Neuromarketing

The development of neuroimaging techniques over the last years and their application outside the medical field has opened new research opportunities with respect to consumer behaviour or the own decision-making process. Neuromarketing emerged as an expanded field of research on neuroeconomics. The term was introduced by professor Ale Smitds of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (Roebuck, 2011) as a reference to the application of neuroimaging techniques in the market research. The main difference between neuromarketing research and traditional research methods lies in the fact that with the former the subjects are not asked to express their opinion regarding a particular topic. In other words, oral statements are not taken into account as results are only obtained by recording the participants¿ brain activity. By getting into the human subconscious mind, the neuromarketing research allows the identification of the subjects¿ direct reactions to the stimuli they are exposed to ¿ products, packages, services signaled by logos, visual, olfactory, tactile, gustatory or auditory elements characterizing the goods that meet the consumers¿ needs.