Neuroscience: decoding the appeal of digital ads

The era of neuromarketing has arrived, but what does the fusion of neurological exploration and marketing mean, asks Michael Hudes

Are you watching that advert or is that advert watching you?

Imagine if brands were able to observe consumers’ reactions to digital advertising instantly, rather than waiting for clicks, social shares or brand mentions to measure impact. It may sound futuristic, but assessing real-time reactions is the next frontier of digital marketing – decoding neurological processes to understand advertising appeal.

Specialists in eye tracking are already cropping up in the UK and US, promising to map the consumer’s gaze to identify the most enticing elements of visual content. Electroencephalogram (EEG) machines are serving a new purpose in Germany as brain activity is tracked to monitor engagement with marketing material. Global tech giants such as Apple have also been quick to enter the neuroscience advertising market by investing in a start-up that uses artificial intelligence to analyse facial expression and detect emotion.

The era of neuromarketing has arrived, but what does the fusion of neurological exploration and marketing mean and what real-world applications does it offer?

The mechanisms that drive consumer behaviour have long remained a mystery for marketers, operating out of reach at a sub-conscious level. Marketers can monitor what consumers do but glean little insight into why they react in particular ways or respond with specific actions.

Why do consumers prefer certain products? What inspires a sudden purchase after a long period of deliberation? Why does the red banner get more clicks than the purple?
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Neuroscience brings these mechanisms into the light, exploring the neurological processes that determine the emotions, thoughts and decisions that advertising inspires. With new techniques such as biometric testing, neuromarketers can use advanced algorithms to unveil sophisticated insights and surprising behavioural patterns that yield huge potential for brands.

Using their newfound knowledge of what drives consumer behaviour, marketers can tailor messages accordingly and ensure they reach the audience at the optimal moment of receptivity. These techniques are already being put into practise in the political sphere. In Mexico a digital billboard showing an ad for a political candidate was equipped with a camera to read facial expressions and emotions, allowing the image and message to be fine-tuned to increase its appeal to passing voters.

The limitations of algorithms

The field of digital neuromarketing is still in its infancy and there are technological imperfections that need to be ironed out to achieve ultimate understanding. Analysis of facial patterns, for example, is not yet infallible. It can detect a change of facial expression when viewing an ad, but not necessarily what it means. The way individuals display emotion is subject to significant variance, meaning a consumer may look unmoved but actually feel very engaged. Therefore, evolving neuroscience to the level that it can accurately read all consumer reactions is no mean feat.

Algorithms are still being developed to master the intricacies of personal context, which will require in-depth insight into consumer activity and response. Neuromarketers must pinpoint the best environments to gather the detailed and accurate consumer data needed to serve messages that create strong reactions.

However, although the use of neuroscience in advertising is not yet perfect, it is certainly promising, and following increased research and improved understanding of how consumers’ brains and bodies respond to advertising, it could eventually become a better predictor than the more traditional measurements of opinion and behaviour.

Which screen holds the most sway?

To ensure brands have access to the highest quality data, it is essential to study the neurological impact of advertising on different screens and devices. For example it is widely assumed large screens such as TVs are particularly engaging and therefore provide superior consumer data, but what if another screen was more effective? To test this theory and understand how emotional engagement is influenced by various platforms from mobile to desktop, YuMe conducted research with Nielson.

In fact, the results showed the strongest emotional drivers were smaller-screened mobile devices, capturing and sustaining interest at higher rates than larger screens.

Smartphones and tablets – the devices closest to hand – generate a sense of intimacy and the greatest personal connection with consumers.

As competition in the digital marketing space intensifies, the ability to decode what makes ads appealing is more important than ever. This quest for illumination will increasingly steer the industry focus towards neuroscience as marketers seek to deliver content that resonates with consumers.

With a stronger personal connection and the ability to elicit a strong emotional response, mobile will take centre stage as an indispensable tool to enhance ad performance.

Michael Hudes is executive vice president, international, at YuMe