Ernest Dichter

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

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 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."

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

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"

ee also

* Thomas Dichter (Son)
* "The Hidden Persuaders" by Vance Packard (1956) contains many references to Dichter and his findings.
* Edward Bernays (Nephew of Sigmund Freud and the creator of the field of Public Relations, a marketing concept similar to motivational research in its inspiration by psychoanalytical theory)
* [http://www.cigseduction.com "Cigarette Seduction" by Alan Brody] (2007) contains key references to Dichter and his work on cigarette brands and smoker's motivation.

References

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9E01E4DE1538F931A3575BC0A96E958260 The View From Peekskill; Tending the Flame of a Motivator] – "New York Times", 2 August 1998
* [http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_1091.html Libido can rule when the id does the shopping] – "UniNews", University of Melbourne, 1–15 December 2003

External links

* [http://www.dieuniversitaet-online.at/beitraege/news/ernest-dichter-vater-der-motivforschung/10.html Ernest Dichter, Father of Motivational Research] de icon – a 2005 symposium at the University of Vienna
* [http://www.ernestdichter.com/ Ernest Dichter Institut (Germany)] – founded 1971