A survey states that 85% of the decisions are taken at a subconscious level and only 15% decisions are taken cognitively. But today researchers are developing strategies to study the subconscious mind of a person so that they can invoke the feelings or atleast stir the human emotions by advertising the products in such a way that an average human will be inclined to buy it.
Marketing majorly deals with human emotions, One example would be the retail marketing where the customers are exposed to so many products, such that after a certain limit people tend to buy products which they may never need in their life. Marketeers have started studying the techniques of capturing human emotions and their sub conscious reactions to stimuli and using them to promote products which somehow become a visceral compulsion. As said by Retail expert Paco Underhill in his interview, giant retailars like walmart and best buy uses the idea of offering consumers lot many options so much so that the buyer gets lost in the world of products which are available in every price range, attractive packagings and more or less the same use, using customer wait time or window shopping.It's a proven fact that these techniques affect the consumers at a level where they end up buying things even if they dont intend to use it.
Here the question is should we allow someone to peek inside our mind, read our thoughts and develop a scheme to sell their product? Traditionally surveys were taken of a particular population and then a marketing strategy was developed to appeal the masses but with the advent of neuromarketing critics fear that buyers will not only become more vulnerable but also intensify the marketing related diseases like anorexia or bulimia. Critics also believe that neuromarketing can trigger negative values and create an altogather different generation than it would have been, may be in a negative connotation.
Neuromarketing, If used as a tool can definately help a marketer to smoothly enter the market and then only the product quality will help to establish a significant share of market. One thing we should understand is that neuromarketing is certainly not a hypnotism where people are put under a spell forever and are made to buy things continously whether they like it or not. Its an urge created by the marketers so that their advertising becomes more effective and people somewhere can relate themselves with the advertisement to use the products.
I always thought that marketing is a science which had the art of convincing others to buy a product. Neuromarketing certainly is an advanced science but lacks creativity. Its like appearing for an exam whose questions are previously known.
Sources: Businessweek, BBC
Neuromarketing, If used as a tool can definately help a marketer to smoothly enter the market and then only the product quality will help to establish a significant share of market. One thing we should understand is that neuromarketing is certainly not a hypnotism where people are put under a spell forever and are made to buy things continously whether they like it or not. Its an urge created by the marketers so that their advertising becomes more effective and people somewhere can relate themselves with the advertisement to use the products.
I always thought that marketing is a science which had the art of convincing others to buy a product. Neuromarketing certainly is an advanced science but lacks creativity. Its like appearing for an exam whose questions are previously known.
Sources: Businessweek, BBC
No doubt that marketing will aim to affect our subconscious level, since our decisions are really taken there. Buying a product, to some extent, is like knowing a person, since you gather almost all the information related to his or her level of confidence, attitude and others only within a few seconds after meeting him or her. After a few minutes, you have almost all the information you need to know about the person. I agree with you about the ethic dimension of neuromarketing regarding the diseases it can produce on consumers. I would also include the oniomania, commonly known as compulsive shopping or buying, which is a psychological disorder that affects the lives of a lot of people. I think that neuromarketing is a valid and powerful tool that will face a lot of ethical issues on its way.
ReplyDeleteIt has been argued for a long time that neuromarketing is used as a weapon to manipulate consumers. But for the most part, people believe they choose their own paths and so same should apply to the consumers who should maintain their free will while purchasing products than falling prey to what they feel is manipulation. Although the primary goal of neuromarketing, to convince consumers to purchase clients' products, which is obviously not wrong; not all neuromarketing is a manipulation of consumers. Good neuromarketing brings information to life, bad neuromarketing is style over substance and ultimately fails, but nonetheless contributes to the perception that neuromarketing only exists to "trick" people into purchasing needless products.
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ReplyDeleteI personaly believe that neuromarketing techniques can not manipulate customers thought process.These techniques control the the message from the brain not the customer thoughts. I read in many blogs about unethical concerns of neuromarketing, but I do not think its unethical. These techniques will help customers buy what they want. By reducing guesswork in marketing companies and customers both will benefit.
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