In 1908 a fella by the name of Abraham Maslow was born. He is well known across the world as the creator of “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”. As a psychologist, he opened our eyes to the 5 basic needs that all humans have, and we have since studied his work in Psych 101 classes across the country. A funny thing happened though…his work in psychology was quickly recognized by those in the business world. Though I am not early to the whole “Maslow’s Hierarchy” buzz, I am acutely aware of it’s relevance in 2019. So let me say something very scientific…
Abraham Maslow should have been a marketer.
And now that I have said something incredibly scientific and intellectual, let me give you the personal example I gave my Consumer Behavior class yesterday.
If you are reading this you probably already know the gist of Maslow’s Hierarchy…5 basic needs…we satisfy the bottom ones first…then we move up to the higher ones…the 5 needs are: Physiological, Safety, Belonging and Love, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. Yada yada yada. Well, I fell victim to advertising that was aimed at satisfying EACH ONE of those needs recently.
Peloton. The $1500 dollar decision I never thought I would be making. I am a member of a kick-boxing gym and a former college athlete and never saw myself as the “spin class” type. But there I was last week at 9pm watching TV…feeling down because my gym membership dollars were being wasted…feeling too busy with kids and work and my side-gig to go get a good workout in…and then it happened.
Maslow showed up in the form of a Peloton TV commercial. 30 seconds of Peloton weaving a story that satisfied 4 out of the 5 needs on the hierarchy. Followed by the last of the needs being satisfied with a quick search on my phone about the product. Boom. All my needs satisfied and immediately I was motivated.
- Physiological- Getting in shape.
- Safety- In the comfort of my own home.
- Belonging and Love-Being part of a group of people that virtually work together to reach their goals.
- Esteem-Being able to tell people that I am a Peloton owner. Expensive and swanky and what all the important people have.
- Self-Actualization- Becoming the best version of me. The NEXT version of me.
So yeah…I bought a Peloton bike. And it is Abraham Maslow’s fault.
The Multicultural Marketer 