and sponsors looking to create an emotional connection with baby boomers by riding on the coattails of the music they love.   Under the Thumb of the Baby-Boo mer M arket   At the heart of the Rolling Stones entrenchment in our society is the bands deep connection with baby boomers. In the early years, author- ities accused the Stones of decadence, undue influence on teenagers, and anarchy. Whereas sociologists called that cultural conflict, it could also be described as creating a relationship with emerging elements of a new culture. The Beatles had made a significant connection with baby boomers, but they opened the door for the Stones to capture an important part of the baby-boomer life soundtrack when they   stopped touring and split. Once inside the door, the Stones spent the next four decades creating and nurturing an extrasensory connection with the largest demographic segment of the population. Branding, when done well, generates profits from consumers will- ingness to buy the brand (often at premium prices) and increased repeat purchases. Therefore, from a branding perspective, the signifi- cance lies in the sheer size of the market-76 million people, with varying needs, wants, and problems and differing degrees of ability, willingness, and authority to buy. Yet psychographic similarities- shared interests, opinions, and activities-tie these segments together to form the largest base of purchasing power in the U.S. market. One commonality among the groups members is that they grew up on a diet of classic rock; it is part of them. Understanding the significance of this market helps explain why legendary rock bands are, for the most part, satisfied with staying relevant to their core market and dont feel the need to position themselves too heavily to todays teens. Their focus is on remaining a part of the cultural fabric of baby boomers everywhere, a sentiment shared by many great brands, from Coca- Cola to Cadillac. The Rolling Stones have remained relevant to the baby-boomer market by adapting to changes within it. This begins with a thorough understanding of the boomers-their market power, lifestyles, at- titudes, fears, realities, and dreams-which for many classic rock bands is made easier because they are of that generation themselves. Just as retail executives need to put themselves into the shoes of their customers by mystery-shopping their stores, brand managers need to study baby boomers childhoods and life dilemmas. Demographics determine about two-thirds of everything-what problems people face, what products they buy, and frequently how and where they buy. Understanding demographics thoroughly increases the likeli- hood of creating successful brands and crafting strategies to connect