146K People Buys Bulletproof Truck with Broken Armor Glass
Why would they do that?
Imagine you are looking to buy your first dream pick- up truck.
And you are looking for a modern, futuristic pickup truck that you can show off to your friends. Then the truck sales agent shows you what you are looking for.
It is a modern, silver-gray finish, futuristic like this pick-up truck that came from the movie Halo. It is electric and has Autopilot features. It can run at top of 130mph, can go from zero to 60 mph (97 kph) in 2.9 seconds. Most especially — it was bulletproof!
The truck sales agent brags that he can show a demo to prove how sturdy and durable it is.
You said: “It is not necessary.”
But without hesitation, the truck sales agent picked up a sledgehammer. And Boom! He smashes it at the door of the pick-up truck.
The sledgehammer bounces off. The door has no dent and not even a scratch.
Your eyes grow big in amazement.
But the truck sales agent is not satisfied. He grabs a metal ball and throws it into the glass window.
You try to stop him. But he said, “Don’t worry. This pick-up truck has an armor-glass window.” You can’t help but watch.
The pick-up truck sales agent winds up and throws the metal ball into the window!
And Boom!
But this time the armor-glass window shatters! The truck sales agent can’t believe what just happened. So he grabs another metal ball and throws it into another window just to prove it is shatterproof!
Then, boom! The supposed armor-glass window shatters.
The truck sales agent, realizing what happened smiled to you and said, “Maybe that was a little too hard. At least it didn’t go through. That’s a plus side.”
Now, if you are in that situation would you buy the pick-up truck? Probably, no, right?
But what if I tell you that pick-up truck has sold $14.6 Million pre-orders! Would you believe me?
What if I tell you that pick up truck called CyberTruck? And Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, was the truck sales agent?
Will you change your mind? (I know you will.)
This makes me wonder, “Why will people buy a pick-up truck with a failed bulletproof glass window?”
This leads me to a 70-year-old study that you may be familiar with — Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
From 1948 to 1952, Abraham Mazlow, an American psychologist, researched what motivates humans.
In his investigation, he asked people from every area and status, “What are you dreaming of? Why do you work so hard? What exactly do you seek from life? What do you enjoy doing? What bores you?”
Maslow found out that people have five human basic needs. He demonstrated this by using a pyramid which is now known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
So what are these five human basic needs?
The first level is the need to survive. Being at the bottom of the hierarchy, this is the most important of all needs. This includes food, drinks, shelter, sleep, and clothes.
Going up the second level, the need for security and safety. As we all know, the only constant in this world is change. People want certainty, order, and control. Examples are having medical insurance, personal security, employment, property, and resources.
Next, the third level is the need for love and belonging. Human beings are social animals. We want to belong in a group and have connections. This is the reason why we value relationships with our family, friends, and co-workers.
At the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy is the need for respect. Whether we ask it or not, we want people to recognize our achievements and efforts. We want others to treat us as equals. This is the reason why there is a boost in confidence whenever we achieve our goals.
At the top level is the need for self-actualization or self-accomplishment. This is when the fulfillment of human potential. You are doing what you love. You found purpose in everything you do. You are living the life that you want.
Now, let’s see in what category the Cybertruck fits on a point of view of pick-up truck Enthusiasts.
The Need to survive. As said a while ago, these categories include basic human needs. So, Cybertruck does not fall into this category.
Second, the need for safety and security. Hmmm, this could fit in in this category. Given that the Cybertruck has a bulletproof and shatterproof body and glass (pun intended).
Third, the need for love and belonging. At first, you may ask yourself, “Will having a pick-up truck as this gives me love and belonging?”
From my point of view, yes. For what I see, it can fall into the area of belonging to fans of Elon Musk. It is like a brand that tells everyone that shouts, “Hey, I have a CyberTruck and bought it from Elon Musk himself.”
This leads to the fourth category which is the need for respect and appreciation. Imagine yourself driving this Cybertuck on the street. People are looking at your pick up truck. Taking pictures and asking you what the name of the pick-up truck and where did you buy it. What do you think you will feel? Somehow, you feel appreciated or proud of yourself.
The last one, self-actualization. This might be the most difficult to categorize since this is personal. He may be considered as a dream come true.
Now, as you take it deeper, you will notice that the need for something does not mean it only falls into one category. For the buyers of Cybertruck, they fall into three categories.
Your Takeaway
As shown in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, there are five reasons why we buy things that we buy.
- The need to survive.
- The need for security and safety
- The need for love and belonging
- The need for respect.
- The need for self-actualization or self-accomplishment.
We’ve also discussed that our motivation to buy things does not only fall into one category. Like the example above, buyers of Cybertruck may fall into Level 2,3 and 4.
Knowing this, you will now have a better understanding of why you buy things that you buy. And why people buy things you don’t like. Each one of us has different motivations.
So the next time, before you argue with someone, try to ask the person, “What motivates you to buy?”
