Penetrating the Consumer's Brain: NEUROMARKETING

The consumer's brain has always been a subject of curiosity. In marketing, a consumer's perspective is undoubtedly a valuable step in understanding consumer reactions. Since the foundation for developing successful strategic planning is built on research and evaluation, it is essential to understand how a brand, or its products resonate with consumers. Getting inside the consumer's mind helps to determine how to appeal to them and what and how it would be more advantageous to offer. Here's what you need to know about the neuromarketing model that brings marketing experts and scientists together...

What is Neuromarketing?

According to Martin Lindstrom, neuromarketing, which is defined as a tool to clarify what consumers think when they encounter a product or brand, is the use of various methods and practices in neuroscience and marketing to shed light on marketing strategy within the framework of an interdisciplinary approach. It is a marketing model that enables the measurement of changes in the human mind in relation to consumption and the development of marketing evaluations and efforts based on these changes through neuroscience measurements made through a number of technological equipment used in medical science. Thanks to neuromarketing, when the conscious and unconscious effects aroused in the consumer are evaluated, a valuable insight is obtained that will illuminate the path of brands in the field of marketing.

How Does Neuromarketing Work?

Technical devices such as EEG, fMRI, eye tracking etc. are used in neuromarketing studies. For example, the physiological reactions of the consumer who encounters a product placed in the aisle, especially eye movements, are considered as a concrete result of his/her feelings and marketing is directed accordingly. Neuromarketing enables to understand consumer behavior with the help of these devices in the field of marketing, to develop marketing strategies based on these behaviors, and to make arrangements in matters such as the sale and presentation of products and services. These arrangements are prepared to develop successful spot-on efforts within the strategic planning of important marketing activities such as product design, advertising campaigns and brand positioning etc. Through these methods, the consumer's brain and nervous system movements are generally evaluated with reports such as the activation and change of the consumer's brain and nervous system movements in the face of a certain object, color, shape, brand and similar research tool, and how the electrical fluctuations between the neurons of the nerve cells are evaluated. The analysis of the data obtained provides important information to understand consumer buying behavior.

What are the Main Neuromarketing Techniques?

EEG (Electroencephalography): The EEG technique used in neuromarketing involves the measurement of electrical waves transmitted to the brain by electrodes. EEG also measures consumer reactions based on instinctive emotions such as anger, excitement, pain and pleasure at the lowest cost.

fMRi (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging): This method, often used in cognitive research, measures brain metabolism and changes in brain metabolism. By providing access to the so-called "pleasure zone" in the brain, fMRi makes significant contributions to academic studies. Its cost is higher compared to other techniques.

Eye Tracking: Eye tracking, which measures eye movements, uses small infrared cameras to record eye movements and the dilation or contraction of pupils. In neuromarketing studies, the issues that brands seek answers to with this technique are the behaviors of the consumer in the face of a product or a specific object in the store or store. For example, the answer to the question of how much the pupils dilate when they see a packet of crisps gives clues about their feelings about that product. Likewise, it is a technique that sheds light on issues such as what she focuses her attention on in the store, how she reacts to posters and advertisements.

FACS (Facial Expression Recognition): It is a technique that allows observing how the consumer's emotional reactions are reflected on his/her face through a high-resolution camera. It is used to analyze consumer behavior by predicting facial expressions by analyzing them together with other neurometric and biometric data. For example, the smile of a consumer looking at a sponsorship poster for the benefit of women in the window of a lingerie brand can be analyzed with this method.

ECG (Heart Rhythm): The electrocardiogram, a medical method that measures heartbeats and rhythms, can be used in marketing to monitor the arousal process of consumers. For example, in the pre-launch study of a game console, it becomes possible to measure the excitement response of users to the game with this method.

GSR (Skin Conductivity): The GSR technique, which is used to increase the effects of advertising efforts, is a technique that enables the evaluation of emotional and sympathetic responses by measuring the electrical conductivity of the skin. GSR, whose full name is 'galvanic skin response', helps to identify strong emotions. Since strong emotions cause more sweat secretion from the sweat glands that cause impulses in the sympathetic nervous system, strong emotions can be detected through physical response with this method.

Examples of Neuromarketing Applications in Brands

Neuromarketing is a marketing model that has been used in Turkey since 2011. Among the brands that use neuromarketing for advertising in Turkey are Pınar, Garanti, Turkcell, Fiat, Ülker, Eti and Bosch. In other countries, neuromarketing has a much longer history. PayPal used neuromarketing techniques to determine that ads focusing on speed elicited more responses than safe ads and created a new advertising strategy and campaign based on the data obtained. It is known that Steve Jobs' Apple brand utilizes neuromarketing in all campaign strategies and acts according to the insights obtained before all product launches.

In a neuromarketing research conducted for the world-famous Chrysler, the effects of automobiles on the male brain were examined and after 12 male users connected to an MRI device were shown different sports cars and models, the brand's marketing efforts were organized in line with the evaluations of the consumers and the strategy of displaying sports cars in the showrooms is another important example.

In summary, within the scope of presenting and exhibiting many local and global brands and their products; many marketing applications, from the design of the stores to the music played in the store, from the clothing choices of the employees to the in-store scents they use and many other arrangements, are prepared based on the results of neuromarketing research.

The Future of Neuromarketing

Neuromarketing is not yet as popular with global brands due to some disadvantages, such as brands finding the costs too high. However, it can be said that if this disadvantage disappears with the further advancement of technology, the star of neuromarketing will shine. In addition, developments in the field of science are also expected to shape the development of neuromarketing. In this way, it is possible for evaluations to yield healthier results. Thus, special specialties in this field may be among the important professions of the future.