Durability and utility Updated: Updated: Is there a change in consumer preference with instant gratification taking precedence over lasting value? Share Article Is there a change in consumer preference with instant gratification taking precedence over lasting value? As a small boy, I saw an advertisement in a shop saying “the cost is long forgotten”. The line attracted me. I was too young to understand its true meaning, and so I asked my father what it was. His reply satisfied me, when he said the quality of the product would be remembered long and its cost would be forgotten. In short, the line mentioned that quality is supreme to cost.