What is the marketing hierarchy of needs?

The marketing hierarchy of needs is based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This is not a surprise because marketing and psychology are very intertwined. Here is a look at each level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs as it applies to marketing, starting with the bottom of the pyramid and ascending to the top:

• Psychological needs. This level of needs in the marketing context applies to marketers appealing to a consumer's base needs. It is accomplished by encouraging consumers to fulfill their primal psychological motivation by advertising a product or service that speaks to this need.

  This type of marketing can be used in various industries, such as food and travel.

• Safety and security needs. These needs come into play when marketers attempt to advertise products or services that increase a person's safety or health. Insurance companies often employ them in the health, automotive, and life fields.

  A customer can technically become safer and health-conscious by purchasing insurance plans.

• Love and belonging needs. These needs from Maslow's hierarchy of needs currently apply in social media.

  Social media is based on interpersonal communication and a sense of belonging to a specific group or reaching out to other groups for acceptance and belonging. Marketing professionals utilize this in many ways considering how consequential digital ads are today.

• Esteem. The need for esteem applies to marketing because marketers can appeal to individuals' needs to feel respected and have self-worth.

  This is often accomplished through marketing luxury products, services, and experiences. The idea is that customers who can purchase luxury products feel a high sense of esteem and worth.

• Self-actualization. This is the top psychological need on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and it typically is the hardest to accomplish in the marketing context. Self-actualization has to do with an individual's whole identity.

  For a company to accomplish this, it would mean that its company, brand, products, and services must equal that of the consumer's whole identity. However, they can sometimes partially accomplish this.