How YETI blew up a bland cooler market

Here’s the “sugar” that makes spending $400+ on cooler go down.

Is a $400 cooler a worthwhile investment? We could debate that forever. What’s not up for debate: YETI Coolers is king of the red-hot “super cooler” category. We’re talking heavy-duty, injected, rotomolded coolers — not your dad’s $50 Coleman.

I have a few theories on why this is the case, even with a host of competitors — like Pelican, Grizzly and Engel — challenging YETI for the throne:

1. YETI is just…cool

In my opinion, people gravitate to intangibly cool, confidence-inspiring products, even if its features are WAY more advanced than the average person actually needs. It’s feels like being part of a moment to have something cool, and people like to feel cool. (Any psychologist is free to challenge me on this assumption, but I’m right.)

Does a college sophomore studying political science really need the newest MacBook? Does the average millennial really need the performance attributes offered by high-end Patagonia jackets when a Gerry coat from Costco would technically work just fine? (Guilty.) Do any of us need a Hydro Flask when the Contigos and Nalgenes we’ve been getting from Big Five have worked just fine? The answer to all these questions is “no,” but these brands have that cool “it,” and thus we send them our money.

It’s also LOOKS cool. While some competitors have more features (like roller wheels and different latches), no one quite has the minimal-but-burly look YETI has nailed.

2. YETI is (essentially) bad-review-proof

Those who can afford a YETI but don’t need one buy it for the status symbol (and use that status to justify the insane price), and for people that actually need one, price isn’t an object. This makes it largely immune to bad reviews.

It immediately deters people who have zero interest in this product category, who YETI probably doesn’t care if they don’t attract as customers anyway. Those who are left are inherently going to “get” the value of the cooler, whether it’s a hunter or fisher who actually needs to keep things cold (value in the product) or a tailgater who wants to show off a little (value in the…