The Age Curve should be a requirement for every marketing and business major. Ken Gronbach brings to light why our current economy is in decline as well as what to expect in the future. His focus on each of the five living generations is more than marketing trends. You will find yourself saying,"So that's why.....!" This is a must read for everyone who is interested in the current events and the future of our country.

With a myriad of definitions out there on where our newest generation (some call them "Gen Y", others refer to them as "Millennials") ends and begins, Gronbach provides a clear, logical system for breaking down the generational groups. His explanations are straightforward and well argued. As a journalist, I find that experts who can boil down their subject into layman's terms are few and far between. Gronbach achieves that while also keeping the reader engaged. Whether you want to market a new social-networking site for teens, want to understand the generational landscape for hiring purposes, or just want a fun, informative read, "The Age Curve" is a go-to resource for insights about the demographic trends shaping our world.

Ken Gronbach has an impressive grasp of demographics, their trends and implications for the economy at large. He will open your eyes to the realities of change and why you had better get on board! If you cannot hear him in person, read this book! William J. McGurk

The Age Curve is an interesting and surprisingly easy-to-understand demographic study. Although written with a view towards sales and marketing, my wife and I found the book to be a useful tool in understanding how the changing population impacts our daily living, (insurance, manufacturing, food industry, local government, education, etc.).

First, the author identifies the generations (GI, Silent, Boomer, Gen X & Y). Then, compares and contrasts them - not strictly by numbers and percentages but more importantly, by attitudes and behaviors. His personal, often humorous examples make the facts, figures and preferences of each market group easy to remember.

The Age Curve is fun reading and has something to offer everyone. We've purchased several copies for family and friends - a great gift for thinking people!

This is a book that everyone should, no must read. It explains why the study or a simple grasp of demographics is so important in our daily or business lives. Written in a witty informative style, with lots of case studies illustrating why demand for products rises and falls over time.

My only criticism, is it is only 268 pages long! My solution was to re-read it and go to Ken's very informative web site! This book is worth its weight in gold, as it will wean you off those Aging Boomers onto a bigger coming wave: Generation Y. And finally this book is a must for Christmas lists!

I'm not sure if there is a higher superlative that I can give a written work than to say it is the most resistant to being put down of anything I've read in a decade. I was entertained and completely engrossed within seconds.

The most important business book I've encountered in at least the past five years, The Age Curve's every page contains useful information about the who, what, when, where, why and HOW of our current marketplace and provides an eye-opening vision of the near and not so near future of our fragile global economy.

Generational shifts are about to change business... all business... and those who are most familiar with Kenneth Gronbach's work are going to be the ones best prepared to handle the struggles and profit from the opportunities of those shifts. If you enjoyed Blink or Freakonomics here is your chance to read a book that shares a similarly interesting style and tone, but with the invaluable bonus of having the information within be applicable to everyday business - which is something I found sorely lacking in the case of these other best sellers.

The bottom line? Get this book. Today. You'll be finished and better prepared for a profitable future tomorrow.

Reviewed By: Mark Snow, VP HRD Press

This is an excellent book, a must read for businessmen, executives, politicians and the people who vote for them. I found it wise to share the premise of this book with members of several boards of directors on which I serve, hoping to prepare them for what Gronbach predicts will be our experience in the near future. Heeding this voice could well save us an enormous amount of money and effort.
I was surprised that AMA's proofreaders failed to spot the considerable number of typographical errors. But this problem does not diminish the value of the content. HJH

Ken Gronbach's book, Age Curve, is a clear and concise explanation of some of the factors facing our changing world in the very near future. Once you read it, you'll feel like you can predict the future. I recommend it highly.

The Age Curve is a must read, groundbreaking book with two great purposes. First, it will revolutionize your understanding of your customers and clients. It breaks your current paradigms and dispels common myths. More importantly it may even reveal that you are chasing the wrong market to begin with. Second, it is a wholesale vindication of Generation X, dismissing the media's false notion that Gen X is lazy and uninterested. Of course this is something Gen Xers have known for years. With Mr. Gronbach's book and the stats he cites therein, the rest will now catch on.

This book is an easy-to-understand guide to population trends that will affect every organization. I work with faith-based nonprofits and I have seen them so focused on reaching the 24-40 Gen-X segment, they miss the basic fact that that generational cohort is much smaller than people think.

The infrastructure (and mind-set) of the nation's largest faith groups and faith-based nonprofits are fit to the size of the Baby Boomers and I fear leaders in these institutions and organizations are setting themselves up for disappointment when population realities are realized in the very near future.

