Neuromarketing: the hope and hype of neuroimaging in business

Nat Rev Neurosci. 2010 Apr;11(4):284-92. doi: 10.1038/nrn2795. Epub 2010 Mar 3.

Abstract

The application of neuroimaging methods to product marketing - neuromarketing - has recently gained considerable popularity. We propose that there are two main reasons for this trend. First, the possibility that neuroimaging will become cheaper and faster than other marketing methods; and second, the hope that neuroimaging will provide marketers with information that is not obtainable through conventional marketing methods. Although neuroimaging is unlikely to be cheaper than other tools in the near future, there is growing evidence that it may provide hidden information about the consumer experience. The most promising application of neuroimaging methods to marketing may come before a product is even released - when it is just an idea being developed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Advertising
  • Architecture
  • Brain* / physiology
  • Choice Behavior / physiology
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Cultural Characteristics
  • Diagnostic Imaging / methods*
  • Food
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Marketing / methods*
  • Play and Playthings
  • Politics
  • Reward