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Category: neuromarketing

  • Difference between neuroscience and neuromarketing

    Difference between neuroscience and neuromarketing

    The importance of practice (with context) for the understanding of theoretical results

    Even for people who already work in the field, the differences between the scope, scope and meaning of neuroscience and neuromarketing are not always very clear.

    I would like to comment on a presentation made at the last neuromarketing congress, held in March 2017 in London and organized by NMSBA – Neuromarketing Science and Business Association.

    Although the specific contributions of each area (‘neuroscience’ and ‘neuromarketing’) can be complementary, it is essential that the limitations to their respective applications are previously known and considered as resources to support business decision-making.

    Without intending to deepen a technical or theoretical discussion, I allow myself to exemplify the difference, in a very practical way, with a real case that demonstrates how different the two areas are.

    Real case

    The case was about a German tea maker who wanted to change and also rejuvenate its already very traditional packaging, since it is a company with more than 80 years of experience in the market.

    Two new packaging proposals were initially developed by a specialized design agency and previously approved by the tea maker’s own marketing team.

    In order to support the choice of the most suitable packaging and minimize possible risks, the board would like this decision, due to its importance, to be based also on the most modern techniques available on the market.

    Therefore, a company specialized in neuroscience was hired, with access to the most appropriate equipment and resources for this evaluation, including comparing the results with the actual packaging itself.

    The manufacturer’s expectation was that, with neuroscience, it would be possible to choose the most appropriate packaging alternative and capable of adding different attributes of the new positioning sought, supported by what was most scientifically pertinent.

    Among the different attributes sought in the packaging were the rejuvenation of the brand, modernity, innovation, but without giving up the other associations already existing and incorporated into the product and the brand over time by consumers.

    The results

    The different packages were evaluated and compared explicitly and implicitly, including the use of magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), with the results being quite clear that one of the new options has a greater emphasis, coinciding with the choice of the marketing team itself.

    This situation, consequently, generated considerable confidence as to the most appropriate choice to be made, as the results also point scientifically and technically to the same solution.

    It is important to keep in mind that, often in ‘conventional’ techniques, such as in qualitative and quantitative research, situations where the results are somewhat conflicting are not uncommon, demanding a more subjective interpretation, which adds uncertainty to borrowers decision-making and the research agency.

    In this case, decision made, new packaging approved, investments made, products displayed on supermarket shelves and a great expectation for results.

    The surprise

    To general surprise and perplexity, what was observed were unexpected and unexplained declines in sales, something to be repeated month after month, even after all the investment made and the initial certainty regarding the choice made.

    Even more desperation from managers, not sure what to do now, but in any case aware of the need to better understand what would have caused the failure in sales.

    Thus, it was decided to hire a new company, in this case an agency specialized in neuromarketing, initially to review the entire packaging evaluation process already carried out.

    The new evaluation

    There being no doubts about the process, an assessment of the context and the process of acquiring the tea was then put into practice, with the observation of how the product purchases normally occur in supermarkets, one of the most relevant distribution channels.

    The filming and recording of a woman, young – less than 35 years old, full-time worker, mother of 2 young children, shopping in a supermarket with her young children, was particularly decisive in understanding the problem.

    The image of children irritated by the unattractive situation, the consumer with very little time to choose the products, without the ‘desired’ or ‘idealized’ reflection in front of the gondolas for a rational choice of products were very familiar elements to most who helped understand the reason for low sales.

    It was clear that the consumer’s decision regarding the choice of brands for the different products on the shopping list was almost always taken in a matter of milliseconds, apparently bearing in mind the objective of accomplishing this task in the shortest possible time.

    Familiarity

    One of the crucial aspects observed in the purchasing process was the importance of the consumer’s ‘familiarity’ with the product, more specifically in this case when analyzing its packaging.

    It was observed that this ‘familiarity’ was due to the recognition of the manufacturer’s brand, its typical colors, the logo, that is, the visual aspect of the packaging itself, which is already well known by consumers.

    It turns out that the new packaging of the product had almost no trace of familiarity with the old packaging, either in terms of colors or its graphic elements, in spite of the favorable results obtained with neuroscience.

