Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a widely accepted theory of human motivation based on a universal hierarchy of needs (Schiffman, Kanuk & Wissenblit, 2010). The theory expresses that individuals first must satisfy their lower level needs before they can satisfy higher level needs. In turn, these needs shape the behavior of an individual based on their personal experiences. The first of the needs is physiological needs which include food, water, air shelter and sex. The second is safety and security needs which include protection, order and stability. The third is social needs which include affection, friendship and belonging. The fourth is ego needs which include prestige , status and self-esteem. The fifth is self-actualization but we will omit the fifth need for this story. We will examine the following ad that advertises the educational services of Stanford university in California and how the ad fulfills Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.
The ad starts with a view of the famous pillars in the quad area of the school and concentrates on showcasing sports, performing and visual arts, and electronic engineering. The theme of the ad is, you only have one chance in life, leave your legacy (Stanford, 2011). While the concept of the ad concentrates heavily on the social and ego needs, I feel that the physiological and safety needs are also addressed by the ad. Based on Marlow's theory the social and ego needs can not be met unless the physiological and safety needs have been fulfilled. For this reason this ad is targeted to the percentage of the population who have fulfilled the physiological and safety needs in their lives.
The ad fulfills the physiological need by showcasing the inside of buildings, classrooms and dorms as warm and welcoming and where one could seek shelter. The safety and security need is fulfilled by showcasing the order and stability of the academic programs by concentrating on showcasing sports, arts and engineering. The social need is portrayed by the recurring statement throughout the ad, leave your legacy (Stanford, 2011)? By leaving your legacy like past and future students who have had high profile success, there is a sense of belonging. The ego need is met by the prestige and status that comes with joining an Ivy league school like Stanford and how the last line of the ad is asked, How will you leave your legacy (Stanford, 2011)?
It seems that most ads will concentrate heavily on the higher level needs or the lower level needs but rarely will touch upon all of the needs equally. For example Duracell batteries concentrate heavily on safety and security needs by always showing commercials where emergency personnel rely on their batteries to power their emergency equipment during emergencies. Home Insurance concentrates heavily on the physiological needs by giving the consumer peace of mind that should something happen to their home, they are covered. Regardless of the need, Maslow's theory is a proven accepted universal theory that allows a marketer to make an emotional connection with the consumers and emotional engagement is the dominant driver of purchase decisions and brand loyalty (QSRweb, 2013). After all, the end goal of the marketer is to create a reaction in the consumer to consume the service or product.
I can't stress enough the importance of carefully planning the emotional engagement of your advertising for your target market. How do you go about planning your emotional engagement and what are your main factors?
References:
Schiffman, L., Kanuk, L. & Wisenblit, J. (2011) Consumer Behavior, (10th ed.), (Pg. 98). Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall Publishers
Youtube. (2011). Stanford, eave your Legacy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcxGZy9QV5A
QSRWeb. (2013, February 11). Emotional Engagement is Key to Driving Brand Loyalty. Retrieved from http://www.qsrweb.com/article/208093/Emotional-engagement-is-key-to-driving-brand-loyalty
The ad starts with a view of the famous pillars in the quad area of the school and concentrates on showcasing sports, performing and visual arts, and electronic engineering. The theme of the ad is, you only have one chance in life, leave your legacy (Stanford, 2011). While the concept of the ad concentrates heavily on the social and ego needs, I feel that the physiological and safety needs are also addressed by the ad. Based on Marlow's theory the social and ego needs can not be met unless the physiological and safety needs have been fulfilled. For this reason this ad is targeted to the percentage of the population who have fulfilled the physiological and safety needs in their lives.
The ad fulfills the physiological need by showcasing the inside of buildings, classrooms and dorms as warm and welcoming and where one could seek shelter. The safety and security need is fulfilled by showcasing the order and stability of the academic programs by concentrating on showcasing sports, arts and engineering. The social need is portrayed by the recurring statement throughout the ad, leave your legacy (Stanford, 2011)? By leaving your legacy like past and future students who have had high profile success, there is a sense of belonging. The ego need is met by the prestige and status that comes with joining an Ivy league school like Stanford and how the last line of the ad is asked, How will you leave your legacy (Stanford, 2011)?
It seems that most ads will concentrate heavily on the higher level needs or the lower level needs but rarely will touch upon all of the needs equally. For example Duracell batteries concentrate heavily on safety and security needs by always showing commercials where emergency personnel rely on their batteries to power their emergency equipment during emergencies. Home Insurance concentrates heavily on the physiological needs by giving the consumer peace of mind that should something happen to their home, they are covered. Regardless of the need, Maslow's theory is a proven accepted universal theory that allows a marketer to make an emotional connection with the consumers and emotional engagement is the dominant driver of purchase decisions and brand loyalty (QSRweb, 2013). After all, the end goal of the marketer is to create a reaction in the consumer to consume the service or product.
I can't stress enough the importance of carefully planning the emotional engagement of your advertising for your target market. How do you go about planning your emotional engagement and what are your main factors?
References:
Schiffman, L., Kanuk, L. & Wisenblit, J. (2011) Consumer Behavior, (10th ed.), (Pg. 98). Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall Publishers
Youtube. (2011). Stanford, eave your Legacy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcxGZy9QV5A
QSRWeb. (2013, February 11). Emotional Engagement is Key to Driving Brand Loyalty. Retrieved from http://www.qsrweb.com/article/208093/Emotional-engagement-is-key-to-driving-brand-loyalty