Philips, Other TV Makers Embrace the Nothingness of Their Products

The lack of something can be a potent element in a marketing strategy. "Got milk?" is the classic example—built not around having milk, but around the common parental fear of being out of it. That was a cultural insight. Lately, tech marketers have played around with similar concepts—based on product insights. As electronic products get thinner and thinner, there's potential in pretending they've disappeared entirely. LG had that great security-camera spot last winter, from Y&R in Amsterdam, in which the thief steals a flat-screen LG TV from an electronics store—while appearing to be holding nothing at all.