Successful marketing persuades a prospective client to purchase the product or service you are selling. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to appeal directly to one or more of his basic needs. Many business students are taught to view Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a guideline against which to target marketing efforts, arguing that success depends on meeting one of Maslow's identified needs. Although other needs theories also have relevance, Maslow's needs hierarchy remains the foundation for many fruitful psychological approaches to marketing.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
In the most basic sense, Maslow's hierarchy identifies five primary areas of needs experienced by most humans. Beginning with physiological, or basic life survival, needs, the model progresses in subsequent steps through safety and security, love and belongingness, self-esteem and finally self-actualization. Maslow postulated that as man meets the needs at the first level, he moves toward the next, then the next and so on. More recent studies have added levels to the needs hierarchy and refined the categories, but marketing classes throughout the country continue to use Maslow's needs hierarchy as a reasonable focus for modern marketing efforts.
Potential Marketing Implications of Maslow's Theory
Maslow posited that human behavior and decision-making are motivated by one of the five need levels in his hierarchy. Applied to marketing theory, your ability to effectively appeal to one of these motivational drivers is a key determinant of your potential success. Non-essential services – massage treatments or custom tailoring, for example – may be marketed successfully to those in the fourth or fifth level of Maslow's hierarchy because those people are driven by the needs for increased self-esteem and realizing their full potential.
The same marketing campaign is unlikely to appeal to those on the first level, as they are driven by the most basic of human needs: food, water and other elements of survival.
Practical Applications of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
A prospective customer driven by Maslow's second needs level, safety and security, might be enticed to buy a new car if you convince him that it is safe for his family, reliable and well-rated in consumer studies. Someone driven by the need for self-esteem, in needs level four, is looking for recognition and validation, so you might tailor your marketing to convince her that acquiring and implementing your accounting methods will bring accolades from her peers or make her look good to her boss.
Things to Consider
Maslow's basic principles linking marketing to human psychology remain valid. You connect best with prospective customers if you appeal to their needs in a relevant, meaningful way. Consider the level of need your customer is trying to meet, and market your product in such a way as to convince him that it will fulfill exactly that need. Perform periodic evaluations of your marketing techniques because your target audience may not remain static.
Always be aware of where on Maslow's needs hierarchy your customer base is and where your product fits in. The more these two dovetail, the more effective your marketing efforts are.
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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was developed by Abraham Maslow, a specialist in human behavioural psychology. The hierarchy was first developed to help explain the connection between basic human needs and human desires.
The hierarchy, often visualised as a pyramid is split into five categories. Put simply unless we have the fundamental basic human needs at the bottom of the hierarchy we will not strive to meet any further desires. As each requirement is fulfilled we move up the hierarchy.
- Physiological
needs:
- These are the underlying needs we as humans can’t live without. E.g. Food, water, sleep, oxygen etc.
- Safety needs:
- We all need to feel safe. Whether that be physically, financially or job security and health.
- Social needs:
- We all look for social connections in friends and family.
- Esteem needs:
- We all desire to have respect and be respected by others, this includes self-esteem, confidence and a sense of self achievement.
- Self actualisation:
- This is realising one’s full potential and this will differ from person to person. This is the highest level on the hierarchy and what we are all striving for.
Maslow’s hierarchy in marketing:
If marketers know the wants and needs of their target market [which every good marketer should!] then this can be used as a selling point to influence.
A great deal of research is undertaken to segment, target and position [STP] customers by various criteria such as demographics, social class, geographic and so on. From this marketers will have a very specific idea about who their target consumers are and tailor their marketing strategy accordingly.
For example a car manufacturer targeting young families is not likely to focus on the top speeds and luxury items in their advertising campaigns but instead on the cost effectiveness and safety features.
It is important to note that your target market’s level or needs and desires may not stay the same, especially in times of political and economic change. Therefore remember to keep your marketing strategy up to date and relevant.
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