Neuromarketing is the junction between science and marketing techniques. Based on studies of brain processes and how they are triggered, neuromarketing seeks to measure these neurobiological activities when there is exposure to brands, advertisements, and other marketing strategies.

This science aims to identify which areas of the brain are activated in the decision-making processes of consumers. That is, when there is a purchase action, which also involves the acceptance of a brand or product, the brain behaves in a specific way. This is what neuromarketing proposes to study and measure.

From this type of research, it is possible to identify and test which types of strategies most attract and please the public. Many experts even believe that this type of study is the key to predicting consumer behaviour in the buying process. Harvard experts say that 90% of all types of information that reaches the brain is processed unconsciously. This means that it is almost impossible to control how you react when exposed to some publicity, because often this kind of reaction is impossible to verbalise.

How can we measure and understand consumer reactions if verbal questioning is not possible? It is precisely at that moment that neuroscience enters, responsible for studying, interpreting and measuring the unconscious reactions of consumers. Thus, neuromarketing can be used to identify consumer acceptance (or non-acceptance) reactions to brands, packaging design, products, online platforms, and various other aspects.Using advanced technology, neuromarketing captures indicators of neurological, psychological and physiological content, which can range from the electrical activity of the brain to even the movement of facial muscles, heartbeat, sweat and body language.

Neuromarketing goes beyond conventional research

Traditional research fails to capture certain types of information that can be omitted by personal and cultural barriers. Moreover, as we have said before, some reactions simply cannot be verbally expressed, which limits any research that wants to go deeper. Do not misunderstand it though! Traditional searches are still a great way to better understand the profile of your target audience. But when you seek reliability in the information about the behaviour of this audience, any conventional study will find limitations. That is why neuromarketing has been gaining more and more space. In addition to completing any more traditional study with valuable information on behaviour and neurological reactions, it provides an objective understanding of the consumer’s innermost emotions. In addition, because it is a scientific aspect of marketing studies, neuromarketing has a rigid and well-defined methodology, which brings much greater reliability when it comes to tabulating and analysing the data obtained.

Main areas of application?

First of all, it is important to understand that neuromarketing is not a new way of doing marketing. It is, in fact, a new method of studying it, functioning as an auxiliary tool in the decision making of the responsible sector of any company. Currently, neuromarketing has been used in basically 6 major areas of marketing. These are:

Branding

Well-built brands are ideas fixed in the consumer’s mind, being strengthened by the connections made by the brain with other elements. Neuromarketing is responsible for measuring these associations, identifying which areas of the brain are most affected when exposed to a particular brand. These associations can be made from the use of colours, shapes and other types of languages, commonly used in the branding process. It is already proven, for example, that the use of certain colours is responsible for activating certain areas of the brain, thus triggering feelings like hunger. The McDonald’s restaurant chain is a great example, as it uses attractive colours and shapes in its brand.

Product design and innovation

In this area, neuromarketing is responsible for measuring the unconscious response of consumers when they are introduced to new ideas and concepts of products and packaging, for example. This kind of reaction is automatic, disconnected from any conscious stimulus, and can tell much about the actual acceptance of these new ideas.

Decision Making

Perhaps one of the most important factors in marketing strategies, the timing of consumer decision making is crucial to success. Here, neuromarketing is responsible for showing, amongst other things, how the store environment is able to directly influence the way consumers make their decision-making processes and finalize their purchases. Understanding marketing influences at the moment of decision-making is essential to devise effective strategies that lead to the purchase.

Effectiveness of advertising

Nowadays advertising acts by unconscious means, seeking to be as direct as possible. The idea is to work the discreet insertion of elements that stimulate the consumer to perform some action or arouse in him the unconscious will to consume a certain product. From the studies of neuromarketing, it is possible to identify which of these elements are most effective and in what way they can be inserted in the advertising context.

Effectiveness of entertainment

Not only advertising can take advantage of neuromarketing surveys, but entertainment content can also benefit from this type of study. This entertainment material can be more influential than you think. It can affect even attitudes, preferences, tendencies, behaviours and actions, entertainment content such as series, movies and others, for example, are responsible for changing cultures and patterns. Experiences generated by this type of material are studied by neuromarketing so that valuable information can be extracted that can be applied in marketing strategies.

Online Experiences

Neuromarketing is able to indicate and measure which actions work best in consumer online experiences. From this type of study, it is possible to better redirect investments in online strategies, in order to more effectively impact the greater number of possible clients. Because neuromarketing is composed of a set of techniques and tools used to measure consumer reactions and behaviours, it can be applied in several other areas. It is even independent of the size of the company because its studies are comprehensive and take into account the unconscious responses of consumers.

How to adopt the technique?

When you want to carry out a marketing campaign or adopt strategies that put your brand in the spotlight, a study is invariably necessary. As we have already said, nothing prevents this research from being done in a traditional way; but when applied the precepts discovered by neuromarketing research, the result is more effective. Every consumer market is made up of people, even B2B. So, it’s nothing more natural than to study these people and their behaviours to effectively apply the right marketing strategies.

Get ahead of the curve and stand out amongst your consumers!

Neuromarketing still is a novelty. Brands and companies that use this type of technique leave the competition behind, since they choose to guide their campaigns in a science with high technological innovation.We can translate all the above-mentioned items into competitive advantage. This means that as it is still little used, neuromarketing has become a business card for companies that value the quality of targeting their campaigns. Correct selection of the public, development of layouts, packaging and redesign of brands based on the results of neuromarketing bring greater chances of success. Understanding your audience, how they think, and how they behave is the key to effectively developing marketing campaigns. To assist in this task, neuromarketing plays an important role in translating, in contract data, the way the consumer thinks, acts and behaves in the face of contact with brands, packaging, websites and many other marketing elements.

Thus, using neuromarketing studies to develop accurate campaigns that seek to draw the attention of as many consumers as possible is the key to getting ahead of the competition.