Biometric Devices: Learning What Buyers Want Via Neuromarketing
Given the amount of technological progression we read about on a daily basis, it barely seems surprising anymore when science fiction becomes reality. We came across an article about neuromarketing on a neuroscience blog that described how it was done and some of the decisions companies come to based off findings obtained from it.
There’s an entertaining anecdote that the author tells about a leading manufacturer of flavored nacho chips. This company, apparently, was planning on a major overhaul of its brand and product recently and had noted that the orange-y flavoring on the chips tended to come off as a sticky paste on people’s hands when eating them. The company decided it was a problem and concluded that the sticky mess could be avoided if they introduced a new flavoring that tasted the same but didn’t coat people’s fingers with sticky powder.
Leading up to their product change, the company consulted with a neuromarketing firm to test how consumers liked the new flavoring. The results were unexpected, and consumers preferred the original flavoring.
Why? The chip eaters experienced two “pleasure peaks” while enjoying the chips – the first when they ate the nachos, and the second as they licked the colorful paste off their fingers like a second meal.
Neuromarketing companies are popping up everywhere as specialized equipment becomes more ubiquitous. One neuromarketing company written about in the article called NeuroFocus employs 64 EEG sensors that measure brainwave activity and patterns to determine what someone is thinking. When a person views an advertisement, for example, the sensors combine to capture brainwave activity at a rate of 2000 times a second. NeuroFocus supplements their studies with eye tracking, so they can see where the study participant is looking and what they see. In addition, skin conductance recordings are also made to supplement all the data, which are later plugged into an algorithm.
It’s interesting how the algorithm was reportedly determined. Shortly after starting up, NeuroFocus began to contact companies to request their best ad campaigns. They divided the campaigns into two sets, one that was considered beautiful and resulted in increased sales, and another that was considered beautiful but didn’t have any effect on sales. They then analyzed the data and reverse engineered the algorithm, making regular tests across categories and recalibrating the algorithm with periodical data.
Proponents of neuromarketing hold fast to their excitement about the field, citing that it’s time-efficient and accurate. Time-efficient, yes – simple, factual data can be input quickly and deliver results with speed. But we wonder about the actual accuracy of the studies. I’d be curious to read more on just how reliable these tests are. Still, the fact that they’re being done in the first place is really quite interesting and indicative of where we’re at in the world of neuroscience and eye tracking.
Neuromarketing: The future of business and advertising
Related articles:
- Will Eye Tracking Take Neuromarketing to the Next Level?
- Biometric Devices: Using Your Mind To Control The Screen
- Eye Tracking and Neuromarketing in 3D Marketing Research
- Neuromarketing Eye Tracking Helps Campbell’s Soup Get a Makeover
- Biometric Devices: The Future of Microsoft’s Kinect and Gesture Tracking