Marketing and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

It is interesting to think about how Maslow's hierarchy of needs relates to marketing.
At it's base are basic needs -  food, water, shelter and clothing.  Depending on your product or service, you could aim to market right for that area.

Buy my food!   You need to eat, after all!
 Buy this top!  You can't be naked!

These are crude examples but they aren't necessarily wrong. They also don't do a good job of selling the audience on why their hard earned money should be spent on YOUR food or YOUR shirt, rather than the next persons. A Savvy marketer would have to work on that.

Above the very basic needs are safety and security.   You can have enough to eat and a place to sleep but that isn't as sustainable without some measure of safety.  Knowing that you are going to be attacked for your bread helps you to rest easier at night and stay healthier.
That can be another area to narrow down your marketing. 
Buy this top -  it will keep you warm, dry and visible out in the woods.  
Now you are aiming for a more targeted audience.

Now the pyramid gets into the psychological needs  like belonging, friendships, love and esteem.
One can get by feeling alone, unloved or like they don't have anything to offer, but that is no quality of life.  It's a mentally dangerous area.
This leads to some marketing that is in effect saying:

Buy this product or experience!  
All the cool kids are doing it and you want to be a cool kid too, right?

 It's a version of capitalizing on peer pressure.  It's also known as "keeping up with the Jones'".  You want to feel as if your purchase was a smart purchase and a good use of time and your resources. 

The top of the pyramid is for self actualization and self fulfillment.  Many companies are advertising to people who should buy their product or experience in the name of self care. 

 No one will love you and take care of you like you can.  
Take time for self care, because you are worthy and worthwhile. 
Are you living your best life?   You will be, if you have my product in your life.

This type of marketing does make me think about things in my own life.  Like, am I living my best life? Then I look at the product and wonder, would it enhance anything or improve in an area that is lacking?   Most times I realize the answer is no, it wouldn't.  Collecting more things isn't going to help me and might actually contribute to stress from over spending or wondering why I have so much clutter.  

The Hierarchy of needs does not particularly include room for clutter or stuff or objects.  We don't need as much as we think we do to be happy and fulfilled.  It then takes some smart and deliberate marketing to convince us otherwise.