Role of Desire in Marketing: Wants, Needs and Demands

Have you ever considered why some things fly off the shelves and others collect dust? The key is to understand and react to consumer needs. We’ll look at how desire in marketing influences success and how you may use it for your business.

In business, the capacity to sell a product or service can often be reduced to two basic approaches: marketing and building desire. While both techniques seek to increase sales, they differ greatly in approach and performance.

Based on my experience and personal opinions, I believe that developing desire is vastly preferable to marketing, however the two are not identical. My purpose here is to change your perspective on new methods to drive your brand and grow.

What is Marketing?

Marketing has long been a key component of business planning. It is a collection of strategies and implements designed to promote a product or service to a specific audience. Marketers employ a variety of platforms to communicate the product’s characteristics and benefits, including ad campaigns, social media, and email marketing.

What is Desire?

Desire is a feeling that makes people want to get products or services they think will meet their needs, wants, or dreams. It covers a wide range of feelings and motivations, from simple comforts to big goals and the fear of missing out.

Creating desire is about creating emotions and diving into the customer’s deepest desires. It’s about making the product or service so attractive that buyers feel motivated to purchase it. This strategy emphasizes on storytelling, user experience, and product design to create a true and long-lasting relationship between the brand and the consumer.

What is Desire in Marketing?

In marketing, desire is the feeling that makes people want to buy certain products or services. It’s what motivates people to choose one thing over another. By understanding what people desire, marketers can create products and ads that attract customers.

There are two types of desires:

1. Strong Desire
2. Weak Desire

Strong Desire or Permanent

Strong desires are intense feelings that make people really want something. These desires are powerful enough to significantly influence purchasing decisions and consumer behavior.

When demand in the market is described as “strong,” it means that there is a high level of consumer interest and desire for a particular product or service. This often leads to increased sales and can drive prices up due to the high demand.

Products that meet these strong desires, such as fitness trackers or smartphones, usually sell well.

Permanent strong desires are things people always want. These include sex appeal, staying healthy, looking good, and making more money.

People often buy products that make them look more attractive, like clothes, perfumes, and beauty products. Staying healthy is also very important, so people buy healthy foods, exercise equipment, and vitamins.

Looking good and feeling good about one’s body is another strong desire, so things like skincare products and gyms are always popular.

Everyone wants to make more money, so many people invest in learning new skills, starting businesses, or finding better jobs.

Weak Desires or Trending

Weak desires are less intense and do not motivate consumers as strongly. These desires might influence purchasing decisions, but they are not as compelling as strong desires.

When demand is described as “weak,” it indicates that consumer interest and desire for a product or service are low. This typically results in lower sales volumes and can drive prices down as businesses may reduce prices to attract more customers or clear out inventory.

Trending or weak desires are things people want only sometimes. These include buying gifts for Valentine’s Day, getting Christmas decorations, buying a new TV, and going on trips.

For Valentine’s Day, people buy special gifts like chocolates and flowers to show love.

At Christmas, people often look for fun decorations to make their homes festive. Sometimes, people want to buy new TVs, especially when there are big sales or new features.

Going on a trip to a new place is exciting, but it usually happens only during holidays or vacations. These desires come and go and are not always on people’s minds.

How to Determine Desire?

To find out what people want, you need to do market research. This helps you understand their desires by looking at what they say and do. You need to find their “I want” statements, like “I want more energy to work out,” “I want more money,” or “I want to relieve back pain.

Here are some ways to do market research:

1. YouTube Videos and Comments: Watch videos and read comments to see what people like and need.
2. Facebook Ads: Analyze ads to find popular products and what people are interested in.
3. Ads Library: Check the ads library to see effective ads from competitors.
4. Reddit: Read discussions to understand common desires and problems people are talking about.
5. Facebook Groups: Join groups and pay attention to posts and comments about needs and wants.
6. Social Media of Competitors: Look at competitors’ social media to see what their customers are excited about.
7. Competitor Websites: Visit competitors’ websites and read customer reviews to find out popular products and desires.

By doing this research, you can discover what people truly want and tailor your products to meet those desires.

Importance of Desire in Marketing

• Drives Purchases: Understanding what people want helps sell more products.
• Creates Strong Campaigns: Knowing desires helps make ads that people like and remember.
• Increases Engagement: When ads match what people want, they pay more attention.
• Boosts Sales: Appealing to desires leads to more people buying your product.
• Builds Connection: Understanding desires makes people feel understood and valued.
• Improves Product Development: Knowing what people want helps make better products.

Needs, Wants, and Demand in Marketing

As a marketer, it’s important to understand the difference between needs, wants, and demand to effectively reach your target audience.

Needs

Needs are basic requirements that are essential for survival and well-being. These include food, water, shelter, and safety. In marketing, understanding needs means recognizing the fundamental problems or necessities that your product or service addresses.

Example: A water filter company meets the need for clean, safe drinking water.

Wants

Wants are desires shaped by culture, society, and individual personality. They are not essential for survival but enhance comfort, happiness, and convenience. While needs are more universal, wants can vary greatly among different people.

Example: A person needs clothing but wants the latest fashion trends.

Demand

Demand occurs when people have both the desire (wants) and the means (ability to pay) to purchase a product or service. Effective marketing identifies needs and wants, then converts them into demand by offering appealing and affordable products.

Example: An innovative smartphone creates high demand because it fulfills the want for advanced technology and stylish design, and people are willing to pay for it.

Key Points for Marketers

• Identify Needs: Understand what basic problems your product solves.
• Discover Wants: Learn what people desire beyond their basic needs.
• Create Demand: Develop products that people want and can afford, then use compelling marketing to drive purchases.

Key Takeaways

Understanding desires, both strong and weak, is important in marketing. Strong desires drive consistent consumer behavior, while weak desires fluctuate with trends.

Recognizing these helps marketers create effective campaigns and meet customer needs.