L.L. Bean is not into planned obsolescence. I bought shirts from them 30 years ago that are still fine; why would I buy any more? I don’t need them.

They’re a great company. They source terrific stuff, live up to their guarantees, offer wonderful customer service, ship right away. Their store in Freeport, Maine is a marvel. Their catalogs are lovely, sharp and easy to follow. Their website is fine: L.L. Bean Website

So what’s the problem? Well, nothing, if you’re an old guy like me. They’re perfect. But, much as I love L.L. Bean, I don’t need them all that often. I’m set.

So what? I’m 123 years old. I’m a guy. I don’t care if my clothes are in vogue. I’ve never known what’s in vogue, anyway. I’ve worn the same stuff since I was 8: blue blazer, button down collar – long sleeve cotton shirt, unpressed khakis, tightie whities, cotton socks and penny loafers. The immortal all-season outfit for geezers and (fewer and fewer) protogeezers.

So when Lois Geller, our agency’s President, wrote a short bit about how L.L. Bean was maybe getting a tiny bit stale, there was a firestorm of protest from L.L. Bean fans, including yours truly.

But Lois wasn’t writing about people like me. She was writing about the kind of people who wear shoes with Donald Duck toes, get tattooed, listen to what they think is alternative music, drink abominations like appletinis, drive Cube cars, really believe that America, the world’s oldest and by far most successful republic, has to change (to what? Zimbabwe?) and generally don’t think, act or look anything like geezers.

Sherry Chiger of The Big Fat Marketing Blog figured it out right away. You can read her take here: The Big Fat Marketing Blog