A marketer's job is to change customers.
And what determines a customer's motivation and behavior
is the needs they have as human beings.
A marketer has to identify those needs concretely
and place the matching answer right in front of them.
That's what advertising looks like when it's done right.
The most important thing is understanding other people's needs.
And here, we sometimes make a fatal mistake.
We underestimate other people's needs.
We make the error of assuming the other person is pursuing
a need one or two levels lower
than how they see themselves.
This happens because people's actual behavior
usually shows up at a lower level than their original intent.
Satisfying higher-order needs is harder than it looks.
That's why marketers must respect their customers.
Respecting another person's needs may mean
looking at their behavior not as it appears,
but as the byproduct of a need one level higher.
Treating those trying to satisfy physiological needs
as people who are really seeking a sense of security,
and treating those who strive and spend to be respected
as people who are seeking self-actualization.
When you adjust the Maslow lens one level up,
you can understand and embrace the real needs
that never show on the surface of their behavior.
