Abstract

"The Market Researcher Will See You Now"

Greg Chu, Independent Scholar (gregalchu@gmail.com)

In the 1950s, a curious and novel breed of expert found their way into what had previously been one of the most protected and insulated of relationships—that of the physician and patient. These new interlopers made no particular claim to medical knowledge, nor did they have drugs or medical devices to promote. And, unlike insurers or payers, they offered nothing in terms of facilitating payments arising from healthcare delivery. What they did claim to possess, however, was a mastery of human psychology, as well as unique research methodologies designed to uncover the hidden motivations driving human behavior.

Against a post-war backdrop of increasing consumerization in virtually all aspects of everyday life, the appeal of deeper insights into patient motivations found a sympathetic ear among physicians and their various associations. Already reeling from a number of well-publicized scandals involving unnecessary surgeries, fee splitting and overcharging, physicians confronted a decline in public confidence, as well as the specter of reduced incomes. Understanding patients as customers, what made them tick, and how their loyalty could be ensured, seemed to make good business, as well as clinical sense.

First among the “rock stars” of physician-oriented market research into patient motivations was Ernest Dichter. While his contributions to the market research industry have been well documented, his considerable impact on commercial thinking about the physician-patient relationship has been less thoroughly examined. Drawing on primary sources including the Ernest Dichter papers at the Hagley Library and the JWT Archives at Duke University, this paper examines the historical context in which Dichter and other market researchers found a seat at the table with physicians and patients and, in so doing, fundamentally changed the face of healthcare marketing in the United States.