Long at the heart of the marketing concept is the aim to satisfy the needs and the wants of consumers. Many consumer behavior models introduce frameworks which include many ‘basic’ operations such as 1) need and want recognition, 2) search for alternatives, 3) evaluate alternatives, 4) purchase and use, 5) evaluation of the consumption experience.  However, living in the United States and other highly developed industrialized nations
we begin to forget many of the pressures of merely surviving. The nearly 25% of the world population can
only dream of satisfying potential wants, which are well beyond their current immediate needs. They can only
dream of being faced with the problems of multiple alternatives and the decision between such. They can
only dream of purchasing and use. Indeed, they can only dream.

The problems these individuals face are well beyond their control. For these people of the world to become viable, happy, and dare I say it, profitable consumers it is
necessary to be located in a marketplace which is
developed to the point of providing the necessities of
life and to be a vital portion of the marketplace
themselves. The powerful, industrialized nations that
I spoke of before, who can clearly provide the basics for survival, themselves have a difficult time engaging their poor countrymen and women (and especially the children
of such) into becoming active, successful participants in 
the broader economy. To combat the problems, which 
plague the ‘marginalized’ people of our global society, 
we must research a number of issues.

First and foremost research must be conducted to better meet the needs of those individuals who are on the cusp
of survival. Here, all aspects of the process need to be better understood and the ‘basic’ operations of consumer behavior models can help guide research in that we should: 

1) Recognize the needs: What is it the target for help
needs? How can we facilitate those who are in a position to help recognize the need to help?
2) Search for alternative: What potential solutions are available to help those in need? What potential solutions
will be available in the future to help those in need?
3) Evaluate Alternatives: What are the implications of the solutions above? Which are more efficient? Which are
more effective?
4) Purchase and use: How do we better implement plans
to help? 
5) Evaluate the experience: What mistakes were made? How can we amend the process in order to better achieve helping standards?

A second route to helping the world would come from a
more macro-level perspective and promotes the development of economies through international
exchange relationships. Here, we need to garner a better understanding of how international partners can better respond and adapt to constantly changing conditions, primarily through market intelligence. Remember, the
aim is not to provide a market for companies to segment
and reap profits from, but to create a marketplace that sustains and provides for those it serves. What is the best way to help such a marketplace develop? How do we transition a marketplace from practically nothing into a self-sustaining entity? What theories are in place to 
provide guidance in such endeavors?

The true contribution of global marketing and research in the 21st century will come not from how to better market
to the wants of consumers, but to the needs of consumers. Research around needs is something we need to do and should be something we want to do.