How to apply Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in marketing

Maslow's hierarchy of needs was developed by the psychologist Abraham Maslow from his study of human psychology and needs. The theory has had a strong influence on business strategy, marketing, education and more. Each level of the hierarchy is a different human need. The levels are drawn as a pyramid, and a person's needs rise from the bottom up. In this article, we look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs and how it applies in Marketing with MONA Media today.

What is Maslow's hierarchy of needs?

Maslow's hierarchy of needs The full English name is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It is a motivation theory in psychology, built from the study of real human needs. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is drawn as a pyramid with 5 levels:

• Physiological: Physiological needs of the body.
• Safety: Safety needs.
• Love/belonging: Social needs and relationships.
• Esteem: The need for respect, status and reputation.
• Self – actualization: The need for self-expression.

A person's needs move from the base to the top of the pyramid, from Physiological to Self-actualization. Once the basic needs are met, people move on to higher ones.

• Physiological and safety fall into group 1. These are physiological and safety needs, which everyone needs first. Money for food, housing, fuel and a stable job are the criteria of group 1.
• Love/belonging and Esteem belong to group 2. With the basics covered, people reach for broader social relationships and want status and recognition. They widen their circle of relationships in life. These are the criteria of group 2.
• The need for self-expression Self – actualization is group 3. Once groups 1 and 2 are met, people keep wanting to move up. They want higher status and a name that shines, and above all the high respect of many people.

Basic human needs in Maslow's view

In 1943, Abraham Maslow set out his assessment of human psychology, drawing on his understanding of psychological theory. He used the pyramid to describe the stages of human growth and development. He then studied human behavior, motivation and needs to build the different levels of life needs.

He used terms such as "physiological", "safety", "love and belonging", "social needs", "esteem" and "self-expression" to describe a person's development. When one stage of need is reached, it motivates the next, higher level.

Abraham Maslow divided human needs into basic needs and higher needs. Basic needs are based on factors such as: Physiological needs, safety needs, the need for respect and health needs. Without these foundations, it is hard to focus on the higher needs.

The 5 basic needs in Maslow's hierarchy, in detail

We will go through the 5 needs of Maslow's hierarchy in detail so you understand it better. Once you do, it is easier to analyze and apply to your own marketing strategy .

Physiological needs

To live and survive, and to reach for higher needs, people must have this need met first. That means enough food and drink, housing and physical activity. When personal needs are met, people move up to the next level of the hierarchy.

If your income is too low, for example, you can't cover daily living costs. That hurts your health, and you can't bring the energy or good ideas to your daily work.

Physiological needs are the most basic human needs and must be met first. Only after this can people move up to the next level, safety needs.

Safety needs

Good health, a stable financial position, no serious illness and personal safety. People can eat and dress well, stay in good shape and face no financial or health risks in the future.

When body and mind are secure, people move up to the next level of the hierarchy: widening their relationships.

Love and belonging needs

Widening friendships and love, and joining clubs if they are students. Widening professional contacts and partnerships if they are business people. Each person raises their love and belonging needs in their own way, depending on their work and current position.

Esteem needs

This is the fourth level and one of the most important in Maslow's hierarchy. Once people have widened their relationships, they want to express themselves through respect or reputation. This matters especially for younger generations today.

Esteem needs cover self-worth, achievement and respect, and fall into 2 types:

• Self-respect, based on dignity and achievement, as well as mastery and independence.
• Esteem needs also show up as the wish for reputation or respect from others for one's status and credibility.

Self-actualization needs

Self-actualization needs, also called the need for self-expression, are a person's highest need. This is about becoming a complete person, experiencing the peaks of life and striving to be the best version of oneself in status, consumption and personal life. People want to explore new areas and push their own creations further.

The extended Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Beyond the needs in Maslow's original hierarchy, the model has been extended with 3 more levels. Specifically:

Level 5: Cognitive needs

People need to learn and add new knowledge. On a solid foundation, they become more curious and want to understand the world in many different ways.

Level 6: Aesthetic needs

Once the basic needs of the hierarchy are reached, people care more about appearance and beauty. They look for products with brand value and follow fashion trends to improve how they look.

Level 8: Spiritual needs

When all the needs in Maslow's hierarchy are met, people are driven by values beyond themselves. Their intuition is awakened, and they care more about altruism, harmony and compassion. People who reach the extended levels want to give off positive energy and help many others.

Pros and cons of Maslow's hierarchy

Maslow's hierarchy of needs has its pros and cons when applied in practice. Specifically:

• The advantage of the model is that it supports research into human behavior and needs. Products and services can build on people's values and life goals to create effective advertising and sales policies.
• The downside is that Maslow's research is general, so it does not hold true for every user. The model is bound by culture and social values, so the order of needs differs between people. It was also based on Western culture, so it may not suit Eastern audiences.

