Whitespace: Neuromarketing - why it's a gamechanger

Issue 73: May 2011

Marketing communication has long been considered more of an art than a science. Traditionally it's been based on gut feelings, speculation and a good dose of luck rather than irrefutable proof that a tactic does or does not work. But new developments in the field of neuromarketing look set to challenge the status quo with a more science approach taking a lead role in the marketing communication process. From gender differences to media consumption, messages for teens to point-of-purchase decisions, this month's Whitespace looks at four key insights being served up by neuromarketing, many of which are challenging marketing communication as most practitioners know it.

Brain waves in action

Put simply, neuromarketing describes the process of using various forms of equipment to study human brain waves, facial codes or biometrics in a bid to understand responses to advertising, online information consumption and point-of-purchase communication.

Where traditional market research concentrates on psychology, neuromarketing is focused in brain processing. And, as a result, the field is offering some big insights, such as revealing that lung cancer prevention ads featuring people smoking encourages viewers grab a cigarette rather than avoid one.

Packaging is another area of interest for neuromarketers. A US food products manufacturer recently used brain-imaging technology to understand that its shiny potato chip packaging triggered activity in the section of the brain that handles guilt while beige matt packaging did not.

Examples like these sit at the top of the proverbial iceberg; the following four neuromarketing trends suggest larger, wider movements in marketing practice.

Insight one: A TV advertising revival

At a time when many companies are moving away from TV, British researchers have used neuromarketing to prove the medium is far from dead. In fact, they claim TV is far more engaging and emotive than online advertising.

But rather than suggesting a one-or-the-other approach, brain-imaging research indicates viewers are 20 per cent more likely to engage with an online advertisement if they have first seen the same ad on TV; a cross-platform approach to message frequency based on scientific rather than anecdotal evidence.

Insight two: Women are open complex messaging

Neuromarketing proves what marketers have always known: men and women think differently. But just how they think differently can be traced to the size of the hippocampus, a section of the brain that's responsible for memory and emotion.

The New York Times says researchers believe women have a larger hippocampus, which means they are able to absorb more complex messages and are predisposed to respond to imagery or stories they can empathise with.

Insight three: Be optimistic for the oldies, emotional for teens

Differences in how the brain works can also be identified between people of varying ages. Neuromarketing researchers have found people in the over-60s age group tune-out when exposed to negative messages but respond well to positive advertisements.

And there's no prize for guessing the teen brain has its quirks. Neuroimaging reveals that messages based on reason are less likely to work than emotion-focused communication as the part of the brain responsible for rational thought develops slower than the section responsible for feelings.

Insight four: Emotion rules at the cash register

Advances in brain mapping equipment allow for greater research mobility. As a result, highly portable neuroimaging tools that sit on the heads of willing participants are capable of offering real-time data on in-situ purchasing decisions.

With research indicating the majority of purchases are based on emotional decisions and that half of all buying decisions are made at the register, it may well pay to ensure sales staff and point-of-purchase advertising messaging focus on emotions rather than rational stimuli.

Too much information?

The insights offered by neuromarketing take companies deeper into psyche of consumers than ever before. But how deep is too deep? When does understanding turn into manipulation?

In many ways neuromarketing is simply improving on processes that have come before it. Advertising has always sought to persuade; by adding a little scientific mind reading into the mix neuromarketing isn't seeking to control or direct thoughts but merely to measure which approaches work and which dont.

Further reading

The Buying Brain by A. K. Pradeep
Buyology by Martin Lindstrom

Whitespace is published monthly by the Australian Institute of Management - Qld & NT. Sign up to have a copy sent direct to your mailbox.