Postwar mass markets were defined by reliability and 'no surprise' (Holiday Inn's 1975 'the best surprise is no surprise' slogan)—getting everyone to a lowest-common-denominator 'not bad'—but once that baseline is assumed, competition shifts to special experiences, personality, and aesthetic intensity, requiring greater variety because distinctive aesthetics please some and alienate others.

causalpending

Speaker

Virginia Postrel

Evidence Quote

at some point that becomes old news. And then the question is what have you done for me lately?

Source

Virginia Postrel on Style 11/27/2006EconTalk
Created: 6/17/2026, 10:31:39 AM

My Notes

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