As a marketer I have always believed the best chance of success starts by knowing the consumer, her desires, her needs and her wants. We sometimes forget some of the deepest motivations that drive our choices and our behavior. Perhaps it is the chaos of the day to day that masks these potent drivers of survival and the deep seated motivators of behavior.
Survival is our most basic human instinct. Our sole purpose in life begins with extension of life itself, procreating and protecting our existence. Modern survival manifests itself in other forms, our philosophies, our principles, our values and beliefs. We see our survival through proliferation and propagation in people we make friends with, the things we choose to do and the material items we decide to own. To the consumer the brands they own are an extension of themselves, we associates with friends who share a common taste and a similar preference for brands and products.
It is a shame we depend on sexuality in sensationalizing our brand communication to make this point of survival. As humans we are genetically coded to synthesize and decipher the right signals that enable survival and drive forth our genes and our ideals. Brands that leverage these signals in communication have a stronger chance of success. The works of Ernest Dichter during the later half of the 20th century and more recently Clotaire Rapaille have gives us the hope to better leverage these deep seated drivers to be built into our brand communication.
