Question

Maslow's needs of hierarchy is not perfect. However, beginners may use it for marketing purpose. How could a new marketing manager for each of the following organization use Maslow's needs hierarchy to develop marketing strategy based on the need that can be fulfilled by the product/service offered by the organization?

a. Coach designer purse

b. Revlon Cosmetics

c. Colonial Penn Life Insurance

d. The Girl Scouts

e. Calvin Klein Jeans

Answer 1

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs categorizes needs into the following

Physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs

And each of the product mentioned belongs to any one of the said needs.

a. Coach designer purse

Coach recognizes itself as a luxury brand. Now the question is where luxury goods belongs in Maslow’s hierarchy. Luxury goods are always used to show recognition or social status etc. so it satisfies the fourth stage of the hierarchy the esteem needs. Now a marketer’s role is to convince the customer that only Coach designer purse can satisfy their esteem need. For example, in the case of most of the luxury goods, they seldom go for a mass media promotion. Most of their promotion happens in fashion weeks or by celebrities carrying/wearing them on events like that. See these strategies itself creates a luxury image for the brand among its customers or the viewers. So, a marketer should promote it like the user/model in its particular promotion strategy itself brings a luxury image to the brand.

b. Revlon Cosmetics

Why do people wear cosmetics? If you can answer this question it will lead to the stage in Maslow’s hierarchy where Revlon belongs. It’s not a physiological or safety need. Customers who use cosmetics want to have a feeling of belongingness or want to feel beautiful or loved. The third stage of social needs perfectly fits for this product. And again, Revlon is not a luxury brand in the segment by using which the customer gets a social status or such. So, for organizations like Revlon the marketing is not only to reach its customers but also to ensure that they can also have it. Mass media advertisements are perfect for such products. Revlon has already using such strategy in the past. Now the marketer can use it to create advertisements to show happy, beautiful women. Inclusion of less represented categories can enhance the effect of advertisement.

c. Colonial Penn Life Insurance

Life insurance always belongs to the safety needs of Maslow’s hierarchy. So, all we need to do is to make customers understand this need of safety. By introducing different insurance schemes for different categories can be one example of marketing strategy for such products. Another example is creating a need of urgency, something like how it is useful in time of a crisis or how can you leave some financial benefits for your loved ones etc. The possibilities are vast when it comes to a need belonging to lower stage.

d. The Girl Scouts

These non-profit organizations belong to the social needs stage of hierarchy. It not only imparts knowledge to girls or empower them they also create a sense of belongingness and helping others among its member girls. And in order to promote the organization a marketer should make use of these social needs. For example, conducting events to demonstrate the working of the organization and its girl scouts helps create a sense of belongingness in the viewers or participants. IT will also help in improving their moral value. Another such example is conduction summer camps including nonmembers. The idea is to register more members and it can be well achieved by offering some experience.

e. Calvin Klein Jeans

Calvin Klein Jeans is clearly a luxury brand belonging in esteem needs. They usually run their marketing using celebrities and appearing on fashion weeks etc. These are some of the best ways to promote the luxury image of the brand. Marketer can use celebrities as influencers to promote Calvin Klein Jeans. This is a very good promotional strategy to reach a wide number of audiences. Use celebrities or influencers with highest number of followers. This will help in customers to identify that the product itself belong to luxury segment and attaining one will give them a higher status, or recognition.