Scratching the Itch of Generation Jones (712 words)

According to Pontell, marketers should be aware that Jonesers currently represent 26 percent of the adult population in America, and they spend $1.4 trillion annually.

In a recent interview, Pontell explains that in order to reach this cohort, you have to scratch the itch of their jonesin'. As a generation, they were given huge expectations during what was considered the height of the post-World War II American confidence and affluence, and then confronted with a dramatically different reality in the 1970s. That left this generation with a key personality trait, a sort of pending, unrequited quality. The more marketers can try to 'scratch that itch' and appeal to Jonesers' underlying dreams, the better.