Many great stories have been told in series, editions, chapters and episodes because the details were too great to describe in just one part. Similarly, the details of neuromarketing that we covered in the previous article, was more like a thought-starter. This article would give a clearer picture of the scope of how it actually works, its applications and where is it headed.
Does it actually work?
Yes, it does! Neuromarketing is not just yet another fancy jargon that marketers get to throw around in pitch presentations. It is a reality today and the contributions have well-equipped us to break the traditional marketing research barriers. Gathering data through neuromarketing is done by various techniques that are used in today’s market in real-time.
Eye Tracking – When it comes to evoking visual attention, the eye-tracking tool is what helps the marketers determine the attention span of the advertisement, what product the customers are looking at in the supermarket. The fixation duration lasts on an average of 100 to 300 milliseconds.
Applications: Academics, marketing, psychology, gaming, simulation and many more.
Facial Expression Monitoring (FEM) – When technology and psychology come together, they are bound to create path-breaking innovations in every industry. Marketing especially has benefited a lot from their confluence and facial expression monitoring is the result of such a revolutionary concept.
FEM is unlike EEG and it is an unobtrusive and non-invasive procedure where the response can be recorded either online or in person. As the artists use in their art, the Navrasas (9 emotions) can be tracked and monitored through FEM.
Applications: TV, online advertising, packaging, website and many more.
Electrodermal Activities – In the world of consumer neuroscience, the phenomenon called electrodermal activities get under your skin, quite literally. It is an intricate way to measure the ‘Skin Conductance Level’ of the consumer through ‘Skin Conductance Response’ (SCR) tests. In simple terms, when you see an ad or watch a movie or listen to a song and you get goosebumps, that kind of response is measured.
When your body responds to certain things, the variation in sweat glands, stress, arousal of emotional excitement, etc. is measured through this technique.
Applications: Food, fashion, entertainment, media and many more.
So, now that we know neuromarketing actually works, let’s dig deep into the wide categories of applications where it can work wonders.
The Insight Application
Neuromarketing works well, just like any other concept, only when it is applied in the real market. The effectiveness of neuromarketing can only be measured when they are at work on real people in real conditions. For instance –
Product Design – When the packaging or the design or aesthetics of the particular product is appealing enough, it triggers a certain neural response and that can be measured through the tools that we discussed in the previous article.
Website/UX Testing – One of the most engaging aspects for consumers is the ‘experience’ part. If their experience is good enough, they are bound to come back for more and better ones. That’s where neuromarketing can help understand what triggers their attention and design the website UX accordingly.
Multi-Screen Ready/Cross-Platform Testing – Today’s consumers aren’t glued to their televisions or computer screens all the time, but they are always on the go. It is important to cater across all platforms where such a mobile generation can be reached. And the answer is (duh) by targeting them on multiple screens. Neuromarketing can help us understand which the most favorable platform is for these consumers and how effectively to communicate to them.
Second-by-second TV commercial Optimization – We now know that neuromarketing in advertising plays a major role in the visual appeal, product design and packaging and the overall experience. So, when marketers are equipped with tools to optimize their efforts in creating effective TV commercials, every second counts.
Audio Branding Testing – This is applicable mostly in media and entertainment where audio is a significant player. Determining the voice and sound quality of the voiceover, mood-setting, etc. all these points are measured through this testing. Audiobooks are the brainchild of this innovation, figuratively. Even the sound of the car door slamming can be measured.
Rebranding – One of the most noteworthy purposes of neuromarketing has been ‘rebranding’. How can a brand perception with a strong foundation be rebuilt using new ideas and sets of belief systems? Neuromarketing can help in ways more than one. Data doesn’t lie and using the research properly can recreate a brand image like never before. The changed logo of Pepsi is one major example.
Will Neuromarketing survive in the future?
Neuromarketing is here to stay. One of the reasons that companies are skeptical to use it is because of its expensive tools. The research data that neuromarketing can provide in terms of consumer psychology and buying behavior can be of extreme importance. Companies need to realize that investing in these tools can generate potential RoI and impact marketing communications tremendously.
At 3 Dots Design Pvt. Ltd., it has been our constant belief that understanding consumer psychology can impact the entire marketing process in a huge way. One wrong insight or miscalculated data can lead to an avalanche of miscommunications which can further snowball into destroying the brand image of the agency as well as the client. Therefore, being one of the top digital agencies in Pune, we focus entirely on market research and design the best communication strategy for our clients. It’s always brains over brawns here (sometimes a mix of both unless we’re in a wrestling match)!