Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA German employer-funded public-relations and lobbying initiative promoting market-oriented economic and social reforms.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM), or New Social Market Initiative, is a German employer-funded think tank and lobbying organization focused on economic and social-policy communication. It presents itself as an advocate of the social market economy, entrepreneurship, individual responsibility, competitiveness and market-oriented reform. Its work is directed primarily at the German public, political decision-makers and journalists rather than at consumers of a conventional commercial product. The initiative was established in 2000 by Gesamtmetall, the employers' association representing Germany's metal and electrical industries. It followed the creation in 1999 of berolino.pr GmbH by employers' associations in those industries; the organization initially operated from Cologne and moved its headquarters to Berlin in 2010. The INSM brand was developed with the advertising agency Scholz & Friends, which has continued to provide strategic input. The initiative's communications model combines advertising, media relations, commissioned studies, expert appearances and issue campaigns. Organizationally, INSM's sole shareholder is the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft, commonly known in English as the German Economic Institute. The institute is supported by the Confederation of German Employers' Associations and the Federation of German Industries. Funding comes from employers' associations in the metal and electrical sectors. The initiative's reported annual budget was approximately €5.7 million in 2024, according to the cited reference material. INSM seeks to shape debate on taxation, labor markets, social security, education, energy, climate policy, competitiveness and regulation. Its public communications frequently frame economic policy in terms of incentives, productivity, fiscal sustainability and the preservation of industrial competitiveness. It has cooperated with or sought access to major German media outlets, including Wirtschaftswoche, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Die Welt and Handelsblatt. Its influence strategy has also included political talk-show programming, television-script placement and youth-oriented media content. The organization has cultivated a network of public-facing economists, business figures, former politicians and policy experts described as INSM ambassadors or closely associated experts. Names identified in reference material include Roland Berger, Arend Oetker, Hans Tietmeyer, Wolfgang Clement, Paul Kirchhof, Oswald Metzger and Silvana Koch-Mehrin. These figures have helped give the initiative access to business, academic and political audiences, although association with INSM does not necessarily imply that every listed person has held an executive position in the organization. INSM is a prominent example of organized economic advocacy in Germany, but its status and methods have also attracted criticism. Critics characterize it as a neoliberal lobby group whose professional communications can blur the distinction between independent journalism, political advocacy and employer representation. Its 2019 climate campaign and its campaign against the Green Party's policy agenda before the 2021 federal election were particularly contested. The 2021 campaign portrayed Green chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock as a biblical Moses figure and used the phrase “Annalena and the 10 prohibitions,” prompting accusations of inflammatory rhetoric and antisemitic imagery. INSM remains active as a communications and policy-advocacy brand rather than as a conventional consumer business.
History
INSM emerged from employer-led efforts to communicate market-oriented economic ideas more forcefully in German public debate. In 1999, employers' associations from the metal and electrical industries established berolino.pr GmbH. The organization appeared publicly under the name Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft, and the initiative was formally founded in 2000 by Gesamtmetall. Its name invoked Germany's postwar social market economy while placing greater emphasis on competition, enterprise, labor-market flexibility and individual responsibility. The brand was created with assistance from Scholz & Friends, a major advertising agency. This origin shaped INSM's method: rather than operating solely as a conventional research institute, it used recognizable branding, media-ready messages, advertising concepts, public events and spokespeople to make economic-policy positions accessible to a broad audience. Its objective was to build a favorable public climate for reforms that employers and market-oriented economists considered necessary for growth and competitiveness. During its development, INSM built relationships with economic experts, business leaders, former politicians and public commentators. Several associated figures were presented as ambassadors, helping the initiative place arguments in newspapers, broadcast discussions and political debate. It also worked with the Allensbach Institute and developed media relationships with publications including Wirtschaftswoche, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Die Welt and Handelsblatt. Reference material describes additional efforts to influence the choice of guests on political talk shows, introduce policy themes into television scripts and reach younger audiences through MTV-related content. The initiative was originally based in Cologne. Its headquarters moved to Berlin in 2010, placing it closer to federal political institutions, national media organizations and policy networks. Its institutional structure places it within the broader ecosystem of German employer associations: the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft is its sole shareholder, while the institute itself is supported by the Confederation of German Employers' Associations and the Federation of German Industries. Financial support for INSM comes from employer associations in the metal and electrical sectors. The reported annual budget was about €5.7 million in 2024. INSM's policy agenda has covered economic growth, tax policy, labor markets, social insurance, education, energy, climate policy and industrial competitiveness. Its public messaging generally treats regulation and state direction cautiously, arguing that reform should preserve incentives to work, invest and innovate. The initiative's advocacy is therefore distinct from neutral academic research: it is designed to persuade, mobilize attention and influence the terms of political discussion. The organization's campaign activity has periodically generated controversy. In July 2019, it promoted twelve propositions about climate policy. Critics argued that the propositions understated the scale of necessary emissions reductions and were oriented toward safeguarding German industrial interests. In the run-up to the 2021 federal election, INSM launched a highly confrontational campaign against the Green Party and its chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock. The campaign used an image of Baerbock styled as Moses and the slogan “Annalena and the 10 prohibitions,” attacking policies involving electric cars, rail travel and domestic aviation. The imagery led to accusations of antisemitism and broader criticism of the campaign's tone. Despite these disputes, INSM remains an active German policy-communication and lobbying brand. Its continuing role is to translate employer-oriented economic positions into campaigns, media narratives and public arguments about the future of the social market economy.
