Novel approaches to consumer outreach for advertisers

Neuromarketing: Unraveling Consumer Responses to Advertising through Advanced Methodologies,

Self-report methodologies have been embraced in marketing endeavors to assess and discern consumer reactions to stimuli in the marketing domain, particularly in the realm of advrtising practices. As elucidated by Carrington et al., these methodologies primarily capture conscious responses, including perceptions, approach/withdrawal attitudes, and thoughts, towards advertising. However, it's imperative to note that self-report methods are inherently limited in their ability to measure unconscious or subconscious responses, which constitute a substantial portion of consumer reactions, such as decision-making. In response to this limitation, researchers and marketers have increasingly turned to neuroscience tools, such as electroencephalography (EEG), to delve into the unconscious responses of consumers, giving rise to the burgeoning field known as "Neuromarketing." The term "neuromarketing" was coined by Smidts in 2002, and it encompasses an interdisciplinary domain merging psychology, marketing, and neuroscience. Fortunato et al. credit the Bright House Company with popularizing the term, acknowledging their establishment of the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) laboratory for marketing research.

In the fiercely competitive landscape, neuromarketing has become a linchpin in advertising, offering a unique opportunity to gauge consumers' neural responses and emotional reactions to advertising. This revolutionary field facilitates a deeper understanding of subconscious and unconscious consumer responses. The literature underscores that technological advancements in neuroscience have significantly enhanced comprehension of consumer behavior across various contexts, with advertising being a focal point. Consequently, leaders in marketing and advertising have harnessed these technological tools to drive innovation, enhance success, and mitigate task conflicts. Ramsoy categorizes neuromarketing tools into four clusters: neuroimaging, physiological measurements, self-report methods, and behavioral measurements. Neuroimaging tools, for instance, have been instrumental in gauging emotions, attention, and memory in response to advertising, while physiological tools like galvanic skin responses (GSR) and eye-tracking (ET) provide valuable insights into consumer attitudes, such as approach and withdrawal. Behavioral measurements, such as the implicit association test (IAT), gauge consumer reaction times, and self-report methods capture conscious behaviors, including approach/withdrawal attitudes.

The pioneering fMRI investigation in neuromarketing by McClure et al. significantly contributed to practical studies in the field, garnering attention from academia and industry alike as a means to overcome the limitations of traditional marketing methods and reduce consumer social bias. Despite this attention, a comprehensive understanding of global trends in advertising research within the neuromarketing field remains elusive in academic studies. Additionally, there is a dearth of investigations detailing the neurophysiological and physiological techniques employed to study unconscious/subconscious consumer responses to various forms of advertising, such as YouTube video scenes, TV ads, public health ads (antismoking), and initiative ads (encouraging the use of seat belts in cars). This study aims to fill these gaps by conducting a thorough analysis of the extracted articles, providing a precise and concise conclusion. The contributions of this work can be summarized as follows:

1. Offering a profound evaluation of current advertising research methods employed to investigate unconscious and subconscious consumer behavior, encompassing emotional dimensions, perceptions, reward processes, and approach/withdrawal motivation towards advertising.

2. Providing an overview of current neurophysiological and physiological tools utilized in advertising within the neuromarketing context between 2009 and 2020.

Trends and Advances in Advertising Publications

Seventy-six articles utilizing neuromarketing tools were identified in the Web of Science (WOS) database. The inception of neuromarketing studies can be traced back to McClure et al, who pioneered the exploration of neural correlates in consumer behavior, specifically in the context of brand choice and decision-making, with a focus on Coca-Cola versus Pepsi Cola in 2004. Subsequently, Morris et al. conducted the initial investigation into advertising, discovering significant associations between brain gyri regions and pleasure/displeasure as well as high/low arousal.

The period from January 2009 to December 2020 witnessed fluctuations in the number of published articles related to advertising, with the peak occurring in 2020, marked by thirteen publications. The exploration of these articles for the development of this review enabled the classification of global academic-research trends and advancements in advertising and neuromarketing into two main categories: (i) the utilization of neuroimaging and physiological tools in advertising; and (ii) the exploration of consumers' brain processes in the advertising realm, including emotions, motivation, reward processes, attention, perception, and memory.

Physiological Instruments Employed in Advertising Research

The predominant neural-response recording tool identified in advertising research is Electroencephalography (EEG). Renowned for its non-invasive nature, EEG captures unconscious and subconscious consumer responses toward advertisements by monitoring voltage changes in frequencies at various scalp regions. The 10–20 global system delineates electrode locations on the scalp, designating areas such as prefrontal (Fp), frontal (F), parietal (P), occipital (O), central (C), and temporal (T). Despite its excellent temporal accuracy (measured in milliseconds), EEG exhibits relatively poor spatial accuracy, estimated at 1 cm3 on the scalp. Its cost-effectiveness and lack of noise further enhance its appeal.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) represent non-invasive metabolic tools capturing oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the brain. While fMRI boasts superior spatial accuracy (1–10 mm3), fNIRS demonstrates less precise spatial accuracy (4 cm in cortical-activity regions). Both techniques exhibit acceptable temporal accuracy, measured in seconds. Their application in marketing research focuses on recording consumers' subconscious and unconscious responses to marketing stimuli, encompassing preferences, perceptions, purchase decisions, and choices. The portability, affordability, and silence of fNIRS contribute to its appeal as a promising neuroimaging technique.

