While discussing about “consumption,” we were somehow stuck within the topic of “needs versus wants.” The discussion mostly revolved around a person’s wants gradually becoming one’s needs. This supports Abraham Maslow’s pyramid (The Maslow Pyramid) which generalizes Maslow’s theory of human needs. In America, the fundamental needs for survival (air, water, and food) are abundant so most people do not consciously worry about such needs. The next level of needs is safety and security, which are also secured in America; there are police officers patrolling our streets and military units guarding our country’s borders.
What’s left are “belonging needs” and “esteem needs” before “self-actualization.” Since self-actualization is the state where all of one’s needs are fulfilled, corporate marketing will not be targeting people in this category; instead, they will be targeting people who seek belonging needs and esteem needs.
Do you feel that the Wii is made for all Americans? If you don’t buy it, you will not experience what the rest of America is like? Instead of making a commercial where it says directly (instead of indirectly) that the Wii game console is fun and has a wireless pointer, they put more emphasizes that people all around America has one. This commercial is one of many that target the audiences’ needs to belong, and in this case being an American.
Here we have a whole mystical world working on something that they all love. After all the efforts they put in, who, at the end, gets to drink it? Do you want to feel special that you can have something that a lot of others also want? If so, go get yourself a bottle and enjoy; your esteem needs will be momentarily satisfied. =)
Since everyone in America will experience belonging needs and esteem needs, corporate marketing will continue to use these as their selling points (and it works!). Whether an immigrant wants to be more “American” or a neglected person feeling the need to feel special, there will always be someone who will relate to these commercials and end up needing these products.
2 comments:
I think your reference to Abraham Maslow's Pyramid is very useful to your argument and you bring up a good point of how corporate marketing targets these people in the belonging and esteem needs sections. What I'm wondering is why self-actualization, the fulfillment of all needs, is separated from the rest of the pyramid? Is this because it can not be achieved?
I believe this to be true because there is always going to be a new material wanted by any individual in which case, they will always be in the esteem needs section. Technologies are always being improved, renewed, and replaced making the consumer believe that what's new is what's better. I think this further supports my argument that consumerism blurs our conception of our "wants" versus our "needs."
Your first sentence should read "While discussing 'consumption'..."—you discuss something, not 'about' something.
And some questions:
What happens when things like air, water, and food seem so abundant but are in fact polluting people, or scarcer than we are led to believe? Can humans work there way back *down* the Abraham Maslow’s pyramid? What are the blurry areas between “belonging needs,” “esteem needs,” and “self-actualization”? It seems like many commercials attain their purchase at the point where consumers cannot tell which 'need' they are satisfying...ambiguity works to the product's advantage, as it were?
This use of the Coke commercial is great, and it definitely illustrates your point well.
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