The article is an insight into motivational research from its beginning until present. The key point for the article is a book by Ernest Dichter The Strategy of Desire, published in The United States of America in 1960. The book itself has never been translated into Polish, therefore it remains (as well as the writer) hardly known to Polish readers. The article has been divided into two parts. The first one provides the reader with the biography of the author, his findings and his career as a market researcher. The second part of the article is focused on the assumptions of motivational research as an independent field of study, presenting Dichter's notion on the condition of human nature. It also gives account of Dichter's viewpoint on democracy, American morality and need for change towards society more optimistic in terms of their consumption habits as well as possibility of fulfillment and self realization. The article includes brief description of Dichter's method for identifying consumers needs. As such, it shows the role products play in everyday life. Based on The Strategy of Desire as the introduction to the semiotics of objects that surround us in our daily routine, Dichter gives an account of how he conducted research in search for the soul of things, i.e. the deepest emotional meaning people apply to products they buy and use. Eventually, the article is an opportunity for the reassumption of persuasion in the contemporary world, its place and the role it plays within the free market economy.