Day: August 11, 2024

Brand loyalty is when customers continue to prefer the same brand even when other brands offer similar products or services. Customers not only continue to interact with and shop from that brand, but also associate their positive emotions with it.

Brand loyalty has a lot to do with how customers perceive your brand, their actions and values. It is also an important way to help maintain customer loyalty and increase repurchase rates. Again, brand loyalty focuses on customer perception and can also be thought of as emotional loyalty. Customer brand perception can be based on empathy. Empathy is not only about understanding and sympathizing with another. It is also being able to establish a bond with the other. This is based on mirror neurons.

Mirror neurons are neurons that play a critical role in many areas such as social cognition, empathy, language development and motor learning. These neurons form the basis of human interactions and social bonds by helping us understand, imitate and learn from other people’s actions and emotions. Research on mirror neurons has led to important findings in many fields such as neuroscience, psychology and education, and their functioning contributes to a better understanding of human behavior and mental processes. In particular, it lays the foundations for social behavior and cooperation. Understanding the intentions and actions of others helps us build effective interactions in society. The fact that brands appeal to emotions and reach consumers with emotion-oriented efforts can be positively received by the consumer. Mirror neurons are also responsible for imitation and identification.

For example, when brands create content similar to consumers’ lifestyles, this can activate the consumer’s mirror neurons. Positive experiences and memories with the brand create an emotional bond with consumers.

As a result, concepts such as mirror neurons and empathy come to the fore in ensuring consumer loyalty. Understanding the neuroscientific foundations of the consumer will provide many advantages from consumer loyalty to brand success. This can be easily determined with the tools in neuromarketing. Especially emotion analysis can be very useful in this regard.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

G.Rizzolatti,I.Craghero: The mirror-neuron system. Annu Rev Neurosci, 27,169-192.

AŞKIN, N., & İpek, İ. (2016). Marka Aşkının Marka Deneyimi ile Marka Sadakati Arasındaki İlişkiye Aracılık Etkisi. Ege Academic Review, 16(1).

Şahin, Ö. (2007). Marka sadakatini etkileyen faktörlerin belirlenmesi ve tüketiciler üzerinde bir uygulama (Master’s thesis, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü).

Scientific research is knowledge production activities carried out with the aim of increasing the current level of knowledge and improving the quality of life in situations that people can perceive through their five senses. Various scientific research methods are used to produce knowledge for this purpose. Scientific research can be carried out with many different methods. These methods include ontological, epistemological and methodological approaches and paradigms, and each of them has different systems in data collection, data analysis and data evaluation processes. Qualitative research methods are among the types of scientific research.

Qualitative research is a type of research based on data collection methods such as observation and document analysis. It represents the process of analyzing events and findings in a holistic manner in a realistic environment. Neuromarketing is a discipline that combines neuroscience and marketing to better understand consumer behavior and decision-making processes. The field uses brain imaging techniques (fMRI, EEG), eye tracking, biometric measurements and other neuroscientific tools to study people’s reactions to marketing messages and products. Neuromarketing offers certain advantages to qualitative research. For example, while traditional research provides general trends and demographic data from large audiences, neuromarketing helps to understand the neurophysiological reasons behind this data. For example, it can determine which part of an advertisement attracts attention or which features of a product elicit an emotional response. Again, while traditional methods are often used to measure the impact of marketing strategies and campaigns, neuromarketing is used to optimize these strategies and make them more effective. For example, by identifying which parts of an advertisement generate more emotional response, more focus can be placed on those parts of the advertisement. Neuromarketing also reduces errors due to subjective responses and social desirability bias. Consumers sometimes say things they don’t really feel under social pressure or to make themselves look good. Neuromarketing minimizes such biases. As a result, the two fields complement each other with their different approaches.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Yücel, A., & Coşkun, P. (2018). Nöropazarlama literatür incelemesi. Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 28(2), 157-177.