    In other words, despite all the positive aspects of the new packaging verified with the tests carried out, there was no longer an association of the product already known by its consumers to the new packaging now presented on the shelves.

    Most consumers left the supermarkets with the impression that the product was not available on the shelves, without bothering to carry out a more detailed search, perhaps due to the lack of time, the pressure of the children, the rush to complete the activity, etc.

    Consequently, by not finding what they ‘were looking for’, consumers ended up choosing a ‘similar’ product, from another competitor, also positioned on the shelves, like all other players in the category.

    The solution

    With the identification of the problem at the point of sale, the manufacturer reevaluated the existing packaging options and opted for one that, although it did not deserve the best evaluations in neuroscience tests, still maintained greater traits that enabled the consumer to associate with the previous mark.

    That done, tea sales returned to expected levels and recovered the share that had been lost to the competition.

    The message that remains, in no way constitutes a condemnation of neuroscience or its techniques, but about the need to also consider neuromarketing and the resulting implications.

    The complementarity that conventional techniques of market research and opinion, such as ‘ethnography’, ‘in-depth interviews’ or even ‘product clinics’ should not be overlooked and still play an important role in these analyzes.

    More information:          Kochstrasse – Agentur fuer Marken

    NMSBA – Neuromarketing Science & Business Association

    World Forum – Londres – março 2017

  • Like & Dislike in Advertising

    Like & Dislike in Advertising

    It almost always seemed to me a considerable exaggeration to expect that advertising campaigns should make people fall in love with brands, products or services.

    Even when it comes to admired and inspiring companies like Apple, Coca Cola, Google or Microsoft or products like Nespresso, i-phone, it may be a little too much to talk about the consumer’s ‘love’ for brands or products.

    In my opinion, an advertisement reaching the goal of making a person ‘like’ a brand, product or service is already a considerable challenge, even more thinking about items such as: toilet paper, toothpaste, banks, insurance, telephony cellphone etc.

    In this way, the evaluation of ‘like & dislike’ – ‘likability’ – consists of something more realistic, more plausible and more logical, if we think in terms of conquering the target audience through advertising.

    There are different studies on the market in the market, some including those from the ARF – Advertising Research Foundation, highlighting the predictive potential of ‘likability’, while others are already less emphatic and even skeptical.

    The way in which ‘like & dislike’ has been measured in conventional research is mostly based on two classic formulations: ‘Did you like the advertising you watched?’ And ‘Would you like to watch it again?’

    It is important to note that both the usual findings of this ‘likability’ are based on the declaratory and rationale of people, regardless of whether they are qualitative or quantitative approaches.

    Far from stating that the results obtained in these formats are invalid, the point that deserves to be discussed is the extent to which such an evaluation would be sufficiently correct or adequate for an evaluation of advertisements.

    A point to be considered in this ‘traditional’ criterion is the risk that respondents ‘(or participants’) responses will be contaminated by ‘politically correct’.

    The format also does not allow for a more refined metric in terms of precision, tending to polarize between the two extremes (‘liking’ and ‘not liking’) which, in a way, makes it difficult to identify the necessary adjustments or even comparisons with the competitors.

    On the other hand, when we evaluate the existing possibilities of measuring the same ‘like & dislike’ of advertisements with the resources of neuromarketing, the options present themselves with much more abundance.

    Initially, it would be worth highlighting the multiplicity of measurement techniques available and capable of fully meeting such expectations, certainly with better results.

    The techniques range from the assessment of the participants’ facial expressions, through the skin current, pupil dilation, EEG (electroencephalography), among others.

    Each of the techniques offering more precise results, and especially much more sensitive to the reactions of the participants, in scales and frequencies that allow a more accurate understanding of the impacts.

    Unlike conventional research, the collection pattern with these techniques allows an evaluation of advertising, according to the second, which facilitates the identification of interventions and corrections in a more precise way.

    In addition, the analysis of the results also with eye tracking makes it evident to what extent all elements of the commercial were (or were not) perceived by the participants.

    This is an important finding as it makes it possible to know which elements are influencing ‘likability’ and those that still need to be highlighted, whether for the message, for the brand itself or for the context.

