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Creating artificial needs

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Creating Artificial Needs​

Definition & Summary: Generating demand by inventing or amplifying a need that did not previously exist . In this strategy, through marketing and influence, a company makes consumers believe they require something new or additional -- essentially shaping desires into perceived needs.

Detailed Explanation: The origin of this play is classic consumer marketing: if natural demand is insufficient, create it. The purpose is to drive new consumption where none was before. Key principles include clever marketing narratives, social proof, and sometimes psychological triggers (status, fear of missing out, etc.). As one Wardley example humorously notes, "take a rock and make it a pet" -- meaning even a useless object can be sold if you create a need for it in consumers' minds. Often these "needs" attach to emotions or identity (e.g. the need to belong, to appear trendy, to feel secure).

Real-World Examples:

  • Historical: De Beers and the diamond engagement ring is a textbook case . Early 20th century, diamond rings weren't a widespread necessity for engagement. De Beers launched a marketing campaign ("A diamond is forever") that effectively created an artificial need -- convincing people that a marriage proposal isn't complete without a diamond ring. Decades later, this invented need persists and De Beers profited immensely .

  • Contemporary: High-end electronics makers often create needs via iterative product releases -- e.g., Apple's marketing can make consumers feel they need the latest smartphone camera features for better life experiences, even if their current phone is adequate. This need is artificially amplified by marketing that equates product ownership with lifestyle or creative potential.

  • Hypothetical: A fitness tech startup markets a new wearable that tracks a novel metric (say, "hydration level"). Most people never thought about needing real-time hydration monitoring. Through influencer campaigns and pseudo-scientific content, the startup convinces athletes and health enthusiasts that this metric is the missing key to performance. Demand for a product measuring something no one cared about before suddenly spikes -- an artificial need has been born.

When to Use / When to Avoid:

  • Use when: You have a new product that solves a problem consumers don't know they have, or you're in a saturated market and want to open a new category. It's effective to unlock new markets or upsells by shifting consumer mindset (e.g. convincing users they need yearly upgrades, or accessories, etc.).

  • Avoid when: It veers into unethical (manipulating vulnerable audiences) -- there's reputational risk. Also avoid if your product truly provides no value; creating demand for junk might get initial sales but eventually causes customer backlash. Today's consumers are more informed and skeptical.

Common Pitfalls:

  • Sustainability: An artificially created need may be a fad. If it's not grounded in some real value, demand might collapse once novelty or marketing fades.

  • Consumer trust: If people realize they were "sold" a non-need (like fad diets or gadgets that end up unused), they may feel cheated, harming brand loyalty.

  • Competitor response: If you prove a market exists for something, fast followers can jump in with better or cheaper versions, so the window of advantage may be short.

Related Strategies: Brand & Marketing (central to creating needs via messaging), Education (a more genuine way to create need by informing why something is important -- though in artificial needs, the education might be closer to propaganda), Signal Distortion (hype can distort signals about what people should care about, contributing to false needs).

Further Reading & References:

  • Wardley Maps Forum -- Examples of Creating Artificial Needs . Includes the "worthless stones to big bucks" diamond marketing campaign and other illustrations of manufactured demand.

  • HowStuffWorks -- "How Advertising Invented the Diamond Engagement Ring" . Explores the De Beers case, showing how marketing created a long-lasting social norm (a need where none existed before).