Perspective: Join the Crowd

In 1943, an anthropologist named Abraham Maslow published a paper titled “A Theory of Human Motivation” that, while it appeared only in an obscure academic journal, has since gone on to influence generations of marketers. Maslow’s theory posited that human needs fall into categories. The bottom two are essential for mere survival—physiological (food, sleep, etc.) and safety (shelter, employment, etc.). But above these lay the “social” and “ego” needs. These are what motivate people to satiate deeper desires: self-esteem, respect from others, a feeling of belonging.