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The Fonz, played by Henry Winkler in Happy Days, pictured, is often considered cool

A panel of experts recently voted Apple the coolest brand in the UK – but what makes a company cool?

Recent findings from Chicago researchers suggest that coolness goes hand-in-hand with autonomy; breaking the rules and going against the social norm.

But they claim that rule breaking and being different is only tolerated by consumers, when it is done for positive or worthy reasons.  

'The marketplace values cool brands,' said authors Caleb Warren from Texas A&M University, and Margaret Campbell from the University of Colorado.

'A cool image helped solidify Harley Davidson's status as an iconic brand, rejuvenate sales of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and vault Apple into the ranking of 'the best global brand' of 2013. 

'Coolness excites consumers, adds symbolic currency to products, and drives consumer trends - everyone wants it, even if they can't define what 'cool' actually is.

Although researchers do not agree on a specific definition, previous studies have found four defining properties.

The first, according to the recent study, is that coolness is socially constructed and is not an inherent feature of an object or person - meaning objects and people are cool only to the extent that others consider them to be.

A panel of experts recently voted Apple, maker of the iPhone 5C, picutred, the coolest brand in the UK. Recent findings from Chicago researchers suggest coolness goes hand-in-hand with autonomy and breaking the rules. But they claim rule breaking is only tolerated by brands when it is done for positive reasons

Participants were shown a variety of water bottle shapes, pictured, that had the logos and branding removed, and were asked to rate each one in terms of coolness. The researchers found a direct link between the bottles that were described as 'weird' and 'unique' and high cool ratings

Secondly, coolness is subjective and dynamic, and changes over time, and thirdly, coolness is perceived to be a positive quality.

Finally, the researchers concluded that coolness requires more than the mere perception that something is positive or desirable.

Taking these theories forward, the researchers asked participants to rate products and adverts based on how cool they think they are.

In the first study, participants were shown a variety of different water bottle shapes that had the logos and branding removed.

They were asked to rate each one in terms of coolness, and then asked why they thought they were cool.

The researchers found a direct link between the bottles that were described as 'weird' and 'unique', and high cool ratings.

This proved autonomy was a factor when defining coolness.

In a follow up study, they asked participants to rate an advert for a brand that promoted either breaking or following a dress code.

Group A were told that the dress code existed as a way to honour war veterans, while group B were told it existed to honour a corrupt dictator.

Results discovered that breaking the dress code made the brand seem cooler, but only when the dress code was for a necessary, positive and worthy reason. 

'Collectively, our studies find that coolness is a subjective, positive trait perceived in people, brands, products, and trends that are autonomous in an appropriate way,' the researchers concluded in the Journal of Consumer Research.