Dae Spradlin

     Sure, most of us have all heard about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: physiological, safety, belonging,  self-esteem, and self-actualization needs. Usually we think about it in terms of science and psychology, but we don't normally consider the everyday implications of the theory. In reality it is used everywhere, especially in marketing. That commercial you saw about health insurance? Safety. That Coca-Cola commercial with a group of friends hanging out sharing a drink together? Belonging. The hierarchy of needs falls in, well, a hierarchy where one level can not be addressed unless the prior levels have been satisfied.      The first level is physiological. Those are the fundamental needs that we all have that will keep us alive: food, water, shelter, sleep, etc. These are the needs that we seek to fulfill before anything else. When marketers choose to target this need, they emphasize how important their product or service is to your basic necessities and instincts. A lot

Sure, we all have places we have to go out of necessity, like to pay bills or buy gas, but we don't go there because of the friendly service, but instead we just go because we have to. On the other hand, the reason you keep going back to your favorite mom and pop restaurant isn't just because of the great food, but also because of the kind smiles and personal interactions. When you have a business that you frequent for pleasure, such as a restaurant, cafe, pub, etc., the service usually plays a big part in why you continue to go back. More often than not, when you are offered or are giving a restaurant suggestion, you usually mention whether the service was good or bad. That's because in today's service based society, we expect good service, and if we don't receive it, then we won't go back. Bad service results in consumers venting to their friends and associates through their favorite outlet: social media. This can spread like wildfire and result in a drop in t

In today's market, it's so important to be able set your business apart from your competition. The main way that a lot of businesses do this is not only through product differentiation, but also having a unique brand image. Consumers are no longer interested in the traditional advertisements of the past. They want to see more genuine, relatable content. Some choose to do this through their social media presence or the use of user generated content. Through social media, companies such as Wendy's, Taco Bell, and Denny's have created a sassy, sarcastic image that consumers love. Whenever these brands respond to tweets or comments with a creative response, users are more inclined to share these comments with their peers which is exactly what the brands are aiming for. Interacting with your customer base through social media helps garner a loyal customer base by presenting your brand as more than just a company but also as a "friend." Creating a unique image will

So, you know those strangely specific ads that you see on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. that seem like they're talking directly to you? Well, you can thank big data and targeted display advertising for those. It always seemed that these types of ads were just to be used by big companies, but the growing popularity of the software has made them more readily available for small businesses as well. This has been a huge advantage for small businesses. You can use a variety of criteria to determine whom your ads will target. Anything from age, location, time, interests, etc. can be used to target individual consumers. Maybe there's a big event happening in your area; well, you can arrange that the attendees of the event see your advertisement on whatever social media platforms that they use. Or maybe you're trying to draw the attention of young parents or middle aged outdoor enthusiasts. You can easily do that with these types of advertisement programs. This type of adverti