All these ministries and organizations need to respond to a realistic understanding of population trends and become more aware so they can get ahead of the population "parade." I will recommend my clients read this book as a resource to hep them open their eyes!

The Age Curve does a great job of explaining the cause and effects of demographics on economic fundamentals. If you are in the business of marketing to consumers, this is a must read. His case history on motorcycle sales really illustrates how and why it will affect your business.

No, really, it is.

When I come across a book, speaker, slideshow or tv show that takes a complicated or mundane topic and explains it as clearly as Ken Gronbach has explained the essence of demographic transitions in "The Age Curve," I applaud the author. When the writing is not only clear and concise but also entertaining, I stand up and cheer.

Gronbach uses stories from his years of experience in the advertising and marketing business to explain what is important about basic data like how many babies were born in which years during the last century or so in the USA. Instead of being an actuary's idea of a boring meeting (no offense to actuaries!) it is a lively and humorous read, with lots of slap-your-forhead, "well, DUH!" moments. With real-life applications like blue-jean and motorcycle sales, stories about leftovers at the dinner table, and discussion of current events like immigration and China, Gronbach makes what some consider a dry topic into something you'll talk about at cocktail parties, with your spouse as you plan your future together, and, perhaps most importantly, at the conference table with your business associates.

After reading this book, you will start to see every issue that attracts or confounds you differently. You will analyze every business challenge, measure every political argument, and make every investment decision from a new perspective. And whenever you run into some executive making a lame excuse about not being able to predict the future and how it might affect stockholders, you will want to slap them with a copy of this book.

This book is a 250-page "a-ha moment." I recommend it to everyone who thinks or cares about the future of our culture, and who wonders why big businesses sometime run aground on issues that seem later to have been completely predictable.

Want bonus points? Hire Gronbach to speak to your business or trade group -- he's a great presenter with a show that will keep you awake -- even after a big lunch!

The Age Curve is a book about numbers. Don't worry. The author does the math.

The author Kenneth Gronbach, a proud member of the Baby Boomer generation, outlines the numbers of live births in the US starting from the beginning of the 1900's and ending with projected estimates in 2010. This sounds boring, but this book is a fun read filled with anecdotes, quirky observations and the occasional easy-to-understand chart.

Using these simple numbers and market data, the author highlights typical spending and work habits of each generation, concentrating on Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. Mr. Gronbach cites many examples to show the impact of population on the market. This information, he claims, is (dangerously) being ignored by everyone from Levi's chain of command to the White House and Karl Rove. He deftly explains why Honda motorcycle dealerships disappeared overnight, how Walmart will soon have to drastically change their format to survive, and how Social Security will fail. He gives Generation X a well-earned break from the criticism and lends immigrants a welcoming hand. Gronbach finishes the book with the gloom and glory Generation Y will bring.

The book reads like a conversation, which includes an occasional non-sequitur and incomplete points, which a more thorough editing could remedy. Also, the book lacks any opposing views to clear up the befuddling question of why big box stores and our government are consistently ignoring what Gronbach presents as undeniable evidence of impending doom (my guess is they need to read Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions or Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior to examine why they are holding steadfast to yesterday's markets).

Personally, this book has helped me to understand why Generation X has gotten a completely undeserved bad rap and how to position myself and my investments in the market for the next several decades. It's a must-read for any marketer or any parent of an X or Y generation member.

Most run so fast the daisies go by unnoticed. Why does the noise coming from the restaurant's ceiling sound like Chinese water torture..... no melody, no harmony, unintelligible lyrics?

The Deli is located on South College Street, that's why. I'm 72, that's why. The manager isn't willing to change stations. I ask for the Kingston Trio or the Limelighters. Who? She asks. I don't go there now for lunch. She doesn't miss me. I found a cafe associated with a book store. Nice. Soft background music playing.

Gronbach's "The Age Curve" showed me there was a rational reason for my satisfaction with the move and using his method of applying that data makes clear the significance of age group preferences and why demand shifts with time. Why wouldn't everyone prefer Pavarotti against the repetitive strumming of 3 guitar chords over and over accompanied by indistinguishable screaming, without melody or harmony for 3 whole minutes?

Enter "The Age Curve". Adding the principal of Ken's research into things like "what age group buys motorcycles" provides the answer to the mystery as to why growing motorcycle sales fell suddenly off the cliff. His method of applying these factors makes clear reasons for behavioral, buying and/or taste changes that can greatly affect your business success and where you go to lunch.

This text book reads like a hard-to-put-down novel, as the author recounts many fascinating product marketing cause and result, success and failure case studies from his own extensive international marketing experiences.