The 14th meeting of the Marketing History Study Group is taking place at the Technoseum in Mannheim on 28 June 2024 on the topic of "Advertising and energy saving. Marketing as consumer education".

Price shocks and shortage scenarios not only characterise current debates on the energy sector, but have been a recurring phenomenon throughout the 20th century. There are different approaches to overcoming such "energy crises" among the economic, corporate and political players involved. Strengthening energy saving is and has been a central element of crisis management, whether formulated as an appeal to consumers or enforced by regulation. From a historical perspective, energy policy is also closely related to questions of appropriate communication, addressing consumers and communicating savings targets with the help of advertising, marketing and public relations.

As part of the conference of the Marketing History Working Group, we are interested in the question of who implemented, communicated and advertised energy-saving measures under which economic and political conditions and with which means and strategies. This concerns questions of public and private sector advertising and marketing strategies, organisation and financing as well as content, language, media and aesthetic design. In addition, the underlying ideas of consumer education in the course of time can be problematised. This involves both German (Federal Republic, GDR) and international advertising measures and campaigns by various players (states, companies, associations) throughout the 20th century.