5 Basic Positive Human Instincts: How they help in Marketing

Marketing is all about connecting with people. Marketing is successful when marketers can tap into human emotions and make them feel something about the brand or product they are selling. The five basic human instincts – Satya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanti (Peace), Prema (Love) and Ahimsa (Non-violence), play a pivotal role in understanding human nature.

Let us see some examples:

Satya (Truth)

This Dabur product Ad is a campaign against a maligning video that went viral on social media. They simply state the facts and tell the true story. They appeal to their consumers to think and analyze the real facts and judge what is the truth for themselves.

Dharma (Righteousness)

This Heinz Ketchup Ad appeals to the righteousness of people. It breaks the stereotypical idea of fake poshness and tells people to do what they think is right for them. Food is something personal and breaks the idea of the elite eatery. It just portrays eating the way you feel is right.

Shanti (Peace)

This is a classic Diwali Ad – simple, yet powerful. It depicts a peaceful way of promoting harmony in society. This HP Ad appeals to the joyous festive mood, especially a festival where we celebrate the defeat of evil by good and the restoration of peace.

Prema (Love)

Love thaws even the strictest of hearts. Fortune knows that the way to a person's heart is through food. They tie it well with the love of family and home. They appeal to their audience with ideas like nothing is better than 'Gharka khana' (Home cooked meal) or 'Maa ka hath ka khana' (Meals cooked by mothers). Something with which a lot of love and nostalgia is engaged.

Ahimsa (Non-violence)

This Christmas 2014 Sainsbury Ad was made in partnership with The Royal British Legion and was inspired by real events from 100 years ago. The Ad depicts a happy moment in history during the First World War when the British and the German troops forgot their differences and ceased fire to celebrate Christmas.

Brands thus, establish a relationship with their customers or consumers by appealing to one or more of these five basic human instincts as is evident from the examples above.