What Sells?

Hot cakes and sex is what they say. While giving due respect to hot cakes and the ‘S’ word and with no offence meant to these highly spellbinding entities on earth, I think I have had hardly ever stepped into a baker’s parlor to buy just a cake. What has usually prompted me is buying that soothing and shimmering smile on the face of my dear ones on their birthday or may be sometimes the ‘desire’ to tingle my sweet taste buds or may be addressing my epicurean desires. 

The second example is a bit murky, so more on it later.

Marketers always keep diving deep into consumer psychology to ascertain their mental signage depicting their needs, wants, desires and demands. The challenge multiplies as the cognitive dissonance of human behavior erupts as a reverse catalyst. ‘What sells’ is the biggest question a marketer wants to explore.

Human psychology is not static.  It keeps fluctuating against a variable ‘x’ time to time, where ‘x’ is the effective outcome of day-to-day activities/happenings on the mind of a consumer. The variable ‘x’ has a direct implication on what a buyer wants to buy at a given point in time.

A number of models have been developed by the experts to spill the beans of reality about ‘X’. One of the famous models that explain the fluctuation of minds determining the need is Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It says the demand for a need can be determined on five zones of consumer state of mind. The pyramid has basic needs (survival) at the base which includes needs like food and shelter followed by safety needs. The next set of needs is determined by esteem of a consumer followed by his psychological needs. The final set being the needs for self sufficiency.

It must be noted that each subsequent set of needs is created once the previous set of needs is met.

The model all the more relevant, the factor ‘x’ has much complications attached to it. Even if a consumer stands in the zone of self esteem and demands luxury, he may abruptly switch to survival zone if deprived of water.

A smart marketer at different variation of ‘x’ would succeed to sell if he exploits hunger, emotions, pride, self esteem, happiness, fame etc.  at the right time.

What does a PR firm sell? And what should we exploit?

A PR professional sells a single idea at two different touch points. At one hand, we have to engage a journalist, who already presumes himself/herself as a connoisseur of communications. So what do we market him? It could be being a facilitator to meet his/her deadline, addressing his penchant for ‘cracking a story’ and his fondness for establishing ‘I am the first one’. On the other hand the clients always look for developing their credibility, getting respect and the ‘worry’ to get the acquittal from any bad baggage.

Now let’s come to the second example. For all those who are still expecting me to write on the ‘S’ word, I would like to remind that the subject matter being very perplexing, baffling, mystifying, bewildering and what not, is holding my endurance to take a chance.

P.S: Am I using the word itself to sell this article?

- Faisal Banday