- 2024
Reported annual budget
[1]Reference material reported an annual budget of approximately €5.7 million, funded by employers' associations in the metal and electrical industries.
- 2021
Election campaign targeting the Greens
[1]INSM ran a pre-election campaign criticizing Green transport and climate policies and depicting Annalena Baerbock as Moses.
- 2019
Climate-policy campaign launched
[1]INSM published a campaign organized around twelve claims about climate change and Germany's policy contribution.
- 2010
Headquarters moved to Berlin
[1]The initiative relocated its headquarters from Cologne to Berlin.
- 2000
INSM founded by Gesamtmetall
[1]Gesamtmetall established the Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft as an employer-funded platform for market-oriented economic communication and reform advocacy.
- 1999
Predecessor public-relations company established
[1]Employers' associations in the metal and electrical industries founded berolino.pr GmbH, which appeared publicly under the INSM identity.
Products and positioning
A professionally branded, employer-funded advocate for market-oriented interpretations of Germany's social market economy. INSM emphasizes competition, entrepreneurship, personal responsibility, industrial competitiveness and economic reform, while presenting these ideas as compatible with social security and the institutional tradition of the social market economy.
Public advocacy
Economic-policy campaigns
Branded campaigns translate INSM's positions on taxation, labor markets, climate, energy, transport, education and competitiveness into slogans, visual advertising and media material. The campaigns are intended to influence public attitudes and political debate rather than sell a physical product.
Research and policy communication
Policy studies and analysis
INSM disseminates economic arguments, studies and explanatory material supporting market-oriented reform. Its research communication typically emphasizes entrepreneurship, competition, productivity, fiscal sustainability and the conditions required for industrial competitiveness.
Public relations
Media and expert-relations program
The initiative uses media partnerships, expert appearances, political discussion formats and public spokespeople to place employer-oriented economic perspectives in the German information environment. Its associated ambassador network has included business leaders, economists and former politicians.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Annalena and the 10 prohibitions
Germany
Ahead of the federal election, INSM attacked the Green Party's policy agenda and depicted chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock in a Moses-like image. The campaign objected to proposals associated with electric vehicles, rail travel and restrictions on domestic flights.
Outcome. The imagery and slogan generated substantial criticism, including accusations of antisemitism and condemnation of the campaign's confrontational political messaging.
- 2019Twelve climate-policy claims
Germany
INSM presented twelve propositions intended to reframe the German debate over climate change. The campaign argued that Germany was already contributing substantially and that a two-degree limit was sufficient. Critics, including climate scientist Volker Quaschning, challenged the claims and their apparent prioritization of industrial interests.
Outcome. The campaign attracted critical analysis and controversy over its scientific framing and relationship to German industrial interests.
Brand decisions
2021
Pre-election campaign against Green policy proposalsStrategyBackground
The German federal election campaign featured major disagreements over climate policy, transportation and the role of regulation.
Action taken
INSM used provocative visual advertising to criticize the Green Party and Annalena Baerbock.
Aftermath
The campaign increased public attention but also led to accusations of antisemitism and criticism of INSM's campaigning methods.
2019
Reframing the climate-policy debateStrategyBackground
Climate policy was becoming increasingly central to German political and industrial debate.
Action taken
INSM launched a twelve-point communications campaign arguing for a less disruptive interpretation of Germany's climate responsibilities.
Aftermath
The campaign was challenged by climate-policy critics who disputed its claims and industrial orientation.
2010
Relocation of headquarters to BerlinStrategyBackground
The initiative operated initially from Cologne while pursuing national policy and media influence.
Action taken
INSM moved its headquarters to Berlin.
Aftermath
The relocation placed the organization closer to federal political institutions and national media networks.
Sources2 sources
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