The field of marketing, where human behavior and emotions are at the forefront, is constantly changing. It is becoming increasingly difficult to understand the psychology of the consumer and to observe their reactions in daily life. New marketing fields are constantly emerging for this purpose. Neuromarketing, where marketing and science have recently come together, is one of the biggest indicators of this. As a synthesis of neuroscience and marketing disciplines, neuromarketing uses neuroscientific techniques to understand consumer behavior, preferences and reactions. Every neuromarketing study is a carefully crafted piece of research, with a strong emphasis on scientific content. Research in this field is conducted with high data reliability and methodological rigor.

However, despite the reliable data it provides, neuromarketing is still at the center of ethical debates.

Approaching the ethical debate on neuromarketing from different angles, some critics argue that these techniques aim to manipulate the human mind and are therefore harmful, while supporters argue that understanding people’s decision-making processes and knowing the factors that influence them does not mean controlling them.

The important point is to ensure that participants have sufficient knowledge about the way these methods are applied and their content. What is important here is to determine under what confidentiality rules and to what extent company officials use the information they obtain from the subjects. This is because the use of technology reveals the inner workings of the human brain. This enables the comparison of consumer reactions in research using traditional methods with the results obtained in research using science. In this way, the real feelings and thoughts of the consumer are determined by their reactions under certain conditions, and accordingly, messages are tried to be created to influence certain points in the brain.

Especially with technological advances, many people advocate the robust data provided by neuromarketing in tracking the constant changes in consumers’ purchasing tendencies and its contribution to meeting the needs of businesses. In addition, it is stated that neuromarketing, which enables accurate measurement of consumer preferences, facilitates the strategic decision-making processes of businesses and provides an advantage by reducing deviation rates compared to traditional marketing methods.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

AKIN, S. M., & SÜTÜTEMİZ, N. (2014). Nöropazarlama ve Uygulayicilarin Perspektifiyle Etik Yönü. Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 2(1), 67-83.

Değirmen, G. C., & ŞARDAĞI, E. (2016). Nöropazarlama uygulamalarının etik bağlamında değerlendirilmesi. Akdeniz Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Dergisi, (25), 140-160.

Tunalı, S. B., Gözü, Ö., & Özen, G. (2016). PAZARLAMA VE REKLAM ARAŞTIRMALARINDA NÖROPAZARLAMA ÜZERİNE YAPILMIŞ ARAŞTIRMALARIN İNCELENMESİ VE ETİK BOYUTUNUN TARTIŞILMASI. Kurgu, 24(2), 1-8.

With the acceleration of technological advances, visible changes are taking place in the structure of society in the 21st century. These changes have a direct impact on consumers’ behavior and purchasing decisions. This new structure leads to significant changes in consumers’ preferences, shopping habits and brand loyalty. This situation requires businesses to adapt their marketing strategies and adapt to technological innovations.

The success of neuromarketing is based on the statistical evaluation of the data obtained by combining neurological and motivational physiological techniques in the most appropriate way. However, there are some issues that neuromarketing is not fully known or even misunderstood.

First, neuromarketing uses scientific research to understand the natural responses of consumers’ brains. But that doesn’t mean it has to be manipulative. Ethical neuromarketing respects people’s needs and preferences and uses these techniques to better understand them. In other words, neuromarketing methods do not manipulate consumers or brands.

Neuromarketing focuses not only on understanding consumer behavior, but also on the design and delivery of products or services. This can ensure that products or services actually meet the needs of consumers. Not only marketers but also scientists can develop and manage neuromarketing methods. In fact, one of the indispensable elements of a proper neuromarketing study is the involvement of experts in the process.

In addition to advertising, neuromarketing encompasses various marketing elements such as product packaging, website design, product placement and pricing. All of these elements influence the functioning of consumers’ brains and their purchasing decisions. Again, in neuromarketing, not only visual stimuli but also auditory stimuli can be studied.

Most large companies utilize neuromarketing methods. Small businesses can also benefit from these strategies. Especially in the field of digital marketing, it has become easier to apply the principles of neuromarketing.

In summary, neuromarketing is based on objective data, not subjective data. This provides serious time savings in project processes.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Tüzel, N. (2010). Tüketicilerin Zihnini Okumak: Nöropazarlama ve Reklam. Marmara iletişim dergisi, (16).

Yücel, A., & Çubuk, F. (2013). Nöropazarlama ve bilinçaltı reklamcılık yaklaşımlarının karşılaştırılması. Niğde Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 6(2), 172-183.

