Techalyzer

Brain imaging technology is usually used for medical purposes, such as diagnosing strokes or finding tumors. However new uses for it have been discovered by marketers.  This brand of entrepreneurs are actually known as neuropreneurs.   This is a whole new breed of marketers that are using medical technology to spy on us to find out what turns us on or makes us geto out that credit card to pay for something.

Brain scans can help marketers see what goes on in our brains when we see products like cars, compuers or clothes that we really like.  Parts of the brain change on the scan and the marketers see these activated areas as evidence that we buy something.  Literallly areas of our brain actually light up when we like something.

Marketers say that they can use information from brain scans to help created improved products and services. However consumers are worried that if neuromarketers know what turns us on they will just learn how to exploit our brains so they can buy stuff from us.

Is this just another myth about the multi uses of technology? A recent article published by researchers at Carnegie Mellon, Stanford and the MIT Sloan School of Management reported that brain activation patterns captured by fMRI scans can be used to predict purchasing decisions, at least in laboratory studies.  An experiment was conducted in which the subjects were each given twenty bucks to spend on themselves or priced products that appear on a computer screen. 

Researchers discovered that the part of the brain circuit that activates pleasure lit up when the subjects were shown certain products.  This part of the brain is called the acumens nucleus.  If the subjects did not like what they saw the nsula which plays a part in the experience of painful emotions such as fear, disgust and anger was activated. The scientists were able to use these patterns of activation to accurately predict whether participants would choose to purchase each item.

The neuroscientists used taste tests and MRI scans to understand at the neurological level why Coca-Cola always outsells Pepsi. Brain scans showed increased activity in an area of the prefrontal cortex associated with thinking and judging when participants were shown a Coke can before tasting a beverage. The researchers concluded that brand information was significantly influencing participants’ preferences.  Just think of the potential for marketing us anything once marketers know how to activate these areas of our brain!

The question is now whether it is ethical for marketers to use these tactics in order to convince us to buy things or to wipe the competition out of the market.