NEUROMARKETING:Beyond the buzz
Transcripción
NEUROMARKETING:Beyond the buzz
Implications for the future Our view? Current neuromarketing techniques can't yet replace conventional market research in brand and advertising applications. The results yielded by brain studies are too general and open to interpretation to be useful in isolation, and the procedures involved are often too cumbersome and expensive to apply broadly. of different approaches as they evolve. However, we feel reassured by our work to date that well designed survey and qualitative approaches do not miss anything vital. While consumer responses may be subject to a variety of influences, they still represent a robust means for evaluating both brands and advertising. Current neuromarketing techniques can't yet replace conventional market research in brand and advertising applications. This does not mean there is no future potential for neuroscience techniques to be applied in market research. They hold the potential to identify the transient or early responses to brands and advertising and so add to our current understanding based on introspective verbal responses. Neuroscience remains one of the most interesting and potentially valuable avenues open to us as researchers and we will continue to actively investigate the merits NEUROMARKETING: Beyond the buzz It is every market researcher’s dream: an objective view of consumers’ innermost thoughts, unobscured by the confounding influences of interviewer and question biases and respondent post-rationalization. That is the promise of "neuromarketing," an emerging discipline which uses neuroscience techniques to understand consumers’ responses to brands and marketing. So how does the reality match up to the promise? M I L L W A R D A p r i l B R O W N ’ S 2 0 0 6 The Technology Techniques used in neuromarketing today include both brain imaging and brainwave measurement. Brain imaging techniques, such as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG), produce wonderfully detailed 3-D images which highlight activity in different areas of the brain as the subject performs an assigned task. However, the technology is not particularly convenient to use; it tethers both researcher and subject to an immobile apparatus which is expensive to operate, and it requires that the subject's head be positioned inside a large machine. A more flexible approach is brainwave measurement, or Electroencephalography (EEG), which uses electrodes placed on the scalp to measure the electrical activity of the brain. While the information it provides is much less precise than that from imaging techniques, EEG technology has the advantage of being relatively unobtrusive, and allows research subjects to enjoy some freedom of movement. Beyond the buzz – What does it mean? The various brain measurement techniques show us parts of the brain "lighting up" in response to stimuli, but what those brain responses actually mean is subject to interpretation, based on neuroscientists’ understanding of what different brain structures do. This understanding is not as complete or stable as many believe. For example, we reviewed the results of the fMRI experiment conducted by neuroscientist Marco Iacoboni at UCLA in February, 2006. Five volunteers viewed ads which aired during the U.S. Super Bowl. Iacoboni reported that a scene in one ad, GRAHAM PAGE Global Director of Innovations Millward Brown [email protected] www.millwardbrown.com www.mb-blog.com ALL ARTWORK IS HI-RES UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED MECHANICAL CREATED AT 100% OF ACTUAL SIZE COLOR OUTPUT IS 100% OF MECHANICAL SIZE Date: 3/13/06 Job #: Program Description: Millward-Brown POV Template Element: Flat Size: 8.2675” x 11.693” Finished Size: 16.535” x 11.693” Fonts: Digital File Name: Page 1 of 2 Program: Quark 6.5 Colors*: PMS 383 PMS 7491 P O V PMS 2748 *Printer: Colors indicated are simulated for layout purposes, DO NOT MATCH COLOR ON COLORBREAK OUTPUT Relying solely on the brain response in a particular region, without probing the subjects’ conscious experience of an event, may lead to faulty conclusions. in which a caveman is crushed by a dinosaur, produced activity in the amygdala, a midbrain structure which is present in all animals. The amygdala is involved in emotional processing, including "fight-or-flight" responses. Iacoboni interpreted the activity in this region as an indication that the respondents perceived the scene as threatening. However, the respondents themselves reported that they found the ad funny. While Iacoboni highlighted this as a "disconnect between verbal reports on ads and brain activity while viewing the ads," we don't really regard these responses as contradictory. Part of the amygdala's job is to respond to sensory input which suggests a potentially dangerous situation, e.g., "There's a snake!" But that same sensory input is subsequently evaluated by other parts of the brain, which may conclude "No, it's only a twig." The accompanying release of tension often manifests itself in a humorous response to a situation which may have initially appeared threatening. Thus the apparent disconnect may simply be a reflection of the fact that the brain as a whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. Relying solely on the brain response in a particular region, without probing the subjects’ conscious experience of an event, may lead to faulty conclusions. This example also raises the question of whether neuromarketing really reveals the "unconscious" mind. Historically, our understanding of brain function has come from work with animals as well as people who have experienced brain damage. Much of our new learning in this area comes from studies in which "normal" (i.e., not braindamaged) individuals verbalize their reactions to a stimulus, such as a frighten- ing picture, while their brain activity is simultaneously observed. We are able to associate areas of the brain with emotions because people are able to describe the emotions they are experiencing. Therefore, when we observe portions of the brain light up, we are not so much observing the unconscious as the neural underpinning of a conscious experience. Putting science to the test If neuroscience techniques can provide meaningful and discriminating results, they can certainly be useful in consumer research. But as a practical matter, they When we observe portions of the brain light up, we are not so much observing the unconscious as the neural underpinning of a conscious experience. also need to provide additional insights not already supplied by survey research if they are to justify their additional cost. To put neuromarketing to the test, Millward Brown joined forces with the U.S. company Brainwave Science. We compared the results of our TVLink™ advertising pre-test to those obtained using Brainwave's patented EEG brain-measurement technique. The results were compelling. The scenes in the test ad which generated the strongest brain response were the same scenes which TVLink identified as the most emotionally powerful. The weak brain response recorded for scenes featuring the brand was consistent with the TVLink finding that the ad was not well-branded. (For more details on this experiment, see Admap, September, 2005.) Clearly the Brainwave Science approach passed the first test above; it provided meaningful insights about advertising. Yet the survey-based research yielded similar findings, so the incremental value of the neuromarketing data in this case is questionable. In fact, the data from Brainwave Science could not be fully understood without also referring to the survey data, which uncovered the nature of the consumers’ reactions to the copy, e.g., did they feel good or bad about what they were seeing? Did they find the joke funny? Without answers to questions such as these, we can't make concrete recommendations to our clients. Relying solely on the brain response in a particular region, without probing the subjects’ conscious experience of an event, may lead to faulty conclusions. in which a caveman is crushed by a dinosaur, produced activity in the amygdala, a midbrain structure which is present in all animals. The amygdala is involved in emotional processing, including "fight-or-flight" responses. Iacoboni interpreted the activity in this region as an indication that the respondents perceived the scene as threatening. However, the respondents themselves reported that they found the ad funny. While Iacoboni highlighted this as a "disconnect between verbal reports on ads and brain activity while viewing the ads," we don't really regard these responses as contradictory. Part of the amygdala's job is to respond to sensory input which suggests a potentially dangerous situation, e.g., "There's a snake!" But that same sensory input is subsequently evaluated by other parts of the brain, which may conclude "No, it's only a twig." The accompanying release of tension often manifests itself in a humorous response to a situation which may have initially appeared threatening. Thus the apparent disconnect may simply be a reflection of the fact that the brain as a whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. Relying solely on the brain response in a particular region, without probing the subjects’ conscious experience of an event, may lead to faulty conclusions. This example also raises the question of whether neuromarketing really reveals the "unconscious" mind. Historically, our understanding of brain function has come from work with animals as well as people who have experienced brain damage. Much of our new learning in this area comes from studies in which "normal" (i.e., not braindamaged) individuals verbalize their reactions to a stimulus, such as a frighten- ing picture, while their brain activity is simultaneously observed. We are able to associate areas of the brain with emotions because people are able to describe the emotions they are experiencing. Therefore, when we observe portions of the brain light up, we are not so much observing the unconscious as the neural underpinning of a conscious experience. Putting science to the test If neuroscience techniques can provide meaningful and discriminating results, they can certainly be useful in consumer research. But as a practical matter, they When we observe portions of the brain light up, we are not so much observing the unconscious as the neural underpinning of a conscious experience. also need to provide additional