Firms Partner to Uncover Unconscious Purchasing Behaviours

In Belgium, neuroimaging firm Imagilys and neuromarketing agency Brain Impact have joined forces to uncover the unconscious behaviour of consumers, which they say may represent up to 95% of the decision-making process.

To find out how the brain reacts to an advertisement, the companies use neuromarketing techniques, whereby the volunteer is stretched out in an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner, and local areas of their brain are stimulated by audiovisual material, such as advertisements or product tests. Images of the brain are then taken every few seconds to identify those cerebral areas which are activated during the presentation of a given stimulus.

As an example, recent blind taste tests conducted by a team of researchers showed that the majority of participants said they preferred the taste of Pepsi, despite the fact that they buy more Coke.

Through the use of the MRI technique, the firms found that invoking the Coke trademark activated large areas of the brain linked to memory, which they say demonstrates that consumers are more influenced by their memory of the trademark than they are by the taste of the product.

The companies are currently developing neuroimaging services for the European market, which they believe could help clients tailor the effectiveness of their communications and the quality of their products to the conscious and unconscious needs of the consumer.

Web sites: www.imagilys.com and www.brainimpact.eu .