Neuromarketing Washington DC

fMRI (Functional magnetic raisonance imaging)

I-Neuromarketing or marketing scientific ambition

Neuromarketing relies on the development of new techniques of magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that allow not only to "photographt" the brain in a three-dimensional space with great precision, but also to pin point its activity at any given moment through the so-called functional MRI (fMRI).

These new instruments of fMRI allows it to observe the consumers cerebral  activity when subjected to different stimuli. They can be used by companies to analyze the reactions triggered by their products or advertising and  seek ways to improve their persuasion by identifying the brain imaging signals (visual, sound ...) that trigger the desire, pleasure ....to trigger purchase act

Companies  like,   Coca Cola, L’Oreal, Nestle, Daimler Chrysler,  Now Nielsen and Google who have  always been  looking for new ways of understanding and persuading consumers,  have quickly understood the colossal benefits of Neuromarketing .

It opens, in fact, many new market  perspectives  emerged in the United States in the early 1990s, research in neuromarketing, involving companies and university laboratories, tend to multiply, even if they remain quiet because of the fear they inspire in the public . Thus, major groups such as L'Oreal, Altadis or Camel test these tools to investigate brain over the last ten years. Levi-Strauss, Alcatel, Ford and Delta Airlines are investing, too, in these methods to refine their strategies.

II-The Fields of application of neuromarketing

Neuromarketing research, which aims to enable a better understanding of the factors of memory or greater ability to steer the purchasing behavior of consumers, have today highlighted the cerebral event preferences to brand.

Protocol studies in this area is, at least in principle, quite simple: a representative sample of consumers is formed and volunteers are asked individuals to fill up a questionnaire to identify their preferences in relation to products and / or specific brands. Then, the brain activity of these people is recorded with fMRI, while they are projected images of products and / or marks or not corresponding to their tastes.

The results suggest that the degree of preference of individuals (for a product or brand) can be observed by a differential activation of specific parts of their brain.

One of the most interesting part in this regard was conducted by Read Montague in "Baylor College of Medicine." thanks to fMRI, brain activity of people drinking Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola, at two consecutive samplings, one blind and the other marks found.

The analysis of the responses of brain areas linked to pleasure has shown that if the second drink seems more fun than the first in the blind tasting test, the results reversed when tasting brand discoveries (even if affected areas of the brain were no longer exactly the same).

This test seems to show that the reputation of a brand is taken into account in the assessment shown by individuals. The powerful image that Coca-Cola has built through its communication campaigns alter our perception of that product or, at least, the gratification that one experiences in the eating.  

The influence of the brand of a product in the mind of a consumer would therefore result in a brain, more satisfaction than the sensations transmitted directly by the taste.

III-The Limits of neuromarketing

1 - Ethical Boundaries: Towards consumer instrumentalisation?

According to Olivier Oullier psychologist, a researcher at the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences at the University of Florida, "the ethical and moral development are numerous. The specter of Orwell plane, so that no company has so far publicly admitted to using neuromarketing.

It will be up to legislators to decide on the legality of the use of such studies. To date, there is clearly a legal vacuum on the application of neuroscience for non-medical purposes "This has led" Commercial Alert ", an association of civic vigilance (" watchdog group "), claim to the federal agency specialized in the monitoring of medical research ( "U.S. Office for Human Research Protection), a survey on the work conducted by Emory University (linked to the institute" BrightHouse ™ Neurostrategies Group ") arguing that this could, ultimately, help companies sell products "

The U.S. Office for Human Research Protection, "after verifying that the research conducted by fMRI met the federal requirements in terms of ethics, has allowed an opinion of February 17  2004, stressing that it was not within its purview to evaluate the possible long-term effects of potential applications that could be drawn from the knowledge from basic research

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