Article: How Can Psychology Help You In Appealing to Masses?

Ever wondered why some films are massive hits with the audience while others, no matter how beautifully they’re made or how relevant they are, fail to impress people?

Films are based on the same psychological principle that is used to appeal to users and customers, to make the product more relatable to them.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Products that connect well with a large number of people emotionally sell by themselves. How do we decide which factors appeal more than others?

According to Maslow, it goes in this order of priority (1 being the highest)-

1) Physiological needs for survival (food, water, air, shelter, clothing, sleep, sex)

2) Safety needs for protection (Personal security, finances, morality, employment, health, property, resources)

3) Love and belonging needs to be a part of something (friendship, intimacy, family, sense of connection)

4) Self-esteem needs for respect (justice, strength, freedom, status, recognition, achievement)

5) Self-actualisation needs for finding one’s potential (self-fulfilment, creative activities, introspection, exploration)

So a movie like Lagaan or Sholay would appeal to more people than a Wake Up Sid or Aisha. It’s also the reason why some movies like 3 idiots garner great accolades, because the theme of jobs and careers is a safety need, so more people relate to it!