Divining desire: focus groups and the culture of consultation

Introduction: Dichter's egg

The birth of the focus group

"The snowball interview": the focus group comes to Madison Avenue

"King Consumer": market research is attacked

and industry responds

Viper, fool, or expert?: the consumer as a woman

"We ask them": focus groups in the age of women's liberation

Entertaining Joe Sixpack

"Where is the emotion?": the emergence of the focus group in electoral politics

"God and Coca-Cola": the story of New Coke

"A faster horse?": the entrepreneur strikes back

"The decider"

Bartender in a Lamborghini: the professional respondent

"Who are these appalling people?"

Conclusion: Are focus groups dead?