Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Neural Marketing

DEFINITION - Neuromarketing is the study of how people's brains respond to advertising and other brand-related messages by scientifically monitoring brainwave activity, eye-tracking and skin response.

Forget about demographics, psychographics, benefits and values driving consumer behaviour! We can now get straight to the very core - your brain. With MRI scans we can tell how people respond to advertising by mapping which part of the brain is stimulated.

neuromarketing: is it coming to a lab near you? by Mary Carmichael
posted nov. 9, 2004
"But some companies are taking the practice several steps further, commissioning their own fMRI studies à la Montague's test. In a study of men's reactions to cars, Daimler-Chrysler has found that sportier models activate the brain's reward centers -- the same areas that light up in response to alcohol and drugs -- as well as activating the area in the brain that recognizes faces, which may explain people's tendency to anthropomorphize their cars."

Google: This Is Your Brain On Advertising
by Mark Walsh, Thursday, October 23, 2008, 11:03 PM

"Now Google is applying "neuromarketing" to video advertising. In a study released Thursday, Google and MediaVest used NeuroFocus findings to show that overlay ads appearing in YouTube videos grab consumers' attention and boost brand awareness.

YouTube-owner Google has championed overlay ads--which appear in the lower third of video screens--as a less intrusive alternative to pre-roll ads."

Investigate Neurofocus

Watch a CNN news report

Q1. Are there any ethical issues with neural marketing?

Q2. How effective do you think neural marketing could be?

Q3. What is the relationship to Behavioural Targetting?