In recent years we have suspected that our phones and computers are listening to us and learning our patterns and behaviours. We have even joked about it when we have heard Siri ask us to “please repeat that?’ from across the room. Apple has now also incorporated face emojis where the camera AI interprets your mood through facial expressions and gestures to create personalised emojis. In truth, technology is more advanced than we give it credit for, and marketing research agencies are the kings of what we call neuromarketing, that is digital marketing.
What Is Neuromarketing?
Some might have a general understanding of neuromarketing through pop culture references like the Anime, Ghost in the Shell, where future generations plug their brains into computers via cable ports in the back of their necks. Others might recall Tom Cruise in Minority Report when Tom’s Character triggers a series of ads on the shop windows, selling him items he needs like medicine, hygiene products and more. This is still very futuristic but is based on the simple principles of neuromarketing.
When we talk about neuromarketing, we talk about our senses like, smell, sight, touch, hearing and taste in response to an environment and the inevitable reaction to an event. This can be the smell of bread in a nearby bakery that draws you in, or the music playing that inhibits your behaviour and puts you in the the mood for fun or pleasure seeking activities, like shopping, food or entertainment.
Olfactory Neuromarketing is being utilised around the world with such examples as cotton fragrances in clothing stores to influence sales and British airways spreading herb fragrances in their terminals to give the feeling of wide open and calm spaces, like you are already on holiday. In Australia it can be the smell of bread down the road from the local Subway Sandwich bar.
Recently, the world has seen the release of AI Digital billboards and street advertising that use gaze tracking algorithms to detect when someone walks by and self activates, as well as using facial recognition software to effectively target your audience, often with minimal insight or public awareness. This new technology is helping neuromarketing to become a far more powerful tool in viral digital marketing and customisation without the risks of over exposure, a “cooked” campaign.
Neuromarketing Data Research Available In Australia.
Image credit: From TV Show Magda’s Big Health Check – Combat glasses detecting the affects of junk food advertising on Children
On our Australian TV screens, we have seen technology that is used to record live information as we experience the world around us. If you had the opportunity to Watch Magda’s Big National Health Check, you would have seen a pair of AI glasses in action, recording and analysing a child’s wonder around Melbourne’s CBD.
The technology ‘Combat Glasses’, was originally designed by the military to determine combat readiness in environments. However, in a world first, an Australian Researcher, a professor for the Institute for Health Transformation at Deakin University, has repurposed this technology to scan for behaviours relating to junk food advertising in children. The technology works by analysing eye movement and focusing behaviours on subjects in their view, capturing the child’s POV as they move around. It was able to termine how quickly a junk food ad on a passing tram affected the child neurologically, focusing their pupil dilation, blinking frequency and length of gaze.
In 2024, Australia is only beginning to roll out research and data mining in neuromarketing, and according to a research study conducted in 2021 by students from the University of Technology in Malaysia, Australia has yet to reach the top 10 countries in the world doing research on neuromarketing and it’s benefits. In fact, by comparison, Australia significantly lacks specific regulations around neuromarketing practices, leading to the introduction of entrepreneur research scientists developing their own resources.
Why Is Neuromarketing So Important?
Neuromarketing, also known as subliminal marketing, a term associated with negative influences of marketing and “brain control”. This is where advertisers deliberately encode instructions or messages into advertising to encourage their target audience to act or think in a specific way, such as go and buy a burger from a specific brand.
A famous illusionist in 2021 Darren Brown, explored the trickery and deception involved in subliminal advertising and messaging in his London show ‘Trick of the mind’, where he used techniques learned in his trade, ‘subliminal persuasion’ to influence two advertising specialists into creating specific ad concepts of his making. This of course raises many red flags for ethics in advertising and the need for regulation in neuromarketing.
Australian Universities have begun developing research programs to study the effect of advertising and to help train Australia’s new generation of marketers and advertising specialists on effective practices in new age marketing and their results on any given community.
Credit oOh!media Australia
How You Can Use Neuromarketing To Reach Your Company Goals
On the brighter side, Neuromarketing can help to clear the field of ineffective marketing practices, help avoid brand cognitive dissonance and encourage pursuits in more targeted marketing strategies to consumers who are more likely to purchase and use their product.
At Ignite Search, we utilise the latest research and practices on buying behaviour to maximise the impact of your advertising without resorting to a blanket advertising policy. We know repetitive and indirect marketing can annoy your audience and aim to lead by example in the Australian Marketing Industry as well as exceed your fiscal marketing budget.
If you are interested in a targeted digital or branded marketing campaign to help elevate your business and turn your business vision into results, you can contact us for a free consultation or follow our blog for more great marketing insights and the latest trends.
References
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-australian-retail-2024-beyond-trend-2-using-cjl8c/
