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
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