Ernest Dichter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ernest Dichter (b. 14 August 1907 in Vienna; d. 21 November 1991 in Peekskill, New York) was a psychologist and marketing expert who is widely considered to be the "father of motivational research."

Dichter pioneered the application of Freudian psychoanalytic concepts and techniques to business—in particular to the study of consumer behavior in the marketplace. Ideas he established strongly influenced the practices of the advertising industry in the twentieth century. According to a 1998 New York Times article, he "was the first to coin the term focus group and to stress the importance of image and persuasion in advertising."

He received his doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1934 and emigrated with his wife Hedy (née Langfelder) to the United States in 1937. In 1946 he founded the Institute of Motivational Research in Croton-on-Hudson, New York (later moved to his home in Peekskill), and in the succeeding years founded similar institutes in Switzerland and Germany.

Dichter is credited with originating the Exxon slogan, "Put a tiger in your tank."

Contents

[edit] Publications

Dichter was the author of 17 books, including:

  • The Handbook of Consumer Motivations
  • Motivating Human Behavior
  • The Naked Manager
  • Packaging, the Sixth Sense?: a guide to identifying consumer motivation
  • Total Self-Knowledge
  • Getting Motivated
  • The Strategy of Desire
  • How Hot a Manager Are You?
  • Marketing Plus: finding the hidden gold in the market place

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../e/r/n/Ernest_Dichter_1442.html"