HENRY BRENNER has been associated with several research companies, many of which he founded. These include NPD Research, Acker Retail Audits, McCollum/Spieiman, OPOC Computing, Marketing Evaluations, and Home Testing Institute, among others. He is a founding member and former chairman of the Market Research Council of the Conference Board, in which he is still active. He is also a past president of the Radio and Television Research Council. Brennerâs present activities include memberships in the AAPOR, the American Marketing Association, and the Market Research Council.
HANS ZIESEL is Professor Emeritus of law and sociology at the University of Chicago Law School. Born and raised in Czechoslovakia, he devoted the first 15 years of his American life to market and advertising research, as teacher, author, and practitioner. As director of research development at McCann Erickson, together with Herta Hertzog and Marion Harper, he was one of the pioneers of modern advertising research. Former executive officer of Marplan, the inter- national research arm of the Interpublic Group of Companies, he is also the author of many works on sociological research. Ziesel is best known for Say It with Figures, now in its fifth edition in seven languages.
GEORGE GALLUP is executive head of the Gallup Organization, Inc. Author of many books and articles on public opinion research, he has been the recipient of five awards for outstanding achievement, including the Advertising Gold Medal Award -1964 and the AMAâs Partin Award (1965). Gallup developed a survey procedure to deter- mine reader interest in the news and advertising content of news- papers. In 1931 he applied this method to the first nationwide survey of weekly magazines. In 1932 he organized the first full-fledged copy- research department at Young & Rubicam. Born in Jefferson, Iowa, he received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and has been awarded honorary degrees from 13 colleges and universities.
FRANK STANTON served as president of the Columbia Broadcasting System from 1946 to 1971. He is associated with some of the countryâs top corporations as a director and trustee, including Pan American World Airways, Atlantic Richfield Corporation, New York Life Insurance Company, and the Rand Corporation. He has also contributed to the work of such charitable organisations as the Rockefeller Foundation and the American National Red Cross, of which he is chairman. Born in Muskegon, Michigan, he received his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.
As we mark the 50th Anniversary of the Advertising Research Foundation, it is fitting that we look back to the pioneers who explored the unknown territory of advertising research during our first fifty years. We are fortunate in having an oral historical record of interviews with seven of these âFounding Fathers.â The occasion for recording their thoughts was fortuitous.
ERNEST DICHTER is the founder and president of Ernest Dichter Associates International, Ltd. He also founded the Institute of Motivational Research and is recognized internationally as the leading exponent and practitioner in this field. He developed psychological and social scientific techniques which he applied to the study of consumer buying habits. Dichter is a member of the American Psychological Association, the American Marketing Association, and the American Sociological Association. He is the author of numerous books and articles, published internationally, and is the publisher of Findings, monthly psychological reports for business and advertising. Born in Vienna, Dichter received his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna.
Replay from Daniel Starch to Daniel Starch about the invitation of attending at the 50th Anniversary Luncheon of the Market Research Council, and hand-wrote letters.
ARCHIBALD CROSSLEY originated many of today's market research techniques. Founder of Crossley Surveys., he is widely noted for having been the first to measure audiences with his Crossley Radio Ratings, an innovation that, in the 1920s, laid the groundwork foriater audience testing procedures. He also conducted some of the first presidential political polls for the Hearst newspaper chain. Crossley was honored by his firm in October 1976 at its 50th anniversary celebration. In recognition of his contribution to the industry, the firm presented a grant in his name to the Columbia University School of Business. A member of Princetonâs class of 1917 he is now retired.
ALFRED POLITZ is the founder of Alfred Politz Research Inc. He has been the recipient of several leadership awards for his creative consumer and industrial research techniques and was named to the Marketing Hall of Fame in 1953. A frequent contributor to research publications, he has lectured at Columbia, Yale, and New York University. Born in Germany, he studied mathematics, physics, and applied psychology at the University of Berlin.
ARTHUR C. NIELSEN is the founder and chairman of A. C. Nielsen International, Inc., and its subsidiaries around the world. Best known for his pioneer work in television audience measurement, he now heads the worldâs largest marketing research organization providing services to corporate clients in 23 countries. Nielsen has been the recipient of many national and international awards, including Denmarkâs Knight of Danneborg (1961), the AMA's Parlin Award (1963), and Marketing Man of the Year (1970). Born in Chicago, he received his B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin.
Pioneer consuming is often related to income and age of the consumer. Not completely however, nor is it always true. Pioneer consuming to a certain extent covers many product groups, durables as well as small ticket items. However--specific product groups have their own specific consumption pioneers, who only partly are overall early adopters of new products, new consumption patterns. Attitude scales can isolate consumption pioneers in specific product groups. The non-verbal "Stapel scale" has proved to he very successful in this field. A scale-based both on specific attitudes and past and present buying behaviour isolates consumption pioneers quite successfully. Such consumption pioneers should be a rewarding group to study in respect to success or failure of new brands or products, in analysing penetration-patterns, in product testing, etc.
Group discussion on the paper "The consumption pioneer" by Mr. Stapel.