It seems like the American marketing community is poised on the brink of an astounding discovery: the value of the post-war baby boom market! With the upcoming (and much anticipated) Tom Brokaw special, "Tom Brokaw Reports: Boomer$," it seems like everyone is trying to jump on this particular wagon. On March 1, Advertising Age published a fun piece by Judann Pollack called "The 15 Biggest Baby Boomer Brands" in which Pollack attempts to lay out the iconic products and their ad campaigns of her generation. This is precisely why marketing to boomers is in such a state of disarray. Folks are trying to take 20 pounds and shove it into a five-pound bag.

 

Boomers are a very diverse group, with a 20-year age span dividing the youngest from the oldest. A friend of mine, age 50, recently attended his college reunion, where he met fraternity brothers with 2-year-old children and 2-year-old grandchildren -- and this from precisely the same age cohort. Now contemplate the differences between those graduating from high school in 1964 and those graduating in 1984.

In her article, Pollack is right in identifying Levi's as an iconic brand for a part of this generation -- the earliest one-third, to be generous. But the latter two-thirds were more swayed by Jordache and the flood of "designer jeans" that almost washed Levi's away.

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