insights not already supplied by survey research if they are to justify their additional cost. To put neuromarketing to the test, Millward Brown joined forces with the U.S. company Brainwave Science. We compared the results of our TVLink™ advertising pre-test to those obtained using Brainwave's patented EEG brain-measurement technique. The results were compelling. The scenes in the test ad which generated the strongest brain response were the same scenes which TVLink identified as the most emotionally powerful. The weak brain response recorded for scenes featuring the brand was consistent with the TVLink finding that the ad was not well-branded. (For more details on this experiment, see Admap, September, 2005.) Clearly the Brainwave Science approach passed the first test above; it provided meaningful insights about advertising. Yet the survey-based research yielded similar findings, so the incremental value of the neuromarketing data in this case is questionable. In fact, the data from Brainwave Science could not be fully understood without also referring to the survey data, which uncovered the nature of the consumers’ reactions to the copy, e.g., did they feel good or bad about what they were seeing? Did they find the joke funny? Without answers to questions such as these, we can't make concrete recommendations to our clients. Implications for the future Our view? Current neuromarketing techniques can't yet replace conventional market research in brand and advertising applications. The results yielded by brain studies are too general and open to interpretation to be useful in isolation, and the procedures involved are often too cumbersome and expensive to apply broadly. of different approaches as they evolve. However, we feel reassured by our work to date that well designed survey and qualitative approaches do not miss anything vital. While consumer responses may be subject to a variety of influences, they still represent a robust means for evaluating both brands and advertising. Current neuromarketing techniques can't yet replace conventional market research in brand and advertising applications. This does not mean there is no future potential for neuroscience techniques to be applied in market research. They hold the potential to identify the transient or early responses to brands and advertising and so add to our current understanding based on introspective verbal responses. Neuroscience remains one of the most interesting and potentially valuable avenues open to us as researchers and we will continue to actively investigate the merits NEUROMARKETING: Beyond the buzz It is every market researcher’s dream: an objective view of consumers’ innermost thoughts, unobscured by the confounding influences of interviewer and question biases and respondent post-rationalization. That is the promise of "neuromarketing," an emerging discipline which uses neuroscience techniques to understand consumers’ responses to brands and marketing. So how does the reality match up to the promise? M I L L W A R D A p r i l B R O W N ’ S 2 0 0 6 The Technology Techniques used in neuromarketing today include both brain imaging and brainwave measurement. Brain imaging techniques, such as Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG), produce wonderfully detailed 3-D images which highlight activity in different areas of the brain as the subject performs an assigned task. However, the technology is not particularly convenient to use; it tethers both researcher and subject to an immobile apparatus which is expensive to operate, and it requires that the subject's head be positioned inside a large machine. A more flexible approach is brainwave measurement, or Electroencephalography (EEG), which uses electrodes placed on the scalp to measure the electrical activity of the brain. While the information it provides is much less precise than that from imaging techniques, EEG technology has the advantage of being relatively unobtrusive, and allows research subjects to enjoy some freedom of movement. Beyond the buzz – What does it mean? The various brain measurement techniques show us parts of the brain "lighting up" in response to stimuli, but what those brain responses actually mean is subject to interpretation, based on neuroscientists’ understanding of what different brain structures do. This understanding is not as complete or stable as many believe. For example, we reviewed the results of the fMRI experiment conducted by neuroscientist Marco Iacoboni at UCLA in February, 2006. Five volunteers viewed ads which aired during the U.S. Super Bowl. Iacoboni reported that a scene in one ad, GRAHAM PAGE Global Director of Innovations Millward Brown [email protected] www.millwardbrown.com www.mb-blog.com ALL ARTWORK IS HI-RES UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED MECHANICAL CREATED AT 100% OF ACTUAL SIZE COLOR OUTPUT IS 100% OF MECHANICAL SIZE Date: 3/13/06 Job #: Program Description: Millward-Brown POV Template Element: Flat Size: 8.2675” x 11.693” Finished Size: 16.535” x 11.693” Fonts: Digital File Name: Page 1 of 2 Program: Quark 6.5 Colors*: PMS 383 PMS 7491 P O V PMS 2748 *Printer: Colors indicated are simulated for layout purposes, DO NOT MATCH COLOR ON COLORBREAK OUTPUT