The atomic bomb is a good example, a massive endeavour (130,000 people and 2.2 Billion), and some of the initial insights came off the back of the work of the Maud committee in the UK who did some of the early running in this area.

The US is exceptional in many ways and can solve problems no other nation could, of that there is no doubt, but I would agree that the exceptionalism does extend to marketing itself as well.