What is Neuromarketing?
Neuromarketing refers to the area of market research that focuses on consumers’ responses to stimuli presented to them in advertising. These reactions are then recorded and tabulated in order to establish the purchasing preferences of target audiences. Since this is the objective of every campaign, one could argue that all marketing is in fact neuromarketing. However, certain specific techniques are utilized that set it apart, and propel it into the future of marketing science. As described by bestselling author and business strategist, Roger Dooley, “Neuromarketing includes the direct use of brain imaging, scanning, or other brain activity measurement technology to measure a subject’s response to specific products, packaging, advertising, or other markets elements.” (https://www.neurosciencemarketing.com). He argues that this level of data can provide a more accurate assessment of consumer response, since the results tend to be honest and revealing in ways that self-reporting can never be.
There are many ways to conduct neuromarketing research, including the medical models of fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and EEG (electroencephalography). Other tools include gaze mapping, VR techniques and headmapping. Consumers’ emotional responses can also be studied by using sensors to monitor facial expression, and by biometrics, which measures heart rate as well as other physiological reactions. Some neuromarketing tools require direct contact with consumers, while others can be conducted online.
Why Use Neuromarketing?
Instead of relying solely on marketing analytics to gain a clearer understanding of people’s purchasing behavior, neuromarketing techniques provide direct feedback, by collecting responses to selected stimuli, in order to determine and predict consumer preferences. This can result in more effective advertising strategies, as well as the development of new products and the advancement of innovative methods of making products available. Through neuromarketing, companies are able to learn which neurological responses can be triggered in consumers in order to evoke emotions leading to the purchase of goods or services.
As marketing writer Ana Gotter has observed, “The idea is to understand how your customers’ brains are actually working (not how you assume they are working) and how they’re registering your marketing content. You can use this information to optimize your content accordingly and adjust your strategies, thereby improving the effectiveness of your marketing.” (https://www.singlegrain.com). By utilizing neuromarketing techniques, companies gain access to a myriad of data that can provide a more complete picture. Traditional marketing is concerned with what works and what does not work, neuromarketing addresses the why and how by providing insights into consumers’ minds.
Is Neuromarketing Ethical?
In the words of marketing professor, Nick Lee, “Executives love the idea of using brain scans. As brain imaging and neuroscience develop, neuromarketing companies will be able to pull out more sophisticated data about what makes people want to buy or avoid certain items. The big question is whether neuromarketing can push a ‘buy button’ in your brain.” (https://www.timreview.ca) There is of course, no such button in the human brain; if there were, it would certainly be unethical for a marketer to use it. Since the goal of marketing is to match products with potential consumers, every form of marketing has its own method of employing one form or another of subconscious influencing.
The bottom line of the controversy surrounding the ethics of neuromarketing comes down to intention. Returning to the words of Roger Dooley, “Neuromarketing is a tool for eliminating the worst ads, not necessarily creating ads that are going to drive consumers into doing things they don’t want to do.” He goes on to pose what is perhaps the key question: “Is the product or service you’re advertising good for the buyers you’re targeting?” (https://www.ama.org)