Vests and Tests for Super Bowl Watchers

In the US, media research firm Innerscope Research will be using biometric measurement to track the physical responses of people watching ads during next weekend's Super Bowl game.

Participants will wear a lightweight wireless vest that measures responses to what they are watching on the screen, including changes in heartbeat, skin conductivity and perspiration, respiration and physical motion. Over the course of the game, the measures will produce more than 100 million data points.

Boston, MA-headquartered Innerscope was founded in January 2006, by Dr Carl Marci and Brian Levine, and uses neuroscience and biometrics with its own proprietary software, to measure and analyze audience engagement with any media stimulus.

The pair say their study of 2008 Super Bowl ads, and subsequent performance on MySpace reveals strong correlation between emotions and behaviour.

A live biometric test was conducted among 30 fans during the Super Bowl, and to simulate a natural experience, participants were allowed to bring along a friend and to eat and drink (up to one alcoholic beverage per quarter) throughout the game. Innerscope then measured how ads fared on MySpace following the game.

'From a study of just 30 people, we predicted the behavior of millions, and did it more accurately than other measurement methods,' Dr Marci said. 'In last year's study, we were able to look forward eight months and predict which ads would receive the most online views and comments. If you can tap into viewers' deep emotional responses, you have a potential pull-through that can carry the consumer all the way to the point of purchase.'

Web site: www.innerscope.com .