Expectations

I saw this (1970s?) advertisement when I visited the American Advertising Museum in Portland, OR once before and it was so "shocking" to me at the time,  that I took a photograph of it. Now, we live in an age of multiple televisions per home, small mobile devices functioning as "TVs," multiple monitors on a desktop, and 60" TVs for under $1,000. For those with a higher budget, 80" TVs, or even larger "screens" with projectors and a nice blank wall.  Who remembers Sony Trinitron? Now there is HD, 3D, 4K, LED, LCD, and even curved televisions, never mind all the "smart" features. I haven't even mentioned all the various combinations related to audio. For many families today in 2014, to imply a single 19 inch TV is enough for 14 people and a dog - you would get "laughed off the face of the planet."

An important aspect of marketing to me then is about managing expectations, and steadily increasing or decreasing them, as desired. For some products / services, there are "few to no expectations," so one has to create them.