Applying Maslow's hierarchy of needs in practice

Maslow's hierarchy has had a big impact on the study of human needs, and it has been applied in many areas of life. For example:

In marketing

Maslow's hierarchy is used for market research, defining customer segments and building customer profiles. From there you can predict customer behavior and needs, reach the right potential customers and send the right messages, which helps grow sales and spread the brand.

In management

In management, leaders and directors can use the hierarchy to shape strategies on pay and working environment, or to understand employees' needs and mindset so they can negotiate well. Knowing these needs, managers can invest in their employees' wellbeing and improve their motivation and work behavior.

In education

Maslow's hierarchy helps education assess learning needs, set out stages of education and plan lessons and curricula for different groups. Educational psychologists can also study students' needs and behavior to guide children's psychology and motivation to learn better. For example: 

• Children's essential needs. Parents need to teach children basic independence and survival skills so they don't rely on the family and grow up with a sense of responsibility for their lives.
• Safety needs: knowing how to defend and protect themselves.
• Belonging needs, to build relationships between family, school and society so that children develop their character fully.
• Esteem needs: respecting themselves, and respecting and protecting relatives and friends in life.
• The need for self-expression, so that children who become independent and aware of life's needs go on to achieve good things.

In love

Maslow's model is also applied to love and marriage. For example:

• Biological needs: meeting a partner's physical and emotional needs so love can flourish. This is how to improve quality of life in a marriage.
• Safety needs: showing respect to your partner so they always feel safe beside a husband, wife or lover. Meeting this need brings a healthy lifestyle and peace of mind to two people in a relationship or marriage.
• Social needs and the relationships around married life and love. A partner also has friends, family and colleagues, so they need to be respected and given room to widen their social circle.
• The need for respect, through sharing, understanding and resolving conflicts and differing views in love and marriage on the basis of fairness, regardless of gender.
• The need for self-expression, through winning your partner's heart. Recognize their changes and encourage them. If you have feedback for them to change, share it with tact.

Applying Maslow's hierarchy of needs in marketing

In the digital age, every business is researching its market and potential customers to build the right marketing strategy. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a guide for promotion and communication.

With Maslow's hierarchy, businesses can understand the needs of potential customers, grasp their behavior and wants, and come up with more effective marketing and outreach. Studying customer behavior and consumer wants is what gives a business a high chance of success.

When customers see promotions for products or services that match what they want, they respond with interest and are more likely to buy. If your business is keeping up with digital change and wants to grow strongly in the internet era, you can use Maslow's hierarchy in your marketing strategy. For example:

• Position your customer segments so you can set the right advertising strategy, slogans, timing and product tiers.
• Build Persona so you can see clearly who potential customers, target customers your customers are.
• Do the right research every client to deliver a message on the same wavelength as your users' needs. That makes it easier to reach them and drives more purchases.

Why Maslow's hierarchy matters in marketing

Maslow's hierarchy isn't only for studying human psychology. It is also used in marketing. Teams that research and use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs well have a better chance of winning. They can analyze their customers, understand their behavior to split them into segments, and write ads that appeal to their customers.

See also: How to understand the customer journey

With Maslow's hierarchy you get benefits such as:

1. Identify target customers

The customer insight, or target customer profile, is pinned down most precisely through Maslow's hierarchy. For a sound marketing strategy, marketers need to understand customer insight so they can build images, videos and messages aimed at the target customers. Only when you hit the right need, on the same wavelength, do you create real appeal.

2. Position customer segments

Maslow's hierarchy helps strategists work out which group each customer segment belongs to. From the segment, you can study how customers use products and services and what they need in life, then set pricing, content and advertising strategy. With Maslow's hierarchy it is easier to reach target customers, so the business can run more smoothly and turn more visitors and earn better revenue.

3. Study customer behavior to send the right message

Maslow's hierarchy shows that each customer segment has different needs. Studying customer behavior, shopping needs, lifestyle, social status and so on helps strategists plan messages that fit the customer. That speaks to the customer's mindset better, holds their attention and makes it easier to prompt a purchase.

See also: What is a CTA? How to write calls to action that drive purchases

In the car industry, for example:

• The mid-range car market suits customers at level 2 of Maslow's hierarchy.
• People at levels 3 and 4 will want premium cars.
• Customers at the top level, Self-actualization, will look for limited editions and the top models from famous brands on the market.

