Medial frontal activity in brand-loyal consumers: A behavior and near-infrared ray study.

Abstract

Researchers have recently begun to explore the physiological factors influencing consumer preferences for product brands. The medial frontal cortex (MFC) is critically involved in both emotion processing and prepurchase product assessment. However, analyses of MFC activation with near-infrared ray (NIR) imaging are rarely compared between brand-loyal customers and switchers (brand nonloyals) to investigate the long-term effects of luxury products. Subjects, classified as loyals or switchers, performed a 2-session task: (a) evaluate their product preferences while undergoing NIR imaging, and (b) rate products on several dimensions (e.g., willingness to purchase). Variables examined were brand and attractiveness. Results for preference rating and reaction time indicate that loyals are more sensitive than switchers in differentiating between luxury and generic and between attractive and unattractive products. Additionally, MFC activation reflects product attractiveness. The interaction between brand and attractiveness dominated the preferences of most subjects. The link between MFC activation and the preference for products seems not only related to luxury brands but also rooted in product attractiveness. Consequently, this preliminary investigation presents a novel approach for branding research based on measuring brain responses.

A gateway to consumers' minds: Achievements, caveats, and prospects of electroencephalography‐based prediction in neuromarketing

“…Several neural tools are being used in the attempts to predict consumer preferences (for a review, see Harris et al, ), such as fMRI (Berns & Moore, ; Couwenberg et al, ; Falk, Berkman, & Lieberman, ; Falk, Berkman, Mann, Harrison, & Lieberman, ; Falk et al, ; Falk, Morelli, Welborn, Dambacher, & Lieberman, ; Falk, O'Donnell, & Lieberman, ; Genevsky & Knutson, , ; Helfinstein et al, ; Kühn, Strelow, & Gallinat, ; Lebreton, Jorge, Michel, Thirion, & Pessiglione, ; Levy, Lazzaro, Rutledge, & Glimcher, ; Scholz et al, ; A. Smith, Douglas Bernheim, Camerer, & Rangel, ; Tusche, Bode, & Haynes, ; Venkatraman et al, ; A.‐L. Wang et al, ; Levy & Glimcher, 2012 for review), MEG (Ambler, Braeutigam, Stins, Rose, & Swithenby, ; Braeutigam, Stins, Rose, Swithenby, & Ambler, ), fNIRS (Çakir, Çakar, Girisken, & Yurdakul, ; Krampe, Strelow, Haas, & Kenning, ; C. H. Lin, Tuan, & Chiu, ), and even eye tracking (Ramsøy, Jacobsen, Friis‐Olivarius, Bagdziunaite, & Skov, ). Other papers have focused on physiological signals and biometrics, mainly skin conductance response/EDA, heart rate, respiration rate, pupil dilation, facial electromyography, and others (Baraybar‐Fernández, Baños‐González, Barquero‐Pérez, Goya‐Esteban, & de‐la‐Morena‐Gómez, ; Gakhal & Senior, ; Petrescu et al, ).…”

Picking Your Brains: Where and How Neuroscience Tools Can Enhance Marketing Research

“…Customers that are loyal to a brand have a consistent preference for that brand, despite other situational and marketing factors that have the potential to induce switching behavior (Oliver, 1999 ). Consumer neuroscience tools can help researchers to study the neuronal and cognitive processes underlying brand loyalty (McClure et al, 2004 ; Schaefer and Rotte, 2007 ; Lin et al, 2010 ; Plassmann et al, 2012 ). For instance, Plassmann et al ( 2007 ) investigated the differences in neural activation between loyal and disloyal customers of a store during purchasing decisions.…”

Neurociência do Consumidor e Neuromarketing: Potencial de Adoção Teórica com a Aplicação dos Métodos e Técnicas em Neurociência

“…Segundo Ariely e Berns (2010), de maneira geral, quanto maior a resolução espacial, como é o caso do PET e do fMRI, menor será a resolução temporal de um aparelho. No caso do PET, entretanto, para a coleta de resultados, é necessário que partículas radioativas, os pósitrons, passem pelos participantes, o que torna a técnica invasiva e de difícil uso (Lin, Tuan & Chiu, 2010).…”