Consumers want things, that’s why we are able to sell product. I believe there are five categories of wants that you can evaluate when making a product or service offering.

By evaluating your offerings in these categories it helps to give clarity as to the “why” a person is after your offering and how to tailor your offering and marketing.

The categories

1. Survival – This category encompasses basic needs. Food, shelter, clothing and all the things that go with it.
2. Comfort and Contentment – This category includes entertainment, leisure, and creature comforts.
3. Ego – This category is about power, status, and standing in communities and social circles. These are purchases made for image and status.
4. Peace and Fulfillment – This category is about seeking or finding something to give a feeling of inner peace. Religion, meditation, counseling, and self help.
5. Family – This category is about providing for your family. This includes services for children, education, and health.
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   There may be other categories that are more general or more specific, but I believe these cover most all offerings. So let me give a few details to clarify these categories.

   1. These categories embody various types of wants, needs, or problems. Find a gap that keeps someone from meeting their needs for survival, comfort, family, etc and you’ve got a potential market.
   2. Wants within these categories don’t necessarily have to be real or actual wants. It’s the perception of want or need that we’re considering.
   3. Solutions to wants or needs or problems can cross categories. Cars, for example, provide survival, comfort, and ego depending on the state of mind of the consumer.
   4. There is a hierarcy of these needs. The problem is the heirarchy changes based on the person. Survival should be at the top, as should family (from my moral and ethical view anyway), but people will often times put personal comfort or ego above family. Or will put ego above fulfillment. The hierarchy can define our cultural values.
   5. These categories don’t derive from a natural or biological need. These categories are about what people say to themselves and perceive as needs.

   That’s the category list, if you can think of any other categories or a better list, please let me know.

   These categories help me with brainstorming and execution. It allows me to think in small chuncks and once an idea comes it is easier to evalulate the execution of the idea.