These 15 Brands are Boomer Favorites According to a Recent Study

Who Are Baby Boomers?

Generations are narrowed down by grouping people who are born around the same time. Typically, each generation is narrowed down to 20-year gaps.

Baby Boomers are defined as the group of people born between the ages of 1946 to 1964. Right now, they are between the ages of 57 to 75 years old. Many of their favorite brands have been around most of their lives. Therefore, it makes sense that these brands are the ones they reach for the most often. Let’s take a look at the 15 brands that are Boomer favorites.

Pillsbury

You can’t hear Pillsbury without conjuring up images of Pillsbury Doughboy in your mind. This brand has been around since 1869 and has been a part of everyday family kitchens in more ways than one. Whether you are making a pie, pizza, or cookies, Pillsbury is a brand you can count on. That is why this company is the first of the brands that are Boomer favorites.

Kleenex

The Kleenex brand came to the scene in the 1920s. This was during World War I with a crepe paper. From there Kotex and disposable tissues were developed. Which grew to become the face of Kleenex.

Quaker

Quaker Oats has been through many changes since the beginning. The brand began in 1877 with its first trademark. This trademark was for a breakfast cereal, with the man in ‘Quaker Garb.’ Honesty was meant to be the trademark of this brand.

Hanes

Hanes is known for their comfortable apparel that can move with your everyday life. Whether you are working, lounging, or going out, Hanes is there to keep you comfortable. The Hanes brand began in 1901 by Pleasant Henderson Hanes and John Wesley. In the beginning, men’s underwear was the main product, then it only grew from there.

Dawn

While there are so many different soap brands in the United States, Dawn Dish Soap is by far the most popular brand out of all of them. Images of oil-covered chicks being bathed in the sink with this soap are often splayed across commercials. A dish soap that claims this type of strength has shot to the top of soap brands for a reason.

Dawn dish soap brand got its start in the 1950s. The first product was a bar soap for the face. Then by the 1970s, the dawn liquid soap was introduced. For decades the Dawn brand has been cutting through tough grease, helping save wildlife, and so much more.

Band-Aid

Every parent knows the importance of band-aids in a child’s life. Whether they love to break into the box and put on 50 band-aids or have legit ‘ouchies’ band-aids are there for your kids.

While there are so many off-brand band-aids, none are quite as good as the original. This brand began in 1920. Earle Dickson took two products, the adhesive tape and gauze, made by Johnson and Johnson, and created the first band-aid. From there, the adhesive bandages began to show up in stores. Today, Band-Aid is a go-to first-aid brand that the majority of American families count on.

McCormick

McCormick seasoning and spices live in almost every spice cabinet in America. But did you know that the beginning of this brand wasn’t focused on selling spices? McCormick began in the basement of Willoughby M. McCormick in 1889. He began the company by selling juices, flavor extracts, and fruit syrups.

The spices didn’t show up until 1896 after McCormick bought the Philadelphia F.G. Emmett Spice Company.

Not only does McCormick sell a variety of spices today, but they also sell hot sauce and own Old Bay Seasoning.

Ace Hardware

Ace Hardware boasts over 5,000 stores around the world. This brand began in 1924. Several hardware store owners got together and created this brand as a way to help smaller businesses. The goal was to provide a way for this business to buy merchandise in bulk.

Today, Ace Hardware is one of the go-to hardware stores for the majority of Americans.

M&M’s

M&M’s is one of the most popular candy brands, right up there with Skittles and Hershey’s. This beloved candy got its start in the 1940’s in New Jersey. The founder was Forrest E. Mars, Sr.

M&M’s brand has been through a long history, growing to become one of the most recognizable chocolate candy pieces. With the trademark M on each piece and the array of colors, it’s hard to say no to M&M’s.

Duracell

Duracell batteries are the go-to battery brand for most Americans. With the Duracell bunny at the center of the promotions, the brand is known for its long-lasting alkaline batteries.

Duracell brand began in the 1920s and has had quite the adventure since. In the 1960s the brand became the first battery on the moon, today Duracell leads the battery world with a host of batteries for every occasion.

Hershey’s

Another popular chocolate brand, Hershey’s, was founded around 1894 and began as the Lancaster Caramel Company. When Milton Hershey bought the caramel company, he also created the Hershey Chocolate Company.

It wasn’t too many years later when the first milk chocolate bars were born in 1900.

WD-40

The WD-40 formula was created in 1953, 72 years ago. It is still in use today. But it didn’t happen right away. It took the company, Rocket Chemical Company 40 tries to get it right. However, it wasn’t until 1958 that the WD-40 cans showed up on store shelves.

The company was renamed in 1968 to WD-40 Company, Inc. Today, customers can find several products using WD-40 including degreaser and cleaner EZ pods, industrial sizes, and precision pens.

Planters

The Planters Peanut Company began in 1906, in Pennsylvania, by partners Obici and Mario Peruzzi.

When the brand introduced the semitransparent bags, customers loved being able to see that the peanuts inside were fresh. This helped grow the Planters brand. Today, this brand sells several products including cashews, peanuts, fruit and nut mixes, and more.

Land O’ Lakes (Butter)

Land O’ Lakes butter got its start in 1920. But it wasn’t until 1924 that the name was officially created. The company held a contest with a $500 gold prize. The winners were Ida Foss and George Swift who both entered the name, Land O’ Lakes.

Today Land O’ Lakes has become one of the most recognized butter and cheese companies in the United States.

UPS

UPS is now one of the leading and largest package delivery services. However, before it became what it is today, this company had humble beginnings. It began with Claude Ryan and Jim Casey, in 1907. All they had was a $100 loan and a basement. They had no way of anticipating that UPS would grow to become the American go-to package delivery company.

One Last Note

Brands are everywhere. While there are numerous brands out there, these 15 brands are Boomer favorites according to a recent study. Knowing the history of each of them, it makes sense that most boomers would reach for these well-loved and known brands. After all, the majority of them are brands that Boomers grew up with.