    The main point to be praised would be the great reliability of the results obtained by the simple fact that they are totally spontaneous biometric measurements, not subject to interpretations or rationalizations.

    The numerical format of the results of these techniques constitutes another relevant differential as they are accessible and understood by everyone, regardless of technical knowledge.

    Unlike conventional research, where the diagnosis of ‘likability’ could be interpreted as an ‘approval’ or a ‘death sentence’, with neuromarketing it is possible to improve and build a solution.

    Having overcome the expected initial fears about the novelty of the approach, and overcoming the barrier of mistrust between the agency (creation) and research (analyst), it is to be expected that a new working relationship can be built.

    This relationship of partnership, with a much more intensive use of these research techniques, not only with the campaign concluded, but since its creation, so that the steps can be tested already in the hatcher.

    It is important to note that such a cooperation process between the advertising agency and the research company would in no way imply any interference in the creation process itself.

    Even because, it is clear that this expertise is lacking for research specialists, but it is likely that working together and with greater proximity between the parties will certainly result in more effective campaigns.

    more information:

    Faris Yakob, Being well liked

  • Brand loyalty and neuromarketing

    Brand loyalty and neuromarketing

    The meaning and scope of what is ‘loyalty’ has undergone considerable changes, as did most of the ideas and premises we were used to with the advent of the digital age.

    Several voices even advocate the end of the search for ‘loyalty’ to the brand for the most varied reasons, be it the high investments made without the expected return, the inefficiency of the programs in ensuring increasing sales, etc.

    Until recently, the understanding of what was loyalty was satisfied, or restricted, to a mere repetition of purchases, if possible, in a constant manner and as often as possible, and that’s it.

    The idea was almost exclusively centered and restricted to the transactional, as in the loyalty programs where every 9 purchases the consumer would get the 10th product for free, or in the discount coupons.

    In principle, both sides (brands & consumers) would be satisfied and prepared to start a new cycle, on the same basis, with the same format, in a repetition without much differentiation.

    The truth is that the concept of ‘loyalty’ in the digital age has been gaining different connotations and a much broader understanding, something that has started to demand a differentiated response from brands.

    In the digital age, the idea of ​​‘loyalty’ has come to encompass different connotations that are very different from the objectives sought at the time when the relationship of the brand with the consumer was fundamentally with physical presence.

    Not anymore! There are growing signs that consumers are no longer completely satisfied with the solutions of the old model and indicate a growing expectation for something more, in addition to the transactional one.

    Increasingly, ‘loyalty’ has been linked by consumers to brands providing a remarkable experience, consistently over time and, above all, adding more value to the relationship.

    But how do you ‘deliver’ to the consumer a better experience? What are the factors to be observed by the brands for this delivery to meet the new expectations and materialize in the ‘loyalty’ sought?

    The idea is to go beyond transactions and create attitudes and behaviors among consumers, such as the ‘lawyers’ of the brand, the ‘passionate’ for the brand and the ‘promoters’ of the brand.

    These are consumers who defend, advertise and promote the brand to acquaintances, to co-workers, to family members and (mainly) on social networks.

    These are consumers who, in return for the experience received, in recognition of the product or service purchased, spontaneously begin to praise, propagate and comment positively on the brand.

    In other words, this still new ‘loyalty’ exists and is achieved when consumers go beyond mere purchases and naturally take an active stance, with concrete and spontaneous actions aimed at the brand.

    Unlike the conventional ‘one-to-one’ effect, what comes into being is ‘one-to-hundreds’, ‘thousands’, perhaps even ‘millions’, given the exponential effect that social networks have.

    There are basically three aspects to be sought by brands to provide consumers with a better and more remarkable experience: relevance, usefulness and purpose.

    Relevance is related to knowledge by the brands of the consumer journey, in facilitating the decision making of these people and in offering what is already known to be of interest to them, using big data as a platform.

    This is the case with Amazon or Netflix suggesting new products based on their previous preferences, or from what a large number of people are already choosing at this time.

    The examples do not stop there, they also extend to Booking.com, to Airbnb, to i-food, to Uber, to international publications, among so many other active brands and already acting according to this new model.

