Neuromarketing is a type of marketing where companies test brain waves by using EEG sensors and eye-tracking devices to see what attracts a consumer when they are watching TV or walking around a store. According to a recent article in the New York Times by Natasha Singer, many well known companies have used neuromarketing in order to learn what their consumers want. In this respect, companies can target their specific market with individual needs and wants so they can be more accurate and not waste advertising space with unnecessary items. It saves the consumer time, and the company money.
Why can't I just buy what I want/need? Why do I need companies going inside my brain to pick out what they think I might like? Granted, marketing firms try to make money by selling this information to big named companies, but at the same time, I don't really want people creeping around inside my brain. Isn't it pretty much a violation to my privacy? Everyone has their secret little pleasures that they don't want people to know about. I mean, when I walk down the grocery aisle my brain waves go crazy when I look at peanut butter. Do the marketing people really need to know this? Well, maybe this way they would stock up with bigger containers of JIF.
However positive this may appear at the current moment, this seems like it will lead to more companies trying to get deeper into the consumer's brains and eventually invade their privacy and turn them into machines, where they produce what they think we want and need. I think Cypress Hill did a great job summing it up in a few words, "Crazy insane, got no brain/Insane in da membrane."
Nice blog post, but wouldn't it be easier if we were able to walk into a supermarket and all the items that we need are already there? It would cut down on time for the consumer, and cost for the producer. This extra time, that we don't have to spend looking for the items that we want, could be used for more useful things. If marketers already knew what we wanted, then we wouldn't have to waste the time thinking for ourselves. However, I agree that privacy will be an issue as neuromarketing becomes more relevant. It will be interesting to see how far marketers will go in order to get you to purchase their products, even before you may know you need them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, take a look at my blog for more information on this subject.
ReplyDeleteNeuromarketing is a great tool for companies to use because they actually save money by pinpointing exactly what a consumer wants. I think that the neuromarketing is a great to use in combination with consumer’s normal spending charts and results. The company can save money and the consumer will get what they want. So now, the question is once companies know that a potential customer likes a certain product, how much of that product will or will they not buy? Amanda, you love peanut butter, but just because you do does that mean you will buy a jar or two more than normal? The company now knows you love peanut butter but that does not mean that the purchasing power will increase due to it although it is a good indicator. Excellent blog post! I recently wrote a post about neuromarketing as well! Check it out: Jefo Marketing Reporter Blog
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that neuromarketing will save consumer’s time because we would already know exactly what we want when we go to the supermarket. Companies are also using this information on consumer preferences to make the exact products that consumers would want, which will increase their sales. However, as you stated, I don’t want marketers to get inside my brain and influence my purchase decisions without my knowledge. I feel that neuromarketing literally controls the behavior of consumers and it’s scary to think about what the future holds. It is definitely an invasion of my privacy and I’m afraid that marketers will cross the line and go too far to sell their products. Take a look at my blog for more information on neuromarketing.
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