Digital marketing draws ideas from the new science of consumer behavior

Thanks to technological advances, both the way companies advertise their products and the way consumers buy, have changed. This change in the market led to the emergence of neuromarketing, which became an important tool for predicting consumer behavior. Human brain is like a treasure chest, but it is full of memories, thoughts and ideas that we accumulate throughout our lives. They condition our decisions consciously and unconsciously. Neuromarketing helps us decipher the mechanisms that drive certain decisions and learn how to adapt to them.

As digital marketers, we deeply study and analyze the consumers’ minds to connect with their thoughts and feelings and understand what drives them to buy a certain product or service and how they make decisions. We believe, like many other colleagues, that consumers are driven by their emotions when shopping. However, statistics do not always reflect reality. For example, Statista published a study on the reasons that build trust in a certain store among consumers. The main factors are prices (62%), its code of ethics (32%), and positive reviews on forums and blogs (25%).

These reasons are dictated by rational analysis. Often, however, the impulse to enter one or another store can be hidden in the color, the motto or the window, as well as, for example, the song that is currently playing inside. However, when answering a survey, consumers mention their rational reasoning much more often than their subconscious urges.

This is where neuromarketing comes into play.

What is neuromarketing?

Neuromarketing is a new science of consumer behavior. It studies how consumers’ brains respond to advertisements and other brand-related messages. It studies brain wave activity and tracks eye movement and skin reaction. Its main purpose is to predict consumer decision-making behavior. Thanks to it, marketers can predict how a given product, service, or marketing campaign will perform.

Consumer behavior and neuromarketing: methods of obtaining information

Neuromarketing uses a variety of techniques and research methods. In some cases, they are tools of neuroscience, and in other cases, they are popular methods without scientific backing.

Neuromarketing uses neuroscience tools that monitor brain activity and biometric data to determine how consumers respond physiologically to marketing messages.

Among the tools used to scan the brain are functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and positron emission tomography (PET).

The first tracks cerebral blood flow by continuously measuring it. It is considered the best tool for tracking activity deep in the subcortical region of the brain. The second tool uses sensors placed on the subject’s scalp to track brain cell activity. MEG measures magnetically the areas of the brain where there is activity, and PET is the least commonly used tool because it is invasive and requires a scanner. It measures changes in brain metabolism, in addition to blood flow, volume, and oxygenation.

In addition, physiological indicators of brain activity can be measured through eye tracking, biometrics, and face decoding.

Eye tracking notes where a person focuses over some time and therefore shows their interest. An example of this is research conducted by American neuromarketing specialist Roger Dooley. It investigated viewers’ visual behavior on two baby product advertisements. In the first ad, a baby is looking at the product and in the second, it is looking at the camera. The research reports that when the baby is looking at the product, the viewers also turn their gaze toward it, and when the baby is looking at the camera, they do not pay attention to the product. The bottom line is this: the focus of the ad should be the product you’re trying to sell, not the actors or set.

Biometric data helps classify user behavior after viewing a particular ad by measuring heart rate, respiratory rate, and skin conductance. Facial decoding involves reading the subtle muscle movements of a subject’s face to gauge their emotional response.

Neuromarketing, senses and emotions

Neuromarketing incorporates ideas from neuroscience, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. It is no coincidence that digital marketers are turning to neuromarketing to create emotional marketing strategies that make it easier for consumers to make a purchase decision. For this purpose, the conclusions of several studies are used.

Neuromarketing techniques tap into the five senses. Storytelling is a very powerful weapon and this is proven through ads that create context and story, embedding the product in an emotional narrative that connects with the target audience. They undoubtedly attract more user attention.

We know that each color is associated with a specific feeling or mood and we should keep this in mind when we want to convey a certain message. If there is such a mismatch between the vision and the message, many consumers will reject the ad without even being able to consciously explain why they did so.

A study by marketers Gustav Bergman and Felix Noren on the influence of design on consumer attitudes toward online stores concluded that sites with quality, user-facing design instilled a sense of trust in the store, regardless of what products it offered.

What does neuromarketing reveal about consumer behavior?

Although still in its infancy, neuromarketing has already confirmed some of the things marketers know from experience and observation.

• Emotions play an important role in successful marketing.
• 95% of decisions are made subconsciously.
• Social norms influence our behavior.
• Certain colors evoke a certain emotional response.
• Visual images are processed faster than words.
• Images of beautiful women, children, and puppies are always liked.
• Numbers like 99.99 are perceived as a better deal than round numbers like 100.
• The introduction and conclusion are important in how the message is perceived.
• Marketing elements that consumers identify as personalized elicit a positive response.
• Avoiding pain is a stronger motivation than seeking pleasure.

What is neuromarketing used for?

Neuromarketing can answer almost any question marketers have about their product, service, and advertising. Among the main applications of neuromarketing are site testing, product testing, TV ad optimization, business rebranding, brand building, cross-platform application testing, and more.

Neuromarketing is a science that helps markets better identify consumer wants and needs to improve their products, packaging, promotion strategy, pricing and more. Shortly, neuromarketing may revolutionize the understanding of consumer behavior and basic marketing principles. It is predicted that more companies will adopt neuromarketing methods to understand their market and get a good return on investment. Major global corporations such as Google, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), and Amazon have had neuromarketing departments for years. If used ethically, neuromarketing could also benefit consumers, as companies could provide relevant products and services that improve their lifestyles.