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ISSN: 2410-5465
Book of Proceedings ISBN: 978-969-7544-00-4
IRC-2015
Istanbul-Turkey.
Neuromarketing in turkey: optimization strategies for establishing
emotional appeal and heightening advertising effectiveness.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayse S. Erdemir
a
Assistant Professor Dr., [email protected], Istanbul, Turkey.
Abstract
Studies on neuroscience regarding emotional processes emphasize that it is majorly emotions and not rationality that plays a
crucial role in effecting processes involved in decision-making, perception, cognition, and behavior. Shedding light into
emotional processes serves to be crucial for effective development of marketing and advertising campaigns as effective branding
and advertising depend on understanding and developing an emotional appeal towards consumers. As emotional appeals vary
between collectivist and individualist cultures, emotion elicitation and assessment across the target culture is necessary for a
successful neuro-marketing strategy to be implemented within a given marketing practice. Lately Turkish brands are heavily
investing in neuro-scientific studies and consulting with neuro-marketing research companies to improve advertising
effectiveness. This research provides case studies of Turkish brands from industries including telecommunications, food and
beverage, pharmaceutical, information and communication technologies and reflects on assessment scores on attention, memory
and emotion retrieved from simultaneously run electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracking experiments provided by Turkish
neuro-marketing research company; ThinkNeuro. By analyzing case findings and deducting implications, this paper reveals the
Turkish consumer code as seeing and embracing loved ones which is proposed as the ultimate trigger towards captivating
audience attention, decreasing emotional stress and elevating emotional impact additionally, the findings conclude that emotion
can not be triggered at a superficial level; human brain processes knowledge (concrete information associated with a brand),
experience (actions associated with a brand) and feeling (intuition influencing behavior and decisions) altogether to form the final
emotion (the value of the brand across multiple dimensions).
© 2013 European Journal of Research on Education by IASSR.
Keywords: Advertising effectiveness, consumer marketing, marketing optimization
1. Introduction
Advertising practice and brand management have shown an increasing tendency with respect to perceiving
individuals as emotionally driven and less as rationally driven decision makers. This perception initially introduced
by consumer behavior studies and supported by brain science studies highlights that majority of the decisions
individuals make are generated largely on the basis of emotion and not on the basis of rational processing of
information. This new paradigm in advertising stating the instigation of emotion as fundamental for effective
marketing is adopted faster than the speed of lightening by marketing domains and academic circles interpreting
expert statements, deducing the idea that feelings and emotions dominate cognition when it comes to decision
making. Subsequent to such an interpretation, marketing as well as advertising practices rush to place emotion to be
pursued at the expense of all else embracing the idea that emotional triggers embedded within an advertising to be
more effective than any rational informatory input. As stated by the neuroscientist Damasio, emotion is not to be set
against reason, or opposed against it but be considered as at least assisting reason because emotion can be regarded
as delivering cognitive information (Damasio, A. 1994). Local and global brands at some point in time seem to have
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fallen and some keep falling into the loop of forgetting marketers’ ultimate motive which is to forge brand
representations; to ensure that positive associations come to mind, and thus mold consumer judgments favorably
towards the brand in question but instead they lose focus and attempt to place all emphasis on trying to stimulate
some emotional response in the perception of the target audience through desolate advertising efforts. Emotion can
not be triggered at a superficial level; human brain processes knowledge (concrete information associated with a
brand), experience (actions associated with a brand) and feeling (intuition influencing behavior and decisions)
altogether to form the final emotion (the value of the brand across multiple dimensions) (Milward Brown, April
2009). The new buzz on neuro-marketing interpreted by commentators as if emotional input of advertising is more
effective than any rational informatory input must have seemed to offer a quick fix to marketers to do everything
better, faster and at lower cost because apparently it was quick to be adapted by Turkish and international brands
operating across Turkey. Broadly stating, the marketers’ dilemma in Turkey is not much different than what
marketers around the world confront with respect to limited financial resources, surging fees in exchange for
visibility, scattered and fragmented consumer attention across a myriad of media. However, in Turkey, aside from
these predicaments there are also local factors concerning centralization as well as concentration of capital
contributing towards the formation of a monopolized market with high barriers of entry, not to forget factors such as
flourishing brands and ever cramping market ground all of which add up to reaching consumers even harder. In
addition to local factors, when global determinants such as the changing dynamics in technological and market
conditions impact the larger world economy, fueling up fierce competition, advertising practitioners and brand
managers go frenzy for the attention of the consumer. Such global and local determinants in return impel Turkish
brands to lose the firm grip on traditional marketing principles and instead seek innovative ways to aid them attain
maximum marketing effectiveness in exchange of minimal expense that can put a stop to wasting time, money and
creative energy lavished in numerous trial and error attempts. Unlike the rest of the world, Turkey has only in recent
years started to shift gears, heavily invest in assessments that can provide invaluable data on subjects encapsulating
consumer behavior and marketing research. Formerly, Turkish brands sought consultancy provided mostly by
professional global institutions as local centers could seldom provide scientifically valid insight on effectiveness
measurement, or on any other domain requiring scientific validity with regards to marketing and advertising
research. Due to dynamic market platform, the ever diverging factors mentioned above, topped with scattered and
fragmented consumer attention, traditional research methods started to lose its charm. Scientifically proven
precision was needed first and foremost to ensure consumer attention is engaged so that thoughts and actions could
be directed to form a behavior pattern. In other words, deciphering the codes of the consumer mind was needed.
