As a parent of teenagers I frequently hear sentences beginning with the phrase “I need.”  Seriously, do my children really need another new pair of shoes, an iPod, a computer, headphones, boots, skinny jeans, etc.?  When I was growing up and made similar requests my mother used to ask, “Do you need this or do you want it?”

There are considerable differences between needing something and desiring it, and brand marketers should understand and leverage these differences. Needs are defined as “an urgent want, as of something requisite”; desires, in contrast, are defined as “a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction.” Fulfilling needs can help sustain life; fulfilling desires can help make life more enjoyable…way more enjoyable. Desire drives action beyond necessity. It’s what drives people towards achieve­ment, happi­ness, and love. Desire is an emotion that is predicated on the future; needs are grounded in the present.  As we are able to meet more of our needs more easily, desires start to flare. Our quest to attain a better tomorrow is driven by need but how far and hard we push is based on desire.

Yet there are also similarities between needs and desires. For example, both are physiologically based. When you are hungry your body generates a physical sensation (aka “hunger pangs”) that compels you to satisfy that need. Likewise, when you desire something your body can generate a physical sensation akin to hunger that compels you to satisfy that desire. Also, needs and desires change based on our age, education level, social standing and value system. Finally, both needs and desires spur individuals to action. Of specific importance to marketers, they drive consumers to purchase, whether that purchase is a sandwich to assuage hunger or a new smartphone to assuage the desire to feel more connected.

Even though it may seem selfish and excessive to desire something—especially when that person’s needs already are being met—fulfilling a desire can do more than provide enjoyment; it can help to satisfy deeply held, often unrecognized aspirational needs by prompting an individual to achieve something new, improve physical, emotional or social conditions, attain business or personal success. So, technically, my kids (and I) are justified in desiring certain things because they address unmet needs. For a 14-year-old girl, purchasing a pair of skinny jeans may help her fulfill an aspirational need for social acceptance.

Desire can shift whole ways of thinking and doing; it generates passion for change which, in turn, encourages people to act, move forward, evolve.

 

How can brands turn desire into action?

Offering a product or service that meets consumers’ needs is the price of entry for any brand; however, to generate enthusiasm and motivate consumers to purchase brand marketers need to recognize and tap into the power of desire. Specifically, they must strive to understand what their target consumers desire—and how those desires express unmet aspirational needs—to create the emotional, richer and deeper brand-consumer experiences that spawn repeat purchases and strong brand loyalty.

This is not easy work.  Most consumers don’t want to reveal what they desire and, quite frankly, have a hard time articulating the concept because it is not as simple as talking about what they need. Spending time with people in their homes can help reveal not only what they value and need but, more importantly, what they desire and how a specific brand can fulfill those desires. However, be careful not to dilute your brand equity by rushing to address “I don’t have it, so I want it” desires that can lead to “me too” marketing. Here’s an example: Let’s say you drive a Volvo because you love that it’s a safe car. You happen to participate in a focus group where the moderator asks what other features you would like your car to have. After thinking it over, you say you wouldn’t mind if it were a little faster and sexier. Now what if you were a BMW fan and loved your car for its speed and sex appeal and were asked the same question? I bet a lot of BMW owners might say that advanced safety features would be desirable. It’s easy for consumers and marketers to point out the things their brand doesn’t have and to look to the competition to “borrow” some of their attributes in hopes of fulfilling “I don’t have it” desires; however, all that does is fill a void that may not even figure in the purchase decision. Far better to articulate a brand’s differentiating attributes that help it win with consumers than add a superfluous feature that makes it simply “one of the pack.”

Also beware of confusing trends with broad-based desire. Some marketers see a trend emerging and want to “jump on,” assuming the trend proves that people are adopting it because it fulfills a heretofore unfulfilled desire. However, every trend isn’t right for every consumer or brand. Clearly, skinny jeans are not a trend for me to follow; however, they are totally appropriate for my daughter. Trends can reveal new attributes to consider; however, do not chase them aimlessly without understanding how they meet consumers’ needs and trigger their desires.

Remember, desires are future-based, so understanding them can help push a brand to where its target consumers are going, not just where they are today. Engaging in the following exercises can help marketers dissect desire’s role in forging and strengthening brand-consumer relationships:

1. 1. Analyze and understand what people are feeling (empathize).
2. 2. Identify key movements and trends that are impacting the world (contextualize).
3. 3. Think about what these feelings + world events are causing people to need and desire (hypothesize).
4. 4. Brainstorm what the brand can do to inspire consumers to action and fulfill their desires. (visualize).
5. 5. Bring ideas to life for consumers to react to and experience (realize).

By dissecting and isolating consumers’ desires marketers can better understand what’s driving their actions.  Even better, when a brand can evoke desire it can create actions, including selection purchase, use, and re-use—all of which fulfill marketers’ chief desire…to build brand loyalty.

 

About the Author

Sherwood MacVeigh is Director, Senior Brand Strategist at Hyperquake, a brand evolution agency. She can be reached at Sherwood.macveigh@hyperquake.com.