Back to the future: Why you've probably never heard of Ernest Dichter

Malcolm White

This article assesses the legacy, or lack thereof, left by the motivation researcher Ernest Dichter.

Back to the future: Why you've probably never heard of Ernest Dichter

Malcolm White

Malcolm White looks back ... at Ernest Dichter and the feud that explains why you've probably never heard of him.

If I were to suggest that almost every conversation you have about brands is influenced by the thinking of a Viennese psychologist, you'd probably think I was talking about Sigmund Freud. You'd be almost right, but not quite. Actually, I'm referring to the man who was sometimes known as the 'Sigmund Freud of the supermarket age' - a certain Ernest Dichter.

Ernest Dichter was one...

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