The 4 levels of Maslow's hierarchy used in marketing

The business's marketing campaign Key business decisions can draw on Maslow's pyramid to analyze the situation. Here are the 4 levels of Maslow's hierarchy as applied in marketing:

Physiological needs

Use this to open restaurants that suit each group: restaurants for students, office workers, the wealthy and so on. At this level, people's basic need is for tasty, varied food at a fair price.

At this level, people only need basic fashion, basic vehicles and mid-range housing. When marketers launch a product or service, they use this hierarchy to pick the customer segment and set a suitable price.

Safety needs

People with financial security, stable health and a nice home belong to this level. Marketers aiming at this group advertise social insurance and medical services. They spend at a mid-range level, so the services for them sit higher too: mid-range cars, real estate in central locations, high-end fashion, upscale restaurants. At this level people start to judge service quality closely, so service has to improve, from how staff serve to the quality of the product.

Social needs

At the social needs level of the hierarchy, people want to build a comfortable world of their own. Customers in this segment need more sports and entertainment services. They want excellent services to enjoy life and show their standing.

Esteem needs

This is the level of the wealthy and people with high social status. Services for this segment are unique, exclusive and delivered at the highest standard. They are the guests of honor, the VIPs.

If your business targets this group, you need to find ways for your products and services to make customers shine and show their class, status and wealth.

Things to keep in mind when using Maslow's hierarchy

Don't apply Maslow's hierarchy to a person in a rigid way. These needs don't have to rise level by level, and they can rise when only the basic needs have been met. When using Maslow's hierarchy in marketing, marketers should pay attention to points such as:

1. Needs don't always follow the order of the levels

In marketing, Maslow's hierarchy doesn't always follow the order of levels. You need to research your customers and their needs for your product or service more closely. The hierarchy also doesn't hold in every case.

Example: Someone at level 1, with only basic physiological needs, may still spend a large sum on insurance because it matters for their life. Or someone from the wealthy class may not like flashy things and care instead about products and services that work well.

2. Needs don't always go up

People don't always need to meet every criterion in Maslow's hierarchy. Besides the hierarchy, you should look at social conditions, market movements and competitors. Maslow's hierarchy of needs, combined with other analysis, helps you make better plans.

See also: Competitor analysis methods you should know

3. A new need doesn't wait until the old one is 100% met

A person's needs don't need to be 100% met at one level before they move up to the next. Once the basic needs at a level are met, people start wanting the next levels up.

People don't always need to meet every criterion in Maslow's hierarchy. Besides Maslow's hierarchy of needs you should combine it with social conditions, market movements the market and competitors. Used together with other analysis, it helps you make better plans. You can also combine SEO services to get your website to the top to raise your ranking and spread your brand through sampling… Or use market and competitor analysis tools. We wish you a solid marketing strategy built on analyzing and applying Maslow's hierarchy.

See also: Understanding the concept of market demand

FAQ

Maslow's hierarchy is used in many areas of life and work. Here are some frequently asked questions to help you understand it better before you use it to research the market and customers, or apply it to psychology analysis, HR management, marketing and similar projects.

Why is Maslow's hierarchy of needs important?

The theories on human behavior, needs, psychology and wants have been studied since 1943. They are still being extended today and still hold true. Applying Maslow's hierarchy puts people at the center and gives you strategies with a higher chance of success.

Does each need apply to only one level of Maslow's hierarchy?

• These needs can exist side by side, or jump straight to higher levels of the hierarchy depending on outside factors, events or sudden changes in life.
• For example, soldiers in the Vietnamese army who defend the country and give themselves to their duty may skip level 1 and go straight to level 4.
• Or people caught up in debt, divorce or other life upheavals may set aside even their basic needs. In short, Maslow's levels can run from 1 to 4, some can be skipped, and several needs at different levels can exist at the same time.

How do you apply Maslow's hierarchy of needs most effectively?

To apply Maslow's hierarchy effectively in your strategies, keep these points in mind:

• Know the factors and levels of Maslow's hierarchy well.
• The needs don't have to follow the order from 1 to 6, so you don't need to copy the hierarchy rigidly. You can also extend it with cognitive, aesthetic and spiritual needs.
• Human needs don't always rise the way Maslow's hierarchy shows, so research the market, customer profiles and competitors to set a specific, suitable strategy.
• The needs at each level of Maslow's hierarchy don't all have to be met before a person moves up to new needs. They can rise with the environment, work and social circumstances, and can exist side by side.
• Depending on the industry and the nature of the work, filter the hierarchy and apply it to your own strategy.

Use Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a guide and add other influencing factors to put together and analyze suitable marketing strategies. We hope this information on Maslow's hierarchy and our experience in applying Maslow's hierarchy of needs to marketing has helped you build strategies that fit your field, marketing above all!