Making Ads That Whisper To The Brain

What happens in our brains when we watch a compelling TV commercial?

According to The New York Times for one thing, certain brain waves that correlate with heightened attention become more active, according to researchers who have used EEGs, or electroencephalographs, to study the brain’s electrical frequencies. Brain waves that signal less-focused attention, meanwhile, tend to subside.

In other words, this is your brain on ads.

If pitches are to succeed, they need to reach the subconscious level of the brain, the place where consumers develop initial interest in products, inclinations to buy them and brand loyalty, says A. K. Pradeep, the founder and chief executive of NeuroFocus, a neuromarketing firm based in Berkeley, Calif.

Volunteers in NeuroFocus marketing tests wear a fabric cap that houses EEG sensors and an eye-tracking device while they look at a commercial, use a Web site or view a movie trailer. The dual devices enable researchers to connect the volunteers’ brain patterns with the exact video images or banner ads or logos they’re viewing.

Add all those electrical patterns together, he says, and “you find it represents the whispers of the brain.”

And the brain-whispering business seems to be booming.

Continue Reading: “Making Ads That Whisper To The Brain”

Photo by flickr.com.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *