Abraham Maslow American Psychologist from the 1950’s He developed a theory of human behaviour to explain why we behave the way we do

Maslow’s Theory He explored the different causes for human actions—he called these NEEDS He said we satisfy our needs according to a HIERARCHY (pyramid), which follows a ranked order He said that people are motivated to satisfy their most basic PHYSICAL NEEDS first

Maslow’s Theory self-fulfillment He also said, only once our basic Physical Needs are met, will people be motivated by their higher needs for: safety, love, respect and self-fulfillment

Their most immediate concern would be SURVIVAL! Maslow’s Theory Why do we follow this order? Consider the survivors of Hurricane Katrina Their most immediate concern would be SURVIVAL! They needed clean drinking water, basic food and shelter from the storm.

Maslow’s Theory Individuals & the police then turned their attention to maintaining control & SAFETY

Maslow’s Theory After the lower level needs are satisfied… basic needs & safety, people will become concerned with higher level needs such as SOCIAL/BELONGING needs & ESTEEM needs.

Maslow’s Theory Applied to MARKETING Maslow’s theory is useful to marketers and advertisers of products that are WANTS They will attempt to appeal to our motivation to “fit in” or to “be admired” or to “reach our potential” These are the higher levels in the pyramid

Basic need for fresh water, fresh air, medicine, and BASIC food, shelter & clothing

Need for personal security in a family & society

Need to belong, desire to FIT IN, have friends & be loved

Need to stand out and above others—status, recognition, attention & dominance

Need for personal growth Desire to be the best you can be

Applying Maslow’s Theory LET’S LOOK AT SOME REAL LIFE EXAMPLES

Applying Maslow’s Theory Using Maslow’s Theory, it is possible that the same general “consumer good” could fit at several different levels on the pyramid. Let’s use FOOTWEAR as an example

EXPENSIVE DESIGNER…Coach, Gucci, Jimmy Choo B “no sweatshop”, no leather (animal rights), special design for marathon runners… EXPENSIVE DESIGNER…Coach, Gucci, Jimmy Choo TRENDY…Nike, Sketchers, DC, Converse Insulated boots, steel toes, orthodic BASIC…Value Village, Thrift Shop, Wal-Mart

B GROUP ACTIVITY You will be given 30 product cards for food, clothing and automobiles You are to analyze the items and determine which of Maslow’s 5 levels they fit with the best Each level of need will have 2 food, 2 clothing and 2 automobile cards Decide as a group how the cards should be organized

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT B INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT Choose ONE PRODUCT TYPE (other than the examples used in class) as a starting point Some suggestions: cell phone, vehicle, food/restaurants, clothing… Draw and label the 5 steps of Maslow’s Pyramid AND add an appropriate title Using the footwear example as a guide, list specific products, product models & features, brands &/or stores that would fit at each of the levels for your product choice Think! Think! Think! Don’t stop at the 1st idea you come up with. The more examples at each level, the better. In a neat & organized way, place each of your examples with the appropriate level