The food and beverage industry strives to understand and manage consumers’ reactions. At the same time, businesses aim to gain competitive advantage by developing new flavors or changing the taste of existing products. Taste research dates back to ancient times to determine the taste of foods. Especially during the Roman and Ottoman Empires, tasters or taster’s were employed to take precautions against poisoning attempts. Today, food and beverage manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies are conducting research to find flavors that suit consumers’ palates. Flavor perception is interpreted and formed in the frontal region of the brain’s nervous system, particularly in the area called the frontal operculum. Taste preferences are shaped in the brain’s nervous system because of the influence of an individual’s past experiences with delicious and unpalatable tastes. Human taste discrimination tests are usually conducted with professional taste panelists or consumers. Professional taste panelists usually participate in taste testing in in-house laboratories or outdoors. Consumers, on the other hand, can participate in taste testing outdoors, usually at stands set up in grocery stores or in restaurants, evaluating the taste of newly added dishes.

When taste testing, humans or bionic devices are used. There are various types of taste tests. These are tests conducted by professional taste panelists or trained individuals. Products are evaluated and scored according to certain criteria. These tests are used to assess product quality and in the product development process. Tests conducted with the participation of consumers trained in a specific subject. For example, tests conducted with individuals trained in coffee taste can be used to evaluate coffee products. Again, participants are asked to choose between two different products. These tests can be used to evaluate new formulations or product changes.

On the other hand, taste tests are conducted with neuromarketing methods. Taste tests can be combined with neuromarketing techniques when used to understand consumers’ perception of taste. For example, during a taste test, participants’ brain activity can be monitored using neurological imaging techniques such as fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) or EEG (electroencephalography). In this way, a deeper understanding of how participants perceive, like or dislike products can be gained. Again, using facial recognition analysis, participants’ facial expressions can be analyzed to gain insight into how they perceive the products. Analyzing emotional reactions such as happiness, surprise, disappointment, etc. can play an important role in evaluating the effectiveness of products. In conclusion, the sense of taste, which is a very important criterion for the food industry today, can be measured with different methods. By analyzing biological reactions with neuromarketing methods, objective results can be reached.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Bellizzi, J. A., Martin, W. S. (1982). e inuence of national versus generic branding on taste perceptions. Journal of Business Research, 10(3), 385–396.

Ustaahmetoğlu, E. (2015). Tat Algısı için Dilden Daha Fazlası mı Gerekli? Tat Testi Üzerine Bir Uygulama. Anadolu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 15(3), 127-134.

Many of our evaluations of consumption are linked to our perception of the elements around us. Marketing is fundamentally based on these perception processes. Perception relates to the process by which we observe various stimuli in our environment, such as people, objects, smells, sounds, movements, tastes and colors. It can be defined as the process of interpreting and making sense of our sensations. Sensation begins when our sense organs perceive a stimulus. The storage and retention process is carried out to obtain information and make it accessible when needed in the future. To understand consumer behavior, a deep understanding of memory and information processing is crucial. The importance of customer satisfaction is emphasized in analyzing the behavior and consumption habits of customers and directing customers to consume again and to the products and services we desire.

In the process of ensuring customer satisfaction, there are strategies that can be applied to existing and potential customers. One of these strategies is memorability. It is very important to gain a place in the customer’s memory. We will give an example about the GAP brand, which has recently changed its logo. GAP is a well-known clothing retail brand with a very loyal target audience. In 2010, the brand decided on a radical logo change. Previously, the classic and iconic logo was written in a clawed font and majuscule letters on a navy blue background. However, this logo was considered to be out of step with the spirit of the times and was replaced. However, consumers did not even enter the store after this logo because they could not recognize the brand. Here we see the striking effect of the brand on consumer memory.

