The rise of Neuromarketing: a better understanding of consumer’s behavior?

The beginning of this century didn’t represent a relevant turning point only because it instituted a new millenium, but also because a new born science was created, obtained by the combination of different scientific disciplines with economic matters: the so called Neuromarketing.
Do you really think that the best or even the most profitable way to create and sell products and to achieve consumers’ consensus can be reached by simply asking if they like the packaging of a product? Or if they appreciate the design of that car? Or even if they declare that they are astonished by the new colors of that re-designed good? Of course, the answer is NO. The obtained answers are far away from what our real subconscious perceptions indicate. Our real and emotional preferences triggered by a product almost never coincide with what we rationally admit. Not because we want to lie to the interviewer or to ourselves, but just because only the 5% of our decisions are taken in a rational way, the remaining 95% are engaged by the irrational part of our brain: the subconscious. This is essentially the reason why Neuromarketng was created: to have the possibility to “speak” directly to our deep and hidden decision-making process and to create services or products that we really want and that we really need. Companies are desperately trying to find a speech code that could connect them directly with the “reptilian” part of the brain, which is the part that is truly believed to be the source of irrational decison making. The improvements obtained in this field, would prevent multinationals to invest and consequently to waste their money in projects, advertisements or products that will never make breakthrough in the minds of consumers. The mission for companies and marketers has switched from the unique focus on consumers’mind and superficial habits, to a deeper analysis of the real engines of purchasing behavior: now it’s time to concentrate on emotions and irrationality. Along my thesis, I will report all the most significant findings and experiments conducted by the most brilliant and competent researchers, scientists and neuropsychologists who paved the way for the emergence of this discipline. I will also answer to some of the main implications, either positive or negative, that have arisen with the introduction of Neuromarketing and I will describe the new developed technologies that have been adopted, also by comparing them with the traditional research methods used until now by marketers.
Many important ideas and concepts have been extracted by important authors such as Martin Lindstrom, Roger Dooley, Morin and Renvoise, that constitute the foundations for the realization of this report. The path for discovering this fascinating world begins with the encounter of the real source of origin of Neuromarketing, without which the entire existence of this relatively new marketing branch could not have been possible: the Neuroscience. The development and the application of its principles on economic issues, led to the exploitation of Neuroeconomics which symbolizes the tangible marriage between science and economy. The last part of the report focuses on the experiences and the interviews cordially released by several representatives of the world of Neuromarketing, in order to achieve a more accurate awareness of this scientific- economic discipline and to have real life testimonies. A customized interview was given to each one of the interviewees, with the target of obtaining personal and subjective information of their experiences and of their point of view regarding the world of Neuromarketing. They are structured on a tripartite division, each of which focuses on a well-defined topic: general and personal information of the interviewee, features of the company where he or she works and personal and provisional questions on Neuromarketing.
The intent and the final target of my thesis is to give a deep and objective presentation of an economic field that could seriously mark the future of global marketing, thanks to the revolutionary principles which is based on and the precision with which the results are obtained.