The last 10 years have seen an explosion of interest in the impact of various marketing activities on society, with a particular focus on ethical issues within marketing. This interest has not been limited to marketing research, but has also involved disciplines such as communication, sociology, politics, psychology and neuroscience.
Today, Brands are turning to long-term research and policy to build long-term relationships with their consumers and ensure their loyalty. Since the brand-consumer relationship is seen as a long-term communication, the focus is on issues such as Brand Awareness and Trust, Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty. When it comes to these concepts and objectives, ‘ethical behavior’ comes to the fore. Brands are expected to act ethically in the following 3 areas of marketing.
Ethical rules related to the product
Price-related ethical rules
Ethical rules regarding promotional activities
The concept of ethics is directly related to Neuroscience, which has become increasingly influential in recent years and has emerged as a result of the coordinated work of the fields of psychology, psychiatry, neurology, biology and engineering. Neuroscience is at the forefront of research examining the decision-making processes, social interaction and emotions of the human brain. Neuromarketing, which is under the title of Social Neuroscience, is the utilization of techniques in neuroscience to understand the response of human brain to marketing stimuli. Its main purpose is to better understand and predict the unconscious behavior of consumers.
Important factors that constitute the ethics of neuromarketing;
The right tools, techniques and methods used in neuromarketing imaging,
Accurate measurement,
Correct sample size,
Correct analysis,
Precise and reliable statistical information.
Neuromarketing is an ethical method that uses technology to analyze consumer buying behaviors and provide brands with highly reliable statistical data based on these analyses.
When neuromarketing practices are carried out by the right people, i.e. neuroscience experts, and for the right purposes, it is clear that neuromarketing practices are scientifically important for the marketing world in accordance with ethical rules. As a result, it offers the opportunity to look at the consumer world from a broad perspective by shedding light on the parts that remain in the dark in consumer attitudes and behaviors. Neuromarketing research completes the missing part of the puzzle and enables strategic marketing decisions to be made clearly and precisely on a scientific and ethical basis!
Reference
What is ‘neuromarketing’? A discussion and agenda for future research
Nick Lee ⁎, Amanda J. Broderick, Laura Chamberlain
Marketing Group, Aston Business School, Aston University, UK
Received 1 February 2006; received in revised form 1 March 2006; accepted 30 March 2006