We can analyze consumer memory under three headings; the first of these is short-term memory. It contains information that the consumer remembers for a few minutes or hours. This is the type of memory in which the consumer stores information such as product features, prices, discounts, etc. for a short period of time while shopping. Short-term memory is an immediate component of consumer decision-making. Long-term memory includes information that the consumer remembers and stores over a long period of time. This type of memory includes persistent information such as the consumer’s past purchasing experiences, brand image, and advertising messages. Long-term memory is important for consumers to build brand loyalty and shape their repeat purchase behavior. Finally, working memory is used for short-term information storage. This memory is the temporary memory process used when a consumer reviews a product or brand or watches an advertisement. Working memory plays an important role in the early stages of the consumer decision-making process.

As a result, a logo, advertisement, sound, image, brand face is of great importance to gain a place in the consumer’s memory.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Erciş, A., YAPRAKLI, Ş., Polat, C. A. N., & YILMAZ, M. K. (2011). TÜKETİCİLERİN MARKAYA İLİŞKİN HEDONİK VE RASYONEL ALGILAMALARININ MARKA DEĞERİ BOYUTLARINA ETKİSİ. Pazarlama ve Pazarlama Araştırmaları Dergisi, 4(8), 21-50.

Erciş, A., YAPRAKLI, Ş., YILMAZ, M. K., & Polat, C. A. N. (2013). Kişisel Değerler Ile Marka Değeri Arasindaki Ilişkiler. Atatürk Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, 27(2), 21-41.

Holidays offer an important opportunity to see our family and loved ones, whom we neglect in the hustle and bustle of busy city life. Experts emphasize that spending time with our loved ones by going out of the routine habits of holiday visits positively affects our mental health. In addition, holidays contribute to people coming together emotionally, intellectually, joyfully, discursively and in action. This special period of time increases feelings of love, respect, peace, brotherhood, happiness and sharing, while reducing selfishness, self-interest and separation.

Older generations know and experience that traditional holidays emphasize human values and solidarity. Therefore, we may realize that today we are in greater need of such unifying, loving and tolerant characteristics. Families and parents with this awareness strive to ensure that their children continue the traditions of the holiday and pass them on to future generations. Sharing common values gives us the joy and happiness of being together.

Holidays are moments when being human and being in unity and solidarity as a society are embodied. With this characteristic, holidays reduce selfishness, self-interest, division and disagreement, while increasing feelings of love, respect, peace, brotherhood, happiness and sharing.

Eid is often a time when many different emotions and feelings arise. These can include joy, happiness, excitement, peace, gratitude and unity. Holidays are often associated with positive emotions as they offer the opportunity to come together with loved ones, to share, help and be together. However, in some cases, more complex emotions such as longing, sadness or nostalgia may also arise, especially for those who have lost loved ones during the holidays. To summarize, the emotions felt during Eid may vary depending on everyone’s personal experiences and circumstances.

Eid also reinforces the sense of trust in society. Thanks to the collective feelings, individuals in a community feel safe. Thanks to these feelings, challenging emotions and situations such as anxiety, stress, sadness and rush, which we frequently encounter in daily life, are balanced. As a result, holidays have important biological, psychological and sociological effects.

As Neuromark family, we wish you a happy and healthy Eid with your loved ones.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Yüksel, G. (2011). Kastamonu’da dini bayramları kutlama gelenekleri ve bu geleneklerin insan ilişkilerine etkisi. Akademı̇k Bakiş Dergı̇sı̇, 26, 1-26.,

The word neuroplasticity was first used by Polish neuroscientist Jerzy Konorski in 1948 to describe changes observed in neuronal structures.

Neuroplasticity is a term that refers to the brain’s ability to be flexible and changeable. It describes how the structure and function of the brain can change under experiences, learning, trauma and other environmental factors. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt. Some neural connections strengthen, others weaken or change completely in response to our experiences. When we learn something new, we create new connections between our nerve cells. Our brain reorganizes and restructures these connections to adapt to new situations.

This process happens depending on our experiences and learning processes. For example, as we practice a skill over and over again, the neural pathways involved strengthen and make that skill better. Likewise, when we don’t stop using a skill or after a trauma, the neural pathways involved can weaken or change.

Neuroplasticity is also of great importance in brain injury recovery and rehabilitation. For example, in rehabilitation after a stroke, healthy areas of the brain can take over the functions of damaged areas or form new connections, which can help the patient regain mobility.

