Marketing and communication professionals are responsible for building long term relationships with customers and managing the information exchange. The roll-out of smart energy meters to households presents a particular challenge as network and energy companies would benefit from the smart grid while the advantages for households are less visible. In this study we use survey data from a pilot project on smart home appliances to create an agent-based social simulation which can provide decision support for various marketing communication scenarios. The outcome of a structural equation model based on two surveys (one before and one after an intervention) provides the foundation for the behavioural model of the agents so experiments can be performed in which certain aspects are adjusted and the possible effects studied. Preliminary results suggest this is a useful approach to support decision making on marketing communication as the impact of interventions can be studied and the expected adoption of the new technology in various user groups can be estimated.
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