As a marketing professional, I am just going to state the facts: People buy what they want, not what they need. So why do so many marketers try to promote the necessity of their product in daily life instead of the fulfillment of human desire?
Every business would like to believe that everybody needs their product. However, in this country, people do not buy what they need, they buy what they want. Therefore, marketing your product to a group of people who want your product, rather than need it, is more likely to give you a greater ROI (return on investment) and a significantly more successful marketing campaign. It all comes back to the concept of niche marketing (for more on niche marketing check out Maximizing your Ad Dollar: Getting the Most Out of Your Niche Market). Find a group of people actively seeking products or services similar to your business. Find what they have in common and market your business to that set of people.
NEED VS. WANT
The biggest problem most businesses have in their marketing strategy is they do not get why people buy things. Basic evolutionary theory tells us that humans seek to fulfill their needs before their wants in order to ensure survival. While this is true in nature, our modern society has curbed this propensity towards survival. Most of our daily needs are not a daily concern. Even if the grocery bill is high, Americans still want to buy a new television or go to the beach for a long weekend, instead of purchasing rational items of necessity.
Human admiration of wealth engenders a conscience bias to satisfy desires over essential needs. A successful marketer should embrace the thought process of modern human consumers. In order to do this, find the demographic who wants your product and can afford it. If you are a high income mortgage company, know the neighborhoods where people might be looking to refinance. Similarly, if you are a small auto shop, find the people who want low-cost auto service. Then creatively design your campaign to play into your potential customers' ego. Show them how using your product or service will satisfy them, well beyond fulfilling just their basic need.
Modern advertising is about fulfilling desires, not meeting the needs of daily life. If your marketing campaign is designed to show how your product meets only the needs of consumers, you are disconnecting from your target audience. Sadly, Americans do not worry about their needs anymore, they are more concerned about appearances and satisfying desires.
Your Product Must Make People Feel Wealthy
The American Dream used to be simple: to be able to provide for your family without the fear of lacking the basic necessities for survival. The American Dream originally was for every person to be able to feed his/her family, have a roof over their head, and a gainful means of employment. However, American values have shifted over the past 40 years and advertising professionals must adapt accordingly. Our society has moved from a dream of security to a dream of wealth. Whether you agree or disagree with the direction we are heading, the fact is the most effective forms of marketing are based on one principle: The illusion of wealth - enabling people to feel or appear wealthy regardless of socioeconomic status. Market your product as a means to fulfill both a desire and a need.
When targeting a specific demographic, remember to think about who wants AND needs your product, but remember to put more weight behind your appeal to desire then your appeal to necessity. Modern humans do not make purchases based on basic evolutionary needs. The key is to make consumers perceive your product as the means to fulfilling their desires. As Aristotle said, "Where perception is, there also are pain and pleasure, and where these are, there, of necessity, is desire."
Modern desire is not based on necessity in our global market. Like it or not, the developed world no longer values mere survival, it is about success exhibited through wealth. Therefore, use a niche marketing strategy to find those who have demonstrate a high interest in your product. Whichever industry you are in, you can develop a demographic which is ideal for your product or service, and generate the highest ROI for your advertising dollar. More importantly, once people have fulfilled a desire through a transaction with your business, they will be likely to return to you as their current desires subside and new desires arise.
Interested in Reading More from Synergy? Sign Up For Our Newsletter By Clicking Here
By: Will Pearlman
