Needs refer to people’s basic requirements, such as survival, reproduction, safety, love and being loved, respect, etc. The “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory” that we often talk about is unified as “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory”. When needs point to specific items that can meet needs, they become desires. For example, I need to survive (eat food) at this time, and my desire is the spicy crayfish in a restaurant on Pian Street. Demands refer to the desire to be able to buy. If I only have 100 yuan at this time, and the spicy crayfish in a restaurant on Pian Street costs 120 yuan, then the spicy crayfish in a restaurant on Pian Street is not my demand. Therefore, people often simply define that needs should meet two conditions: “have money” and “want”.
It can be considered that needs are objective and universal. Needs cannot be created, but can only be discovered or awakened. Desires are related to individuals and their environment. Desires can be stimulated, which is also the theoretical basis of the “original sin” of marketing. People have desires is the basic assumption of marketing.
Understanding needs and desires is not always easy because:
(1) Customers may not be aware of their needs;
(2) Customers may not be able to express their needs clearly, social culture may prevent them from expressing their needs, or they may not be able to express their needs in words
(3) Marketing experts do not know how to transform needs into concrete desires.
Therefore, we often further divide needs into:
(1) Pseudo-needs, that is, needs that do not really exist, corresponding to real needs;
(2) Potential needs, that is, needs that exist but have not been discovered or cannot be clearly expressed, corresponding to explicit needs; (3) Rigid needs, that is, strong needs that exist and have been expressed, corresponding to elastic needs. Therefore, marketing should not only meet the explicit needs of consumers, but also explore potential needs, pay attention to identifying the authenticity of needs, carefully analyze the necessity of needs, and help consumers understand their needs.