8 Consumer Demands to Consider When Marketing
By: Kimberly Grant
Sitting in my house during a weekend of staying in because we’re still fearing the respiratory plague that is COVID-19, I got to thinking about the toilet paper crisis. (In my defense, I was bored!) After listening to yet another Spotify ad, this led me down to a rabbit hole of thinking about the various types of consumer demand. After all, the most important aspect of marketing is the consumer.
There are eight possible types of demand that apply to how, when, and what consumers purchase, as well as ways to intrigue them enough to spend that hard-earned stimulus money. Because I like to correlate types of things in a way that makes as much sense as wearing a mask in public, I’ve found some interesting correlations to demand from a marketing perspective.
The eight possible demands are:
- Negative demand – That’s when you finally succumb to paying for Spotify Premium to avoid those super loud ads that jar you from your reverie.
- Nonexistent demand – That happens when there’s a product that no one knows or cares about, like a bad movie reboot.
- Latent demand – That’s when you spend the first few months of the year in nail-biting anticipation of the next Marvel or Fast & the Furious film and the silly comedy movies are not enough.
- Declining demand – Regular lipstick during the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s just no way to wear traditional lipstick and a mask; and not get lipstick all over your face.
- Irregular demand – That can be products consumers buy seasonally, like the Christmas decorations right before Halloween so that you’re the first one in your neighborhood with décor that screams: CHRISTMAS!
- Full demand – I like to think of this as the previous state of toilet paper buying after the mad rush of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a one-purchase limit, but consumers had toilet paper for that important thing that we all do.
- Overfull demand – This one is more like the need for toilet paper, disinfectant wipes, and bleach at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also known as the “Toilet Paper & Lysol Wipes Shortage of 2020”.
- Unwholesome demand – Because I’m health conscious, I see this demand as the need for (read: addiction to) cigarettes. There’s a demand, but it’s not good for you. It can also be the demand of that box of Godiva chocolate I overpaid for and ate in one sitting. No judgment.
Demand is everywhere. We are a demanding society. Knowing the origins of those demands is what marketers use to get the right message to the right people. It’s also a great way to be heard as a consumer. Demand is everything.
If you’re demanding more from me, you can see my last blog post here.
