Extending Marketing’s Influence Earlier in the Development Cycle: Exploring Marketing Effects in the Future Smart Electricity Grid

Marketing needs innovative approaches to show its influence at an early stage of product development. we propose an approach, building on simulation modeling, for exploring marketing effects for technology-driven infrastructural innovations. As a use case we apply our approach to the smart grid. we connect technical (infrastructural) and social network models, including relevant consumer attitudes, behavioral intentions and choices as well as social influence. we simulate the effects of variable pricing for electricity and the strong promotion of solar panels on consumers’ choices and on knock-on effects on the supply grid. Results suggest that consumers in the smart grid will be open to flexible demand, foregoing supply at peak prices, and that strong promotion of solar panels may lead to more, not less, power outages.