Neuromarketing scientist Ale Smidts introduced the term ‘neuromarketing’ in the Netherlands, in the year 2002. He explained how EEG and fMRI methods of research could help to predict and interpret consumer behaviour. He also explained how these methods could collect insights into how consumers process commercials and how impactful commercials may be.
Neuromarketing essentially means applying neuroscience methods of research to collect data and insights about a variety of marketing questions. For example, EEG and fMRI methods are utilised to analyse advertising and marketing campaigns.
How is Neuromarketing research conducted?
The first step is to identify the right problem or question, followed by the right research method to arrive at insights. For example, if you want to understand the positive or negative impact of a TV ad on branding, you should use EEG, eye tracking etc. While the activity is conducted, you would use EEG and track eye movements to follow the brain’s reactions to stimuli and the viewing patterns.
How does brain data lead to optimisation?
Once brain data is gathered, neuro marketers will derive insights to optimise and enhance marketing campaigns. With the aim of improving marketing material, they will deliver neuromarketing insights to make commercials more attractive and suggest packaging tweaks to attract more attention. All of these will lead to more consumer attention and hence more purchases.
How does neuromarketing help commercial research?
Neuromarketing insights can help to optimise commercials and grab the attention of target audiences more. For example, neuromarketing research methods track brain activity to decide to what extent consumers retain the memory of a commercial and if the video triggered more preference when compared to other similar videos.
How does Neuro usability research help to improve websites?
Neuro usability research helps to gain insights about various questions like what consumers experience when they browse through a website and how online shops can create a more user-friendly online experience. In general, it helps to understand how websites can get more conversions.
Researchers assign a task like making a purchase online to the participants and ask them to wear EEG headsets in the process. This helps to track their unconscious responses while they go through the online shopping process. After data collection and interpretation of insights, practical recommendations and actionable points are given to increase conversions.
How does neuromarketing help product sales?
Using neuromarketing methods like EEG and eye tracking, you can track consumers’ responses to the packaging of your product. Based on this, you can decide about tweaks to your packaging, if necessary. In case you have made a change, it helps to understand how the new packaging is working with consumers compared to the old one.
How does neuromarketing help shop sales?
With wireless EEG headsets, participants can walk into shops and browse, all through which their brain activity can be tracked to understand when something has a negative experience or when something makes a positive experience. Their subconscious experiences can be tracked and analysed to gather practical insights. This can be a yearly research activity to keep track of performances.
How does neuromarketing help branding?
When a consumer’s brain activity is tracked during an advertisement, his or her emotional experience can be inferred to every second. You can understand how consumers respond to various parts of the advertisement. These insights can contribute to improving your commercial, thus leading to more purchases and better branding.
About the Author