Ernest Dichter photographs and sound recordings

Transcription

1 226 Finding aid prepared by Judy Stevenson and encoded by Karen Herman in Last updated on August 01, Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department 2014

2 Table of Contents Summary Information...3 Biography/History...4 Scope and Contents... 4 Administrative Information... 5 Related Materials... 5 Collection Inventory Page 2 -

3 Summary Information Repository Hagley Museum and Library: Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department Creator Dichter, Ernest, Title Ernest Dichter photographs and sound recordings Call number 226 Date Extent 2 linear feet General Physical Description 367 photographic prints : b&w 9 x 12 in. or smaller. 31 photographic prints : color : 5 x 7 in. or smaller. 6 photographic prints (solarization photographs) : b&w : 4 x 5 in. 37 contact sheets : b&w. 2 negatives : b&w : 8 x 10 in. 1 negative : b&w : 4 x 5 in. 26 negatives : b&w : 120 mm. 1 negative : color : 120 mm. 66 negatives : b&w : 35 mm. 5 slides : color : 35 mm. 1 item (booklet). 20 audio cassettes. Language English Abstract Ernest Dichter ( ) was one of the pioneers in consumer motivational research. He started his own consulting business in It was incorporated in New York as the Institute for Research in Mass Motivations, Inc. in 1952 and renamed the Institute for Motivational Research, Inc. in This collection consists of photographs, negatives, slides, contact sheets, and audio cassettes. - Page 3 -

4 Biography/History Ernest Dichter, one of the pioneers in consumer motivational research, was born in Vienna on August 14, 1907, and died near Peekskill, N.Y., on November 21, Dichter came to the U.S. as a refugee from the Nazis in 1938 and worked for the advertising agency J. Stirling Getchell, Inc. and for the CBS Network before starting his own consulting business in It was incorporated in New York as the Institute for Research in Mass Motivations, Inc., in 1952 and renamed the Institute for Motivational Research, Inc., in Dichter maintained branch offices in Paris (1958), Rome (1959), London ( ), Zurich ( ?), and Frankfurt ( ?), the latter two surviving as independent organizations. Dichter specialized in the "depth interview" in which samples of target consumers were subjected to a battery of psychological tests and something approximating psychoanalytic sessions. Dichter provided these services for a wide range of clients, including large U.S. and European manufacturing firms. He is perhaps best known for helping coin the "put a tiger in your tank" slogan for Exxon Corporation. Dichter's type of qualitative motivational research was going out of style in the U.S. by the mid-1960s, although it remained popular in German-speaking Europe, and as his regular business contracted, he turned more to employee motivation, writing and speaking. Dichter remained active until a few years before his death. Scope and Contents This collection consists of photographs, negatives, slides, contact sheets, and audio cassettes from the Ernest Dichter Papers, Hagley Manuscript Accession Many of the photographs are of Ernest Dichter himself, either posed portraits, or shots of Dichter attending international conferences and seminars. Two folders of "miscellaneous" photos appear to be shots of unidentified persons at various conferences. The collection also includes photographs of posed models, possibly headshots from a modeling agency, and photographs of products and product displays in both Europe and the United States. Cassette tapes are two audio programs by Ernest Dichter: "Marketing Plus: Finding the Hidden Gold in the Market Place," 1988, and "Everyday Creativity: 12 Steps to Innovative Thinking." - Page 4 -

5 Administrative Information Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department 2014 Finding aid prepared by Judy Stevenson and encoded by Karen Herman in Access Restrictions This collection is open for research. Existence and Location of Copies View selected items online in Hagley Digital Archives. Related Materials Related Material Ernest Dichter Papers (Accession 2407), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library. - Page 5 -

6 Collection Inventory Box Folder Dichter conferences and seminars, , undated Photographs include Ernest Dichter attending ESSEM in Oslo; the Advertising Club in St. Louis, MO; the International Advertising Association conference; the Euro-American Marketing conference in Amsterdam; the Textil-Wirtschaft Forum in Heidelberg; the NINO Inspiration Meeting in Paris; the Presidents Association Roundtable IV in Puerto Rico; a luncheon in Johnannesburg; and attendees at ESOMAR in Vienna. In addition, there is a photograph of Dichter with Dr. Enrique Pichon- Riviere in Buenos Aires and of him attending conferences or seminars in Curacao; Prague; Koln; Stuttgart; Frankfurt; Karlsruhe; and Garmisch- Partenkirchen. Dichter at AAA 36th Annual Meeting, St. Petersburg, Florida, undated Dichter speaking and chatting with a group at the AAA 36th Annual Meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida. - Page 6 -

