Jan L. Logemann
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226660011
- eISBN:
- 9780226660295
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226660295.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Engineered to Sell traces the transnational careers of consumer engineers in advertising, market research and commercial design who transformed capitalism, from the 1930s through the 1960s. It argues ...
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Engineered to Sell traces the transnational careers of consumer engineers in advertising, market research and commercial design who transformed capitalism, from the 1930s through the 1960s. It argues that the history of marketing consumer goods is not a story of American exceptionalism. Instead, the careers of immigrants point to the limits of the “Americanization” paradigm. First, the book traces changes in marketing approaches increasingly tailored to consumers which gave rise to a dynamic world of goods. Second, it asks how and why this consumer engineering was shaped by transatlantic exchanges. From Austrian psychologists and little-known social scientists to the illustrious Bauhaus artists, the émigrés at the center of this story illustrate the vibrant cultural and commercial connections between metropolitan centers: Vienna and New York; Paris and Chicago; Berlin and San Francisco. These mid-century consumer engineers crossed national and disciplinary boundaries not only within arts and academia but also between governments, corporate actors, and social reform movements. By focusing on the transnational lives of émigré consumer researchers, marketers, and designers, Engineered to Sell details the processes of cultural translation and adaptation that mark both the mid-century transformation of American marketing and the subsequent European shift to “American” consumer capitalism.Less
Engineered to Sell traces the transnational careers of consumer engineers in advertising, market research and commercial design who transformed capitalism, from the 1930s through the 1960s. It argues that the history of marketing consumer goods is not a story of American exceptionalism. Instead, the careers of immigrants point to the limits of the “Americanization” paradigm. First, the book traces changes in marketing approaches increasingly tailored to consumers which gave rise to a dynamic world of goods. Second, it asks how and why this consumer engineering was shaped by transatlantic exchanges. From Austrian psychologists and little-known social scientists to the illustrious Bauhaus artists, the émigrés at the center of this story illustrate the vibrant cultural and commercial connections between metropolitan centers: Vienna and New York; Paris and Chicago; Berlin and San Francisco. These mid-century consumer engineers crossed national and disciplinary boundaries not only within arts and academia but also between governments, corporate actors, and social reform movements. By focusing on the transnational lives of émigré consumer researchers, marketers, and designers, Engineered to Sell details the processes of cultural translation and adaptation that mark both the mid-century transformation of American marketing and the subsequent European shift to “American” consumer capitalism.
Jan L. Logemann
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226660011
- eISBN:
- 9780226660295
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226660295.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
The making of consumer capitalism was informed by transnational transfers and transatlantic exchanges in ways that have been largely overlooked by historians. A surprising number of mid 20th-century ...
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The making of consumer capitalism was informed by transnational transfers and transatlantic exchanges in ways that have been largely overlooked by historians. A surprising number of mid 20th-century consumer experts were European immigrants and émigré refugees. They excelled in areas such as market research and advertising psychology as well as in industrial and graphic design. In different capacities, these experts helped to engineer the midcentury consumer´s republic by developing new marketing tools that fundamentally informed the dynamic expansion of American consumer capitalism. As corporate and government advisors, furthermore, they acted as transatlantic mediators after the war, facilitating postwar transfers in marketing knowledge and commercial practices back to Europe. This introduction contextualizes their story within the historiographies on mass consumption and business history as well as within research on elite migration and transnational knowledge transfers. In a mid centrury era of high modernity and social engineering, these émigré experts played crucial roles as transatlantic cultural intermediaries of consumer capitalism.Less
The making of consumer capitalism was informed by transnational transfers and transatlantic exchanges in ways that have been largely overlooked by historians. A surprising number of mid 20th-century consumer experts were European immigrants and émigré refugees. They excelled in areas such as market research and advertising psychology as well as in industrial and graphic design. In different capacities, these experts helped to engineer the midcentury consumer´s republic by developing new marketing tools that fundamentally informed the dynamic expansion of American consumer capitalism. As corporate and government advisors, furthermore, they acted as transatlantic mediators after the war, facilitating postwar transfers in marketing knowledge and commercial practices back to Europe. This introduction contextualizes their story within the historiographies on mass consumption and business history as well as within research on elite migration and transnational knowledge transfers. In a mid centrury era of high modernity and social engineering, these émigré experts played crucial roles as transatlantic cultural intermediaries of consumer capitalism.
Peter Mathias
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780969588511
- eISBN:
- 9781786944924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9780969588511.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Maritime History
Peter Mathias pays tribute to Professor Peter Neville Davies, reflecting on his career as an economic historian at the University of Liverpool. The tribute covers the major highlights of his career.
Peter Mathias pays tribute to Professor Peter Neville Davies, reflecting on his career as an economic historian at the University of Liverpool. The tribute covers the major highlights of his career.
David M. Williams
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780969588511
- eISBN:
- 9781786944924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9780969588511.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Maritime History
David Williams pays tribute to Professor Peter Neville Davies, forming a thorough introduction to Davies’ background and work in maritime studies.
David Williams pays tribute to Professor Peter Neville Davies, forming a thorough introduction to Davies’ background and work in maritime studies.
Christopher Miller
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781786940667
- eISBN:
- 9781786944412
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9781786940667.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Maritime History
In a time of great need for Britain, a small coterie of influential businessmen gained access to secret information on industrial mobilisation as advisers to the Principal Supply Officers Committee. ...
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In a time of great need for Britain, a small coterie of influential businessmen gained access to secret information on industrial mobilisation as advisers to the Principal Supply Officers Committee. They provided the state with priceless advice, but, as “insiders” utilised their access to information to build a business empire at a fraction of the normal costs. Outsiders, in contrast, lacked influence and were forced together into a defensive “ring” – or cartel – which effectively fixed prices for British warships. By the 1930s, the cartel grew into one of the most sophisticated profiteering groups of its day. This book examines the relationship between the private naval armaments industry, businessmen, and the British government defence planners between the wars. It reassesses the concept of the military-industrial complex through the impact of disarmament upon private industry, the role of leading industrialists in supply and procurement policy, and the successes and failings of government organisation. It blends together political, naval, and business history in new ways, and, by situating the business activities of industrialists alongside their work as government advisors, sheds new light on the operation of the British state. This is the story of how these men profited while effectively saving the National Government from itself.Less
In a time of great need for Britain, a small coterie of influential businessmen gained access to secret information on industrial mobilisation as advisers to the Principal Supply Officers Committee. They provided the state with priceless advice, but, as “insiders” utilised their access to information to build a business empire at a fraction of the normal costs. Outsiders, in contrast, lacked influence and were forced together into a defensive “ring” – or cartel – which effectively fixed prices for British warships. By the 1930s, the cartel grew into one of the most sophisticated profiteering groups of its day. This book examines the relationship between the private naval armaments industry, businessmen, and the British government defence planners between the wars. It reassesses the concept of the military-industrial complex through the impact of disarmament upon private industry, the role of leading industrialists in supply and procurement policy, and the successes and failings of government organisation. It blends together political, naval, and business history in new ways, and, by situating the business activities of industrialists alongside their work as government advisors, sheds new light on the operation of the British state. This is the story of how these men profited while effectively saving the National Government from itself.
