As a Marketing and Advertising specialist, you should be familiar with the Four P’s which boil down the number of variables in the marketing mix; Product, Place, Promotion, Price. Developing the right Product to meet a need, making it available in the Place where it is needed, communicating it’s availability (Promotion) and determining a palatable cost (Price), are all somewhat independent but need to be considered in unison.
So for example, if we wanted to market a new and improved snack to Chimpanzee Monkey’s, a logical sequence of the four P’s would be to come up with a product that will satisfy the monkey, such as a small fruit based food the monkey can nibble on between meals. Next, we’d want to make said snack available in an area where the Chimpanzee population is dense, such as the forests of tropical Africa. Then we’d need to make the monkey’s aware that the product has been designed for them and determine how much they would be willing to pay for it.
Unfortunately, similar firms may be marketing snacks to Chimpanzee’s and this traditional marketing mix analysis might be of relatively little value in predicting primate purchase behavior. Therefore we must get to know (as intimately as possible) that which the Four P’s surround; the monkey!
It is imperative for us to analyze the potential target market (Chimpanzee Monkey) with great care because the needs of the target market determine how the Four P’s will be selected. Understanding the needs and attitudes as well as the many other dimensions of the Chimp will determine the size and shape of the target. Then we can determine with more confidence the degree to which the product will be chosen (and consumed by the monkey). From there we will also better be able to control distribution based on demand and sales velocity.
You would think that the classic stimulus-response model should suffice when it comes to Food and Monkey’s but as professional marketers trained in behavioral science we know that the infinite number of influencing factors make the black box of consumer decision making very difficult to peer into indeed and therefore we must apply a variety of theories which can predict how the Monkey will react.
First we must consider the Chimpanzee Culture, Social Class, other reference groups and finally, their Family. Nestled in this framework is a decision making monkey. But discovering their wants (which are advanced needs) takes more than just a study of these Inter-primate variables, we also need to uncover the various Intra-primate variables such as motivation, perception, learning, attitudes and personality. What “drives” the monkey? By focusing on the individual we can discover the reasons underlying certain behavioral patterns. The hierarchy of needs is a good place to start. Monkeys are motivated to meet psychological, safety, social and personal needs (PSSP). As lower needs are met, higher needs become more dominant. Since Chimpanzee’s are relatively adept at meeting the lower needs, their personal needs should be the focus for a delicious, low cost snack that they could otherwise find on a tree for free. Motivation theory suggests that Chimpanzee’s rarely reach a state of complete personal satisfaction. Looking at Chimp psycho-graphics and life-styles like Activities, Opinions and Interests (AOI) can help shape the marketing message. It turns out that Chimps are highly social, status seeking, occasional bipeds (unlike their more reclusive cousin, the Bonobos). Playing to their insecurities that stem from past trauma, rejection, social anxiety and failure is a sure way to motivate them to purchase a fruit snack. Creative would have to be subtle in appealing to their desire for acceptance and freedom from worry and anxiety.
Picture for example copy which features an Alpha leader of the Hominini Tribe who is adept at using sticks and rocks as tools for acquiring honey, termites, ants and nuts but chooses instead to have the fruit snack. This Branding message will send strong signals of upper class dominance and “coolness” which will provide a benefit not inherent in the product but that which can only be created with a keen marketing mix and clever creative.
