Americans expect products to get better over time. Current products should improve on previous versions. Innovation is valued—developing better ways to accomplish purposes is praiseworthy.
This creates dynamic quality standards that rise continuously. What was excellent five years ago may be merely adequate today. Products that don’t improve fall behind expectations.
This improvement orientation has practical implications. Americans are open to new products and approaches—novelty isn’t suspect but potentially valuable. “New and improved” resonates.
But the innovation must be real: Americans will discover and resent fake improvements that don’t actually advance capability. The competitive landscape rewards genuine improvement and punishes stagnation. Products for American markets should demonstrate advancement over alternatives and previous versions.
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