Eye-Opening Marketing Secrets Embedded in Everyone, Especially Your Customers
To build a successful business, it’s essential to understand what motivates people.
In 1943, Maslow proposed a theory to understand human behavior. Although you know it is like the back of your hand, this is the basis of the entire article, so let’s review:
Almost all my life, I have been a troubadour of Maslow’s pyramid. However, after reading “The Personal MBA” by Josh Kaufman, I have more information aligned with Digital Marketing.
What’s the issue with Maslow? With the pyramid, it is understood that you must complete one level to move on to the next. This means that if someone aspires to be recognized, it is because they have already met their basic needs. For example, having an adequate salary and social status.
But, we already know that in the world of marketing, needs and aspirations flow more than a fish in water. Maslow’s theory is intuitive, but sometimes it’s too simplistic for the complexity of how we behave.
The needs to learn and be recognized happen alongside the search for economic stability. That’s why many lean towards Clayton Alderfer’s simplified version, known as ERG theory. This gentleman focuses on existence, relationship, and growth.
But, this also doesn’t clearly explain how to understand consumer behavior. This leads us to the book “Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Our Choices” by Paul Lawrence and Nitin Nohria.
These Harvard Business School professors identified four Basic Human Drives. Basically, they propose that human influences are: to acquire, to bond, to learn, and to defend. Plus a fifth added by Kaufman in his book, the drive to feel, which is often overlooked.
If you’re interested in persuasion and marketing, it’s key to understand what drives us to act and make decisions. This will help you much more than formulas.
The drive to acquire
It is the desire to obtain or collect physical or intangible objects. Status, power, and influence are a driving force in our daily lives. Many are moved by this drive,
Perhaps all of us at some point.
What kind of business connects with this drive? Companies that promise us a better lifestyle, more comfort, or a higher social status. For example: fashion brands, car dealerships, and electronics stores.
I can tell you about a communication strategy I developed while at an agency. It was for Casas del XVI, a collection of historic and luxury homes in Santo Domingo. The value proposition is exclusivity and personalized service.
What did we do? Build a strategy based primarily on visualization. The tourism sector is more persuasive through images, and luxury is better transmitted this way.
Beyond pointing out the objective, we captured images that convey the elegance of the past with modernity.
The drive to bond
It is the desire to feel valued and loved by forming relationships with others, whether platonic or romantic. It is a powerful force in our lives.
What kind of business connects with this drive? Companies that promise to make us feel attractive, popular, or well-regarded. For example: gyms or sports clubs, dating apps, or themed coffee shops.
Currently, I offer advertising services to an indoor cycling studio. It’s a young fitness company in the market with great competition. In market research, we detected the key insight to reach the ideal audience:
“Women need to feel comfortable in the exercise space. They don’t like the boredom of going to a gym and lifting weights.”
So, we proceeded to develop the Boomcycle strategy from the sense of community.
The key message is:
“We are a place where you will meet your peers. Here they will have fun while exercising in a dynamic and energetic class. Here they will share anecdotes and make recommendations on how to maintain a healthy life.”
The drive to learn is the desire to satisfy our curiosity.
What kind of business connects with this drive? Companies with the intention of making us more competent in any aspect of our lives. For example: universities, business or marketing consultants.
Venture.do is an investment fund for companies in Latin America. This type of business thrives on generating trust with founders. Therefore, the knowledge of its members is essential. How is expertise shown? Well, by providing value in communication, teaching, guiding, being mentors.
I, as a marketing consultant, also move a lot by this drive. My goal is to share what I have learned in just over 10 years working in this sector. Mainly, for entrepreneurs and colleagues who want to learn about Digital Marketing.
The drive to defend is the desire to protect our loved ones and properties, and of course, ourselves. We don’t like to play with our survival.
What kind of business connects with this drive? Companies that promise to keep us safe, eliminate problems, or prevent adverse situations. For example: Cybersecurity experts, lawyers, first aid courses.
Recovery & Retreats is a platform in the medical tourism and wellness industry. It offers an online path for booking recovery houses, retreats, and activities.
Minelsa Del Rosario is the CEO, and my client. Together with the team, we focused on messages that ensure the well-being of prospects.
I want to highlight that there are serious topics that can be addressed with a humorous tone. This is something we practice in the social media management of R&R.
The drive to feel
It is the desire to experience new emotions, pleasure, entertainment, and anticipation.
What kind of business connects with this drive? Companies that promise sensory stimuli. For example: cinemas, amusement parks, and products for babies.
The most interesting thing about this core human drive is that it is usually combinable with others. It serves as the perfect complement to connect with the audience. It allows a sense of personalization, it’s moldable. Well, feeling encompasses a wide spectrum of where to go.
In the world of tourism, the ideal is to show experience. In the example I bring you, unlike Casas del XVI, the focus is on pleasure during the stay. It’s about Lifestyle Holidays Hotels, a hotel with a more partying tone.
The images show fun, despite its name, a super high lifestyle is not the goal.
If you’ve noticed, the core human drives are not only useful for building a business. Also, it can be a key understanding for communication pillars.
What do I mean? A home alarm business (drive to defend) can communicate different messages. Like the status of having the most modern system (drive to acquire). With this, you target customers who prefer to be perceived as cool and trendy.
“Every time a group has an unsatisfied need in one or more of these areas, a market is created for that need”
Ah! It’s important not to forget that there are approaches from the absence of one of the needs. Targeting people to feel bad so that their drive to the contrary leads them to buy your products and services.
The better you articulate how your offer satisfies one or more of these drives, the more attractive your offer will become. That’s why it’s mega key to know the market. Not the superficiality of demographics.
And how Roy Furr say it:
Once you really understand THAT, you’ll be unstoppable.
Want to dive deeper into marketing insights? Connect with me on LinkedIn.
