I believe that this boiled down to the rise of standardized consumer products with wide distribution networks that we saw in the 50s. My primary example is in the Budweiser product line. The book "Bitter Brew" detailed the many phases of Budweiser 's empire. It specifically mentioned the advertising groups and salesmen involved with establishing a national brand in the 50s. These advertising folks would have (for example) drawers full of Rolex watches to hand out to new accounts. This was still a time where new media was on the rise (television and glossy print), and national branding had to be established for the newer standardized brews. Budweiser tasted the same on either coast, and it was a race to the top to see who could grab the widest swath of the market base against competitors. This is similar to many other nation-wide companies. A constant product meant a consistent consumer group could (and had to be) established. The guys who had the ideas to capture these markets were gold. The core tenant of a standardized product with large distribution meant that national advertising campaigns had to be effective. These guys were cut throat and effective. They had a lot of money at their disposal, but had to stay effective to stay in business.