    Providing simple and coherent experiences with the history of each one, that facilitate the choice for the consumer, ‘lost’ among multiple options, is an important stimulus to the growth of sales and consolidates the ‘loyalty’.

    The utility consists of using the resources that the digital medium provides so that the consumer experience is not only interesting, but also easier, more pleasant, that solves problems and eliminates difficulties.

    The experiences that achieve these goals add value, retain customers and can still be fun, such as the ASOS application that, from photos, identifies pieces of clothing similar to the customer’s taste, or allows the clothes to be tried on at home free of charge.

    Or as they already occur in certain hotels, where it is possible for the guest of your room to check the account via the web, authorize the debit and no longer need to go through the checkout queue, combining simplicity with ease.

    The examples are multiplied with boarding passes on cell phones, hotel rooms that do not require the use of keys or check in, functionality buttons that already select the last option of pizza ordered, speeding up the process, etc.

    The purpose refers to how brands expose and disclose what they are, think, value. Although many initiatives predate the digital age, with current resources such actions have gained a lot in visibility and in their repercussions.

    The objective is to strengthen the relationship, reinforcing values ​​and creating an identification of the consumer with these ideals, as to justify the purchase of these products, encouraging them to feel better people and contributing to worthy causes.

    Case of Patagonia and responsible consumption or recycling of used parts, Airbnb with a special program to assist people who are victims of natural disasters such as the hurricane in Florida, Adidas with Team Messi (Twitter, Facebook or Instagram), where 94% of the participants were new to the brand and currently have an average spend of 10 euros on e-commerce.

    However, like almost everything, it is a double-edged sword. The success in the strategy can take the brands to the heights and with much more ‘loyalty’, but, on the other hand, the error can imply the loss of the consumer, the de-characterization of the brand and a reductionism, back to the transactional one.

    The challenge then for research is how to measure the type, quality and intensity of the experience provided to the consumer. How to assess whether the experience has had an impact and whether it is transmuted into future purchases?

    Although some answers may come from the conventional techniques of market research, it is clear that there are limitations and the need for more answers.

    Scales of options such as ‘yes & no’ or ‘good & regular & very poor’ are not the most appropriate metrics, they do not allow for greater progress in evaluating experiences, even though they are a relevant starting point.

    Neuromarketing, in conjunction with conventional research, already has techniques and tools to assess most of these issues in more depth.

    In the end, the answers sought consist in the evaluation of the reactions caused by the experiences, at which point they were impactful, where they differed from the competition, and to what extent they were constituted in permanent effects.

    Responses with neuromarketing are more appropriate because they are not based on ‘rational’ or ‘declarative’, but on ‘emotional’ and ‘reactions’, spontaneous and instinctive people to these stimuli & experiences.

    Therefore, these metrics are much more sensitive and credible, either because of the precision of the technical resources employed, or because of the notorious inability of most people to describe precisely the feelings or emotions

    The truth is that many of us don’t even know how to properly interpret these emotions, perhaps describe them or put them in numbers, which is why neuromarketing can and should be a solution to be used with increasing frequency.

    more information:

    Amy Brown, Rethinking ‘loyalty’ in the age of digital, Admap, November 2017

  • Perspectives for the use of facial expressions

    Perspectives for the use of facial expressions

    Facial Expressions

    The human face (facial expressions) consists of a vast panorama in constant movement of what is happening in our most intimate state of mind, with a considerable diversity of nuances and great complexity.

    Humanity has always been developing, in a natural way, the ability to understand the facial expressions of others, initially as a survival strategy (friend / enemy), and currently aiming at relationships of all kinds.

    Based only on sensitivity and intuition, we all spend a considerable amount of time interpreting, analyzing and reacting to the perceptible signs of facial expressions of bosses, spouses, teachers, partners, co-workers, strangers, relatives. , etc.

    With the technology and the capacity of data processing increasing, the face of each one of us and the information that is transmitted spontaneously for some time has ceased to be just the way we present, relate or behave in public.

    Far from merely signaling our momentary state of mind or our reaction to situations, people or facts, this whole set of data has been increasingly treated as something strategic and object of intense studies.

