From Geoff Sheldon, VP, Brand Planning Director

Addressing the age-old paradox that what consumers say in market research and what they do in reality are often two different things, Neuromarketing is a new market research methodology where consumers simply can’t hide their true feelings.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain activity, and sensors attached to the skin to monitor changes in one’s physiological state, Neuromarketing allows us to truly get an understanding of exactly what consumers react to (in either a positive or negative way) when they see or experience marketing materials and messages.

Exploring this new frontier of market research, Buy•ology (a recently released book by Martin Lindstrom), details the results of Lindstrom’s personal Neuromarketing study where over 2000 volunteers were connected to brain scanning equipment and exposed to ads, logos, commercials, brands and products in the name of marketing and science.

Buy•ology is a fascinating read with Lindstrom providing interesting dialogue about consumer reactions to well-known brands and their associated advertising and marketing techniques.

Of particular relevance to agencies and marketers is Chapter 9 (Neuromarketing and predicting the future), where Lindstrom explores the future success of television programs. Two hundred volunteers were shown 3 TV programs and asked to fill out a traditional survey on how they felt about the program while their brains were scanned. When the results were compared, the paper survey results were disparate from the brain scans. Consumers claimed not to like a particular show on paper, yet the brain scan showed they were completely engaged and motivated by the show. Perhaps most telling was that, ultimately, the brain scans painted a picture that was completely in line with the reality of how those shows actually fared in the market.

Imagine applying this methodology to your next round of concept testing and predicting with certainty that the campaign will be a success. As Buy•ology highlights, with Neuromarketing, this is now possible.

For more information about Neuromarketing, and vendors currently using these techniques, please feel free to contact me at gsheldon@palio.com or 518-226-4140.