Malcolm McNiven

Malcolm A. McNiven, 93, of Stamford, CT, passed away peacefully in his home on October 19th, 2023.

Malcolm was born in Oceanside, NY to William and Hazel McNiven on December 8, 1929 and older brother William II. He spent most of his childhood in Long Beach, NY which he always described with happy memories. He attended Denison University where he studied psychology and met his wife, Elaine Vellacott. They were married June 12, 1954.

After graduating from Denison, Malcolm earned his Master’s Degree at Ohio University and his PhD at Penn State University in Experimental Psychology. He began his career as a teacher with Penn State and then with the University of Maryland teaching military personnel overseas based in Europe. He later served as Adjunct Associate Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Visiting Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. He transitioned to corporate Market Research when he accepted a position with The Dupont Co. in 1957. There he pioneered groundbreaking advertising research that was foundational to the rest of his career. He went on to lead Marketing departments for The Coca Cola Company, Pillsbury, IMS International, and Bank of America. He returned to academia in 1988 as the Director of the Center for Marketing Studies at the University of Georgia, where he retired in 1998.

Malcolm was active in many professional organizations. He was a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, served as Director of the Association of National Advertisers and The Audit Bureau of Circulation, and as a Trustee of the Marketing Science Institute. His text, How Much to Spend for Advertising, for which he was both editor and author, remained for years an often-cited work in the field. He is noted in Who’s Who as a Marketing Educator. He also dedicated himself to Denison University serving on the Board of Trustees and other roles for decades, earning the title of life Trustee.

Throughout his life, he enjoyed sailing with his family and friends, playing with his dog Polo, and working on classic sports cars such as his favorite TR3.

Malcolm is survived by his wife Elaine, and children Geoff McNiven, Sue Reville and Jane Thompson, and grandchildren Sean, Scott and Maggie Reville and Eric Thompson.

Memorials may be given to First Congregational Church of Greenwich.