Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - One Tool the Marketing Toolkit

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; it's old hat for a marketer, right? After 65 years what can possibly be new for today's sophisticated, internet-based marketer? Plenty. The Hierarchy of Needs deals with human needs and can still be a useful tool in a sophisticated marketer's toolbox. As a refresher, the basic needs are:
physiological safety love esteem self-actualization

Comprehending Maslow is more intricate than quickly glancing at a chart of the basic needs. Unfortunately, that is about all of us receive in most marketing books -- if they mention the man at all. A well-developed marketer will gain a more sophisticated understanding from a thorough reading of the original article.

In studying Maslow, one finds he never claims to have authored a theory that answers all aspects about human motivation. It is not an "end-all, be-all" as to what motivates us. Yet the Hierarchy adds an additional perspective one can reference when creating an ad campaign. I find Maslow to be one tool among the many I use when seeking to deliver maximum value to a client. When I fix something at home, I often use a hammer, a drill and sometimes several wrenches. I could attempt to repair every broken door or appliance with a pair of pliers, but that's not very efficient and usually I end up marring a surface or stripping the head of a bolt or screw.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - One Tool the Marketing Toolkit

In a similar way, if I am building a promotion for a client I may combine my understanding of the Hierarchy of Needs with Campbell's explanation of the Hero's Journey, and the Ries and Trout Positioning ideas. I might well consider a half-dozen other psychological and marketing theories, depending on the extent of the campaign and the time allotted to it.

Maslow can often provide a ground floor to work from, especially when we try to determine what set of needs our target audience likely needs fulfilled. "Man is a perpetually wanting animal" Maslow writes, and yet we need to establish which of the needs we think are already satisfied, at least partially, in our target audience. Then we can determine which of the "unsatisfied" needs to focus on as we develop our campaign.

There is a vital point I glossed over when I first ran across Maslow in a simple "chart form". He indicates that only percentages of the needs are filled at any one time. Most people simply don't neatly fill each stage entirely, and then move up to the next stage.

This fact, that only a percentage of the needs are fulfilled at any time, allows us to craft unique, focused campaigns targeting multiple needs.

The next article will address specific applications in creating a marketing hypothetical campaign for a bank. For our campaign, we will use the concept of Duty (as part of the Esteem needs) and combine it with the Safety and Love needs.

Maslow is a fascinating read.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - One Tool the Marketing Toolkit
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Craig Lutz-Priefert is President of Marketing Hawks [http://www.marketinghawks.com], a firm providing complete marketing services to business. Craig also authors marketing advice on his blog, Funmarketer.

Marketing Hawks offers marketing services for businesses in financial services, health care, manufacturing, banking, direct marketing, insurance and legal services.