When Maslow met Marketing!

Interpretation of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in Marketing:

I'm fairly new to the concepts of both psychology as well as marketing and I stumbled upon a very interesting perspective of these concepts while doing some reading. " Marketing is like commercially applied psychology", says Social Media Marketer, Dylan Lee. This statement at first seemed quiet far fetched to me but as I kept reading about the interpretation of various psychological theories in marketing techniques, I started to draw parallels between the two fields. 

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a theory that has found wide spread acceptance and application in the field of marketing. Abraham Maslow, the man behind this famous theory attempts to categorize and explain the nature of human needs and desires. This theory is usually represented in the form of a pyramid that shows the different stages of human needs.The connection between this theory and marketing is very simple.If a product or a service manages to attract a costumer, the costumer is encouraged to fulfill his/her needs by purchasing the product or the service.  

  

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that human needs can be divided into five categories that are derived from human emotions and tendencies. The five categories of needs are defined as follows:-

1. Psychological Needs:

Psychological needs are categorized as the most basic needs such as food, clothing and water that human beings need to survive. Some of the products I relate to in this category are as follows:

(a) Aquagaurd Water Purifier: 

   

 Aquagaurd created demand for it's product by creating awareness about the need for water purification and other health related concerns. It made people switch from their ordinary steel filters to Aquagaurd. This product is trusted by many and has been in my house for as long as I can remember. The Product promises to provide water that has added minerals and water that is completely safe for consumption.

(b) Swiggy:

Swiggy, an instant food delivery app, is my absolute favorite. This app makes receiving food at my doorstep extremely cost efficient and convenient. This app also gives it's costumers exclusive deals and discounts. People have turned to Swiggy to order food from their favorite restaurants. Swiggy's   

advertisements show people of different genders and age groups using the app and are very appealing.

(c) Flyrobe:

Flyrobe is a very unique app that allows it's costumers to rent designer outfits for a few days at a very affordable price. I have used this app multiple times to rent designer outfits for special occasions. This app essentially gives it's costumers the opportunity to wear expensive designer clothing for various occasions.

2. Safety Needs:

Safety needs occupy the second level in the hierarchy. They address needs that are concerned with a person's safety and health. The products that I relate to in this category are as follows:

(a) Birla Health Insurance:

A health insurance is an absolute must in today's times and Birla has grown to become a very well reputed brand. Their advertisements effectively target the emotions and the fear of costumers and create awareness regarding the importance of the insurance.

(b) Godrej Home Security System:

Godrej's security systems provide peace of mind to costumers who worry about the safety of their loved ones and their homes. This system gives my family a sense of security as it protects against theft and other crimes. These systems are both wired as well as wireless and have unique features such as cameras with analytics, substance detectors and so on.

(c) Odomos Mosquito Repellent Cream:

With the significant rise in the number of deaths caused by diseases such as malaria, Odomos, a mosquito repellent cream has become very popular. I personally use this product because of the simple fact that it works. The product is also available in a variant that is suitable even for infants.

3.  Love/ Belonging Needs:

These needs are derived from the interpersonal relationships and emotions of human beings. These needs stem out of intimacy and friendship. Some of the products that I relate to in this category are as follows:

(a) Facebook:

Facebook, an American social media networking service company has changed the way humans communicate in the 21st century. Along with other social media networking sites, Facebook allows users to connect and interact virtually and has provided a substitute for physical intimacy and affection. I use Facebook to keep my friends updated about my whereabouts and vice versa. 

(b) Starbucks:

Brands sometimes become so important to people that they start identifying with the brands and form loyal brand communities. Starbucks is one such brand that has an enormous community. This community goes on to fulfill the emotional and intimate needs of consumers.

(c) Amazon:

Amazon, one of the biggest online shopping websites in the world, advertises itself as a one stop shop for the needs of the entire family. It upholds the importance of family bonding in advertisements that promote it's various new devices such as the Amazon fire stick. This appeals to the emotions of the costumers.

4. Esteem Needs:

Esteem needs stem from a human's want for attention, status, recognition and strength. Some of the products that I relate to in this category are as follows:

(a) Iphone:

Most of Apple's products indicate the status of their owners. Because of the way Apple has marketed it's products, their phones and laptops are considered to be a symbol of prestige and honor. The status that comes along with owning a very expensive Iphone, appeals to the esteem needs of a costumer.

(b) Fitbit:

  

Fitbits are very sophisticated fitness watches. Today, the concepts of health, dieting, yoga and so on are considered to be ' cool ' and this enables an expensive Fitbit to be a sophisticated symbol of status and esteem.

(c) Ferrari:

A Ferrari car is a symbol of strength, speed and prestige. It allows the costumer to feel a surge of esteem, when he/she drives the beautiful machine. Ferrari provides stylish cars that have excellent performance on the road. Ferrari is also a company that is very strict about it's licensing and only associates itself with big, international brands in order to maintain its market value.

6. Self - Actualization Needs: 

Self-Actualization deals with realization of an individual's full potential.In other words, these needs arise out of a person's self realization. It is extremely difficult for a product to reflect the entire identity of a costumer. Some products and brands that have managed to address these needs are as follows:

(a) Nike:

Nike launched a very successful advertisement campaign with a tagline that said 'Just Do It'. This campaign motivated the costumers to push through physical challenges and attain physical self actualization. The advertisement campaign promoted the brand as a whole and appealed to the costumers.

(b) Swatch Bharat Campaign:

The Swatch Bharat Campaign launched by the Indian government appealed to the self-actualization needs of the people and made them want to contribute proactively to keep their surroundings clean. The campaign was propagated as an extension of Mahatma Gandhi's principles and was a success.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs thus has great implications in the field of marketing and it's understanding is extremely crucial to execute the art of selling.