Markets and Marketing
MARKETERS GET PEOPLE TO BUY THINGS THEY DO NOT WANT OR NEED
In economics, a want is something desired having to do with, distinct from a need. It`s said that people have unlimited wants, but limited supplied resources. Thus, people can`t have everything they want and must look for the best alternatives sometimes that will cost them less. People usually carry the tendency to have a strong desire to obtain something. This desire, known as “want” has been established since the beginning of life. (1) To most psychologists, a need is a psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a goal and the reason for the action, giving purpose and direction to behavior. The most widely known academic model of needs was proposed by psychologist Abraham Maslow. In his theory, he proposed that people have a hierarchy of psychological needs, whicvh range from security to self-actualization. (2)
In most business schools the classical marketing definition is “to connect costumers with products”. And usually nobody is talking about manipulation, playing on consumer emotions or even lying. But to connect consumer with a product is not an easy thing to do, especially if one is not aware that such product exists, or one has not thought about having the product. And this is where a marketer`s job comes in. It is not only important to meet costumers` needs, it is essential to show the customers that such a need exists. To show the benefits one could get combined with a physical and emotional satisfaction. Howard Schultz, Starbucks Coffee Chairman, has said (3):
“Customers don't always know what they want. The decline in coffee-drinking was due to the fact that most of the coffee people bought was stale and they weren't enjoying it. Once they tasted ours and experienced what we call "the third place"... a gathering place between home and work where they were treated with respect… they found we were filling a need they didn't know they had.”
We communicate
In economics, a want is something desired having to do with, distinct from a need. It`s said that people have unlimited wants, but limited supplied resources. Thus, people can`t have everything they want and must look for the best alternatives sometimes that will cost them less. People usually carry the tendency to have a strong desire to obtain something. This desire, known as “want” has been established since the beginning of life. (1) To most psychologists, a need is a psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a goal and the reason for the action, giving purpose and direction to behavior. The most widely known academic model of needs was proposed by psychologist Abraham Maslow. In his theory, he proposed that people have a hierarchy of psychological needs, whicvh range from security to self-actualization. (2)
In most business schools the classical marketing definition is “to connect costumers with products”. And usually nobody is talking about manipulation, playing on consumer emotions or even lying. But to connect consumer with a product is not an easy thing to do, especially if one is not aware that such product exists, or one has not thought about having the product. And this is where a marketer`s job comes in. It is not only important to meet costumers` needs, it is essential to show the customers that such a need exists. To show the benefits one could get combined with a physical and emotional satisfaction. Howard Schultz, Starbucks Coffee Chairman, has said (3):
“Customers don't always know what they want. The decline in coffee-drinking was due to the fact that most of the coffee people bought was stale and they weren't enjoying it. Once they tasted ours and experienced what we call "the third place"... a gathering place between home and work where they were treated with respect… they found we were filling a need they didn't know they had.”
We communicate