Science: Psychoanalysis in Advertising

It’s futile to argue in advertising. So believes Dr. Ernest Dichter, 32-year-old, Vienna-born psychologist. Dr. Dichter is a small, neat, emphatic man who speaks almost perfect English. He studied in Vienna when that city was the No. 1 roosting place for the big birds of psychoanalysis, went to Paris for more study, then back to Vienna for his Ph. D. Two years ago he arrived in the U. S., met a journalist who was fascinated by his ideas and took him to J. Stirling Getchell, Inc., enterprising Manhattan advertisers. In a small, neat Getchell office, small, neat Dr. Dichter now sits and ponders as director of psychological research.

Psychology is of course no new thing in advertising, but Dr. Dichter claims that practically all of it is hit-or-miss stuff, and that he is the first to apply to advertising really scientific psychology. That includes psychoanalysis—probing into the subconscious. Dr. Dichter scoffs at advertising which tries to reason with potential customers, to scare them or lecture them on their shortcomings. He believes in tapping hidden desires and urges.

A man may hanker feverishly for an electric razor, but stoutly maintain that his old razor is the only thing that will lick his whiskers. A woman may love to prance giddily to the strains of hot music, but insist that nightclubs bore her, that she would rather curl up with a good book. Instead of going in for statistical questionnaires and surveys. Dr. Dichter talks to people, studies their personalities. He doesn’t always believe what they say.

When Dr. Dichter asks people about bathing habits, they almost always reply huffily that they take a bath every day. But, by asking when they like to bathe best, he sometimes traps victims into saying “Saturday night.” Among U. S,, common folk Saturday night is not only bath time but play time. Children, asked when they like best to bathe, are likely to answer “Christmas,” or “On my birthday.” Obvious application to soap-selling: depict bathing not as a virtuous task but as a frolic.

Next month J. Stirling Getchell, Inc. plans to issue its first completely Dichterized advertisement, for Plymouth cars. Probable motif: the subconscious lure of adventure on the open road, the deep passion to master a machine.