craft beer, alongside traditionally masculine objects like watches and knives. Notably, the site doesn’t feature a lot of buxom women in bras and panties (there was only one on the homepage when we last visited). Instead, Cool Material entertains its customers with high action – a video of a paintball car duel (provided by Audi) – and VH-1 worthy top ten lists like “10 Comedians Who Deserve Their Own TV Show.”
Cool Material compares its content to the feeling one gets when “flipping through an issue of SkyMall or receiving a generous second helping of bacon.” With 2.8 million page views per month, the site owes its success to developer Tim Jacobsen, former VP of eCommerce at LuggageOnline.com. Jacobsen is also responsible for IncredibleThings.com (more stuff guys and girls want) and WordNotebooks.com (simple, elegant notebooks to fit in your pocket). Under the awning of Dashboard Media, Jacobsen runs all three from his office in Collingswood, NJ, site of poet Walt Whitman’s tomb. Now there’s one who appreciated a fine notebook.
