Dichter "The Needs of Europe"

During the postwar decades Ernest Dichter and his research company specialized in market analyses for American and European firms, aiming to uncover the “hidden” desires and motivations of consumers. Drawing on his professional expertise as well as his immigrant background, Dichter was particularly engaged in advising Americancompaniesin Europe and vice versa. In this article, he sketches out marketing opportunities for American companies in a changing European market, noting both continuing differences and trends towards convergence between consumption patterns in the postwar Atlantic world.