One of the important theories that you need to get your head round for your advertising exam is Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs.
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist that came up with a theory dealing with the hierarchy of human needs. Advertisers are aware of this theory, and the products that they offer can be shown to meet one of the categories Maslow has listed in his hierarchy of needs: there is no point trying to appeal to an audience and persuade them that they should buy the product if it does not fulfil one (or possibly more) of these needs. And if advertisers know which need they should appeal to, it will be that much easier to market to their target consumers.
The first level on Maslow's hierarchy deals with physiological needs. These are the most basic necessities that humans require to survive. Food, water, shelter, and oxygen all fall into this category, along with sleep, activity and other inevitable human functions.
If the product or service has to do with a basic need, your main problem is getting the customer to buy from you instead of your competitors. Everybody needs food, so why would potential customers be more inclined to buy lunch at your restaurant instead of the burger bar across the street? Perhaps you have lower prices, better quality, faster service, or a more comfortable environment than they do. It is important to stress that what YOU offer holds certain advantages over the customers' other choices.
The next stage of human need deals with safety and security. Turn the TV on for five minutes, and see how many ads about insurance, retirement plans, banking, investment or home alarm systems play during the ad break. Advertisers need to think how would the use of their product initiate feelings of safety and stability in their customers' lives? These factors would be the main selling points.
The third tier of Maslow's hierarchy is the love and belonging step. We have all felt the desire to be closer to our families, to have more friends, or to find a significant other.
Appealing to these desires is useful if you run a personals web page or a own a club. Tell your prospects about the great interactions they will have if they try your service, and use testimonials from customers past. Hearing about great results from former clients is a great way to get new buyers. Look at the number of ads you see for dating websites, for phone companies promoting staying in touch or for products that will bring you friends. These all fall into the third level of need.
Maslow's next area of human need deals with esteem. One area of esteem needs calls for recognition from others, status, attention, and recognition. The other area hits a little closer to the self, involving self respect, confidence, competence, independence and achievement.
I am reminded of a shampoo commercial in which the lead actress walks through an office building with the admiring eyes of many workers following her around. At the end, she walks into a board meeting and states that she doesn't even work for the company, and all the attention must be the result of her shampoo.
The last tier of Maslow's hierarchy is called the self actualisation level. Ever heard the army slogan "Be all that you can be"? This is an appeal to the self actualisation needs of human beings. Approaching people at this level of the hierarchy involves inviting them to live up to their full potential as a hard working, motivated member of society. You can become a better person, and make the world (or your world) a better place because of this.
Think of the adverts you see on TV, and come up with an example for each level of need. Write a couple of paragraphs about how this advertisement fits into the hierarchy and meets its particular need.
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