Not only do we use drugs and chemicals to change the way our brains function, but we also go to great lengths to modify our psychological thought patterns. But if even simple activities that we do frequently in our daily lives could permanently and significantly change the structure and function of our brains, the value of learning would become even more apparent.

The relationship between neuroplasticity and learning is quite clear: When we learn something new, our brain makes new inter-neuronal connections. Every learning experience has the potential to change the current functioning of our brain. In the learning process, our brains can benefit from neuroplasticity. Especially complex skills, such as learning a new language or playing a new instrument, can benefit from this plasticity. This kind of learning can help us understand how the brain is shaped in a targeted way.

Integrating our brain’s extraordinary abilities into our daily lives depends on encouraging neuroplasticity and broadening our perspective.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

KAPUOĞLU, E. Ç. (2023). EĞİTİM ve ÖĞRENMENİN FİZYOLOJİK TEMELİ: NÖROPLASTİSİTE. FLSF Felsefe ve Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, (36), 447-464

Başaran, D. C., Yıldırım, F., Ekenci, B. Y., Kılıç, S., & Ülgen, P. (2013). Nöroplastisite ve Güncel Yaklaşımlar. Başkent üniversitesi, 15. C. E. Ackerman, et al. Nöroplastisite Nedir? Beynimiz, Değişen Çevre Koşullarda Kendisini Nasıl Değiştirir?. (11 Aralık 2020). Alındığı Tarih: 6 Nisan 2024. Alındığı Yer: https://evrimagaci.org/s/9644

Today, it is generally accepted that political leaders use both rational and emotional communication strategies to influence voter behavior. Research shows that emotional factors are only as influential as logical factors in voters’ decision-making processes. Although the historical origins of emotional manipulation in favor of power date back to ancient times, recent scientific research has made the use of these strategies more sophisticated and effective.

While there is a claim that voters actively use logical thought processes in their political decision-making, research shows that emotional influences are actually more dominant. Moreover, voters are not always able to evaluate information objectively, suggesting that their emotions and reactions drive their decisions.

Emotions clearly show the role and power of mass media in influencing voters. Mass media, which is at the center of political communication, develops and transforms the techniques and tactics of election campaigns. Therefore, it is necessary for political leaders to reach voters directly through mass media in order to reflect their message strategies in social transformation. Therefore, the emotional changes of the individual discussed in this issue are monitored within social mobility and political communication strategies are shaped accordingly. Emotions that come to the fore during election periods are as follows;

Election periods are also associated with uncertainty. The uncertainty of a particular outcome can increase concerns about the future and raise stress levels. Election periods often cause great excitement and enthusiasm. Support or hope for a particular candidate or party can lead to increased positive emotions and excitement in individuals.

Some individuals may become despondent or anxious about the election results. Concerns that the election of a particular candidate or the implementation of certain policies will have negative consequences may increase these feelings. Election periods can also encourage feelings of togetherness and solidarity. Feelings of unity and solidarity can arise among people who support a particular candidate or party.

As a result, the emotional effects of political elections can vary widely and affect individuals’ overall emotional state.

Reference: Psychologist Merve Altındağ

Akdağ, M., & Özdemir, M. (2021). Seçmen Kararlarında Duyguların Rolü ve İşlevi: Duygusal İçerikli Reklamlar Üzerine Bir Analiz. Selçuk İletişim, 14(2), 895-926.

Kurtbaş, İ. (2015). Seçmen Psikolojisine Dair Psiko-Politik Bir Tahlil “Politik Psikoloji Ekseninde Deneysel Bir Çalışma”. Journal of Administrative Sciences and Policy Studies, 3(2), 91-11.

Bağcan, S., SAVAŞ, S., & TUNÇAY, E. (2021). SOSYAL MEDYADA DEMOKRASİYE LİDER MÜDAHALESİNİ GÖZLEMLEMEK: 2020 ABD BAŞKANLIK SEÇİMLERİ’NDE TRUMP VE BIDEN’IN TWEETLERİNİN İÇERİK VE DUYGU ANALİZİ AÇISINDAN İNCELENMESİ. Turkish Online Journal of Design Art and Communication, 11(3), 1073-1097.