Eye-Tracking (ET), a portable technique, monitors physiological reactions like eye movements, pupil dilation, saccades, and fixation in response to marketing stimuli. Widely acknowledged for measuring consumer attention, eye fixations during text reading and video scene observation typically last between 200 and 350 milliseconds. Saccadic eye movements have a duration of 200 milliseconds, collectively forming the scan route, crucial for analyzing visual perception and cognitive purposes. Pupil dilation, coupled with a prolonged blink period, offers valuable insights into cognitive processing.

Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and Electrocardiogram (ECG) tools gauge emotional reactions to ads. GSR records sweating levels, while ECG measures heart rate and heartbeat. Both instruments assess the autonomic nervous system, providing reliable insights into consumers' emotional states and changes in skin conductance.

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) identifies customer attitudes towards marketing stimuli, such as brands or ads, by recording reaction times. Electromyography (EMG) measures facial reactions, including pleasure or displeasure, towards advertising, playing a pivotal role in extracting valuable information about customer perceptions. This facial-expression analysis aids marketers and advertisers in understanding both visible and concealed facial muscle reactions, thus enhancing their comprehension of consumer responses to ads.

Cognitive Dimensions in Advertising: Unveiling the Role of Emotion and Feelings

Emotion and feelings play pivotal roles in understanding and elucidating the physiological responses of consumers towards advertising stimuli. The concept of feeling, being a conscious aspect of emotional status, stems from individual judgments regarding the pleasure or displeasure levels induced by advertising. This conscious evaluation serves as a valuable means to comprehend and articulate the consumer's emotional state. Numerous research studies affirm that feelings evoked by advertisements serve as robust indicators of consumer responses. In contrast, emotion, as an unconscious facet of emotional status, is linked to automatic somatic responses, such as an increased heart rate under specific conditions like fright or anger. These emotional responses are integral for decision-making, learning, and problem-solving.

In the realm of advertising, both feelings and emotions are harnessed by marketers to capture consumer attention, thereby enhancing purchase intention. Emotions, accompanied by changes in the autonomic nervous system (e.g., zygomatic and corrugator facial muscles, heart rate), provide rich information about the emotional status of consumers, making the study of emotions a focal point for researchers and advertisers alike.

Emotion, constructed from a neural network in the brain, underlies fundamental psychological activities such as memory, perception, and salience detection. Defined as the set of changes in an individual's physiological, subconscious, and unconscious responses based on their experiences, emotion is intricately linked to the relationship between humans and their environment, encompassing physiological, behavioral, appraisal, and expressive subcomponents. The cognitive and neurological dimensions of emotion's role in decision-making have been extensively explored through Damasio's somatic marker hypothesis. Researchers have established two dimensions for measuring emotional responses towards stimuli: valence/balance (reflecting pleasure or displeasure, excitement or depression) and arousal (indicating high or low levels of excitement).

Valence signifies the positive or negative emotional status elicited by external stimuli, measured along a continuum from positive to negative. In parallel, arousal denotes the level of excitement, ranging from high to low levels. This dual-dimensional framework provides a nuanced understanding of the emotional dynamics evoked by advertising, shedding light on the intricacies of consumer responses in the cognitive landscape.

In conclusion, the intersection of neuromarketing and advertising research has unveiled a multifaceted landscape rich with tools and methodologies to decipher consumer responses at both conscious and unconscious levels. The growth of publications in this field, highlighted by a surge in 2020, underscores the increasing importance and relevance of understanding the neurophysiological underpinnings of advertising. Physiological tools such as EEG, fMRI, fNIRS, ET, GSR, ECG, IAT, and EMG offer diverse avenues to explore the intricate dimensions of consumer reactions. EEG, with its non-invasive nature and cost-effectiveness, stands out as a prominent tool for gauging unconscious and subconscious responses. Meanwhile, fMRI and fNIRS provide insights into metabolic processes, with fMRI boasting superior spatial accuracy. The consideration of brain processes in advertising further emphasizes the significant role of emotions and feelings. The conscious aspect of feelings, intertwined with judgments and evaluations, complements the unconscious facet of emotions, which correlates with automatic somatic responses. Both are harnessed strategically in advertising to captivate consumer attention and enhance purchase intention. The evaluation of emotional responses, guided by dimensions such as valence and arousal, adds depth to our understanding of consumer behavior. Emotions, intricately woven into cognitive and neurological frameworks, serve as crucial elements in decision-making. The nuanced insights derived from the study of emotions contribute to the effectiveness of advertising strategies. This comprehensive overview of neuromarketing tools and the consideration of emotional dimensions in advertising not only provide a holistic understanding of the current state of research but also offer valuable insights for marketers, advertisers, and researchers alike. As the field continues to evolve, the integration of advanced tools and a deeper exploration of consumer psychology promise to shape the future landscape of advertising, paving the way for more effective and resonant campaigns.