Consumer Engineering, 1920s-1970s

Jan Logemann

ISBN 10: 3030145662 / ISBN 13: 9783030145668

Published by Springer International Publishing, Springer International Publishing Aug 2020, 2020

About this Item

Neuware -In the middle of the twentieth century, a new class of marketing expert emerged beyond the familiar ad men of Madison Avenue. Working as commercial designers, consumer psychologists, sales managers, and market researchers, these professionals were self-defined ¿consumer engineers,¿ and their rise heralded a new era of marketing. To what extent did these efforts to engineer consumers shape consumption practices And to what extent was the phenomenon itself a product of broader social and cultural forces This collection considers consumer engineering in the context of the longer history of transatlantic marketing. Contributors offer case studies on the roles of individual consumer engineers on both sides of the Atlantic, the impact of such marketing practices on European economies during World War II and after, and the conflicted relationship between consumer activists and the ideas of consumer engineering. By connecting consumer engineering to a web of social processes in the twentiethcentury, this volume contributes to a reassessment of consumer history more broadly.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 308 pp. Englisch.

Seller Inventory # 9783030145668

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Consumer Engineering, 1920s-1970s
• Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Springer International Publishing Aug 2020
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3030145662
• ISBN 13: 9783030145668
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 235W x 155H x 17D millimeters 235 millimeters width by 155 millimeters height by 17 millimeters depth
• Weight: 470 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In the middle of the twentieth century, a new class of marketing expert emerged beyond the familiar ad men of Madison Avenue. Working as commercial designers, consumer psychologists, sales managers, and market researchers, these professionals were self-defined “consumer engineers,” and their rise heralded a new era of marketing. To what extent did these efforts to engineer consumers shape consumption practices? And to what extent was the phenomenon itself a product of broader social and cultural forces? This collection considers consumer engineering in the context of the longer history of transatlantic marketing. Contributors offer case studies on the roles of individual consumer engineers on both sides of the Atlantic, the impact of such marketing practices on European economies during World War II and after, and the conflicted relationship between consumer activists and the ideas of consumer engineering. By connecting consumer engineering to a web of social processes in the twentiethcentury, this volume contributes to a reassessment of consumer history more broadly.

About the Author

Jan Logemann is Assistant Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Göttingen, Germany.

Gary Cross is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at Pennsylvania State University, USA.

Ingo Köhler is Assistant Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Göttingen, Germany.