The aim of any business or organization is to ensure they are profitable in their businesses but that is only possible only if the marketing department of the company can convince consumers into purchasing their goods and services. This has led to various strategies to convince the consumers depending on different consumer behaviors and wants as discussed by different theories, but in most cases, the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is the most used by marketers to formulate their marketing strategies (Solomon, 2009). The aim of this paper is to identify two different ads used by the hierarchy of needs and analyze them to illustrate the needs the ads they intend on satisfying as discussed in the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The analysis will be based on concepts of marketing segregation and ways the ads aligns to the organization mission. The analysis will also distinguish the domestic and international version of the ads to help understand the underlying aspects of marketing and psychology utilized in the advertisement change.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
The theory claims that human needs can be grouped into five needs from the lowest to the highest whereby one must first satisfy the lowest needs before moving to satisfy a higher level. The levels are physiological, safety, belongingness, ego needs and finally self-actualization (Solomon, 2009), respectively from the lowest to the highest.
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Market Segregation
The concept of market segregation tackles the necessity of organizational to divide their targets according to their different needs, tastes and income to ensure that the target groups are satisfied by the goods produced by the companies. For instance, CK’s designer of clothes differentiates and specializes their designer clothes depending on the target groups. The most expensive clothes and designs are intended for the rich who purchase the most expensive clothes to ensure they boost their ego by wearing the luxurious clothes. The middle class, on the other hand, may buy the cheaper but similar design to boost their ego but for different reasons as they intend to be accepted in the middle-class group as their move up the radar. The example illustrates market segregation and its intentions in ensuring consumer satisfaction.
Advertisements
The following advertisements intend to illustrate their applicability according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The most important need according to Maslow is physiological needs that are mainly the basic needs for instance food, water, and shelter. McDonald's is the most dominant fast food company in the world. The company has used prices, quality, and geographical location to its advantage to enhance its goodwill but an essential tactic has been the ability of advertisement. The Super Bowl ad dominated the domestic market due to the love Americans have for the sport (McDonalds.com. 2016).
The ad intended to solve two hierarchy of needs, that is, the physiological and belongingness. Under physiological needs, the ad aimed at ensuring that the prices and quality of their products could ensure satisfaction of the lowest level of needs hence ensure there is ready fast food for all. On the other hand, the use of a sport loved by all Americans, targeted consumers intending to satisfy their needs of belongingness (Solomon, 2009). A consumer may purchase the product to be accepted by his friends who love the sport or feel like an American. A similar strategy would not be effective in UK or India as most of the people love soccer and cricket respectively hence the company’s move to use ads promoting the 2016 Rio Olympics to ensure they gained recognition in the international market as the Olympics is a global event.
The second advertisement is that of Royal Salute Scotch with the mission statement, “What the rich give the wealthy” (Pacult, 2013). The mission statement is intended to ensure consumers who intend to satisfy their ego needs purchase the product. The consumers will purchase the scotch to gain respect from other people and ensure that they are a class above others or among the elite hence boost their ego.
References
McDonalds.com. McDonald’s Commercial ads . Retrieved November 16, 2016 from: https://www.youtube.com/user/McDonaldsUS
Pacult, F. P. (2013). A double scotch: How chivas regal and the glenlivet became global icons . Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.
Solomon, M. (2009), Consumer Behaviour: Buying, Having, and Being. Eight edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