    The use of facial expression analysis continues to grow, whether with Apple using it to unlock the i-phone, in churches in the United States trying to attract believers, in England identifying those responsible for shoplifting, with the police in Wales arresting suspects at football games in China identifying undisciplined drivers, allowing tourists access to certain attractions, among others.

    In the medical field, some applications are very promising, such as the early diagnosis of genetic diseases such as Hajdu-Cheney syndrome, in hopeful attempts to treat autism, in determining whether a person is depressed or whether the pain is real or psychological.

    All these new features have sparked heated discussions regarding the invasion (or not) of privacy, since, for example, the identification of sexual preferences reached 81% of correctness by the algorithm, while people (without the resource) 61% of the time they made that identification correct.

    There would therefore be a potential risk of discrimination on the part of companies, for example, in the recruitment of employees, so much so that legislators in some countries in Europe are already moving towards considering biometric data as information belonging to the people themselves and not something. in the public domain.

    But, going back to the types of applications that would interest us, the fact is that facial expressions, most of the time, communicate more and better than words, either because they are spontaneous, sincere, natural, because they reflect the real feeling or emotion , and above all because they are not rational.

    It is thus an important resource to be used in a complementary way to the other existing techniques in neuroscience and market research, in order to understand what people do not know, cannot or may not want to verbalize.

    Paul Ekman was the pioneer in the analysis of facial expressions with his research even in the 60s. Among his greatest contributions, there is evidence of the existence of at least 6 human emotions, which can be identified regardless of gender, age or even of culture.

    This study resulted in the decoding of these emotions in different combinations of 46 types of facial movements that allowed different applications from animations to lie detector.

    With the advancement of technology and the greater capacity for processing information, the uses of this knowledge have expanded considerably. Basically the algorithm consists of measuring the movements of a series of points virtually created on the participant’s face in relation to other fixed points.

    Thus, the position of the mouth, lips, cheeks, eyebrows, eyelids, wrinkles etc. they are constantly compared with other points (like the tip of the nose, the chin), with the pattern of the facial expression of each one and also with a reference table, allowing the identification of emotions such as joy, confusion, frustration, surprise, fear, anger, disgust, etc.

    In studies that Checon has already carried out, it is possible to assess how much a particular commercial is pleasing (or not), to what extent this involvement is positive (or not), in which excerpts from the commercial are necessary adjustments or reinforcements, all without even asking the participants , always in a clear, objective way, which can be understood even by those who are not even in the area of ​​neuro or research.

    The same types of conclusions are possible in the evaluation of people’s reactions to a political discourse, in order to understand if there is understanding or engagement, which are the passages that need more clarity, if there is approval, acceptance, always in a non-invasive way, without even not even interact directly with the participants.

    In works on website usability, the difficulties in performing certain tasks are evident with negative facial expressions, or with expressions of anger, doubt, dissatisfaction or frustration, even if not admitted in the participants’ ‘rational’ testimony.

    Another very interesting use of facial expressions is the analysis of consumers’ reactions to store windows, making it possible to identify the impact caused, the strengths and weaknesses of each option, even the attractiveness as an ‘invitation’ to people for the inside the establishment.

    Not to mention the food industry analyzing facial expressions in tasting tests or preferably between products in blind tests, or in banks evaluating reactions to ATMs, or automakers evaluating the behavior of drivers driving or identifying signs of drowsiness behind the wheel.

    Micro expressions offer a valuable contribution in the evaluation of decision making, being able to predict whether a certain purchase will be made (something that a flash of disgust can deny), or if a certain price is appropriate (something that an expression of joy can confirm and one of anger may disprove).

    Since, in most cases, these micro expressions are not even perceived by the participants themselves, because they are spontaneous reactions, they are more reliable predictors than the (often) politically correct answers (not infrequently) that compromise many of the predictions of sales.

    The choice of a candidate and the intention to vote also fit perfectly into this assessment of decision-making in a seemingly more reliable way than the mere rational statement by voters.

    There is impressive data as to the correctness of the voting intentions of American voters in the 2010 presidential election, based only on the facial expressions collected in the Obama & Romney debate that reached 73% confirmation, without asking any questions.

    More information:       The Economist – What machines can tell from your face

    The New Yorker – We know how you feel

    Paul Eckman – Facial Action Coding System