7 Dichter negatives and slides, undated Images include portraits of Ernest Dichter, Dichter sitting at a switchboard, Dichter's diploma, packaging, and Dichter with company executives. Display images, 1968, 1969, undated Photographs include scenes of window displays at GUM, a Moscow department store, on Red Square; self-service consumer goods trucks from 1925 and 1957; and displays of consumer goods in self-service stores in Zurich, including the Migros branch in Zurich-Kusnacht. There are also photographs of a television studio; newspaper articles on packaging and Dichter's work on the Pabst advertising campaign; and of an award plaque from the Advertising Club of Washington, D.C. Group portraits without Dichter, 1958, undated Group photographs (without Dichter) at meetings in Vienna, Dallas, and other unidentified places. Photographer Susan Schiff Faludi took five of the photographs. Miscellaneous photos, undated Photographs of Ernest Dichter speaking to or talking with attendees at national and international conferences and meetings in places such as - Page 7 -

8 Vienna; Paris; Japan; Cape Town; Frankfurt; New York; and Detroit, Michigan. There is a photo of Dichter with Ivan Hill, of advertising agency Cunningham and Walsh, as they are about to board a Frankfurt-bound TWA flight where the two will embark on a world speaking tour. Miscellaneous photos, undated Includes a photograph of Ernest Dichter's book, beer packaging, women and children watching television, and a group shot of Dichter talking with models. Institute for Motivational Research, undated Exterior photographs of Ernest Dichter addressing meeting attendees at the Motivational Marketing Institute and of the institute's buildings. Institute for Motivational Research Advertising/Informational Booklet, undated Pages from a photo booklet that provide information on the Institute for Motivational Research. There are photographs of Dichter, employees of the institute, research subjects, and methods the institute uses to gather marketing data. - Page 8 -

9 Dichter photos used in exhibit for Hagley conference, Photographs of Ernest Dichter and an exhibit card describing Dr. Dicter and his work from an October 2009 Hagley Museum conference. Dichter portraits, undated, Portraits of Ernest Dichter. Miscellaneous photos, 1975, undated The photographs include portraits of Ernest Dichter and of Dichter at meetings and seminars in various states and countries, including Texas, New York, Austria, Germany, and India. There is also a pamphlet written by Dichter that is in German. Publicity - Beer, undated Photographs of Ernest Dichter lecturing and interacting with unknown people and of men drinking beer. There is also a photocopy of an article in German about Dichter. - Page 9 -

10 Publicity - Miscellaneous poses, undated One photograph shows a woman washing her hands at a kitchen sink and the other photograph depicts a woman trying on coats. Vienna, undated, Photographs of Ernest Dichter speaking and with unknown attendees at conferences in Vienna and Zurich. Publicity - Dichter, undated The images include portraits of Ernest Dichter, various shots of Dichter working in his office, Dichter speaking, and with unknown attendees at conferences. Publicity - models, undated, 1941, Head shots and publicity sheets for models from the United States and from countries such as France, Greece, Italy, England, and Austria. - Page 10 -

11 Publicity poses - Dichter and others, undated, 1956, Photographs include portraits of Dichter attending or speaking at meetings, including the Textile Marketing Forum at Clemson University and the General Electric Plastics press conference. There are also unidentified images on contact sheets that include modern dancers, works of art, and mimes, one of whom is possibly Marcel Marceau. Publicity - products, undated, 1967, Photographs include images of Dichter in front of a Dr. Scholl's display and of 1960's Austrian advertising and buildings. There are also images of products including Marbert cosmetics, Ivory soap, and Thrill dishwashing liquid. There is also an image of various international currencies. Package testing, undated, Photographic images of consumers reacting to product packaging. Portraits used in motivational testing, undated, 1936, Images include head shots of male and female models and portraits of Harry Truman and Abraham Lincoln. There is a head shot of a female attributed to W. Eugene Smith and a photograph of women participating in a focus group - Page 11 -

12 attributed to Newsweek photographer Ed Wergeles. There are also images of dancers and a mime who may be Marcel Marceau. Sound recordings, 1975, Cassette Courses by Ernest Dichter, "Everyday Creativity: 12 Steps to Innovative Thinking" and "Marketing Plus: Finding the Hidden Gold in the Market Place." - Page 12 -