Traditional research methods could not uncover the underlying factors behind consumers decoding advertisements
and brands in a given way, nor how to engage viewer attention and behavior for sure.
Even though neuro-scientific research exploded over the last 40 years, specifically across North America, it was
majorly unheard of across Turkey. Acting on his foresight, Dr. Yener Girişken founded the first neuro-marketing
research company ThinkNeuro, in 2012 in Turkey. However, it was not prior to 2013, not until Nielson’s report, for
the new precision era to showcase across the Turkish mass communication mediums. In 2013 when Nielsen, one of
the leading international measurement and information company, published its report titled “Making Advertising
More of A Science Than Art”, announcing the entire world that a new era of precision is beginning, instantly
captured the attention of Turkish brands, agencies, entrepreneurs, as well as publishers dwelling in advertising
practices and brand management domains (Beard, R. July 30, 2013). A neuro-scientific advertisement compression
process had been developed that could identify the exact parts of an advertisement that are most effective and
pinpoint precisely which segments are least effective by providing assessments on a second by second basis. The
report indicated that consumer neuroscience can spotlight the exact time frame within an advertisement that activate
memory, draw attention, or prompt an emotional response then, accordingly identify which parts are and are not
effective in engaging audience populations. Taking out the least effective scenes, including only the most powerful
segments, it is proposed that significant savings can be attained from shortening advertising runtime while
maintaining as well as improving overall impact. This process, also noted to benefit publishers and agencies drove
Turkish brands to the leader neuro-marketing research company in Turkey, ThinkNeuro; accredited to provide
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brainwave measures for advertisement, shopper experience, brand positioning and web design research in Turkey
and surrounding countries such as Azerbaijan, Iraq, Russia, Egypt, Dubai. Utilizing both electroencephalography
(EEG), known as the most advanced technique used in consumer neuroscience which is acknowledged to provide
substantial and undeniable progress specifically in copy testing (Beard, R. July 30, 2013), and simultaneously
running eye tracking, ThinkNeuro measures brain activity to decipher how viewers are reacting to advertising by
identifying and capturing cognitive reactions to brain stimuli in fractions of a second so as to assess measures on
attention, memory and emotion. Taken together, measures on attention, memory and emotion are crucial
determinants in assessing advertisement effectiveness as they relate directly to whether attention is given to the
advertisement, whether it is stored in long-term memory, and whether it generates a positive emotional response in
the perceptions of the viewer. Subsequently, Turkish brands desperate to find a quick fix to optimize advertising
practices started to resort to consumer neuroscience not only to assess effectiveness on attention, memory and
emotion but also to retrieve the deciphered codes of the consumer mind so as to mold behavior patterns accordingly.
Although executions of consumer neuroscience are relatively new throughout the Turkish marketplace, this research
illustrates case studies of national and global brands advertising on national television across Turkey. While the
theoretical review makes reference to the regions of the mind commonly attributed to emotions across neuroscientific studies as well as how emotions in impacting choice and behavior has provided new insight on behavioral
economic theory, practical review presents case studies selected from a range of industries namely
telecommunications, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, as well as information and communication technologies.
By analyzing case findings and deducting neuro-marketing strategies on the basis of advertising effectiveness
measures on attention, memory and emotion attained by EEG and eye tracking assessments, this paper attempts to
reveal Turkish cultural codes of emotional appeal and provide examples of how a given brand’s intended image be
established, competitive advantage be highlighted, and emotional appeal be built through the utilization of consumer
neuro-marketing to create better branding and advertising strategy. This paper serves as a good international
exemplar illustrating how Turkish brands utilize consumer neuroscience for the optimization of advertising and in
reflecting the implications of neuroscience in deciphering the codes of the consumer mind. The scope of this paper
is of interest to marketing and advertising circles, both national and global, seeking to cut loss on several trial and
error attempts lavished upon advertising and marketing practices.
2. Literature Review
It is first and foremost necessary to distinguish between a feeling and an emotion; a feeling is the instinctive reaction
to stimuli that does not come from having a prior experience with that stimuli, it is the stimulated feelings that
trigger more composite thought processes such as rational decision making. However, for an emotion to sprout,
experience with a given stimuli is needed; the outcome needs to be weighed as either positive or negative in order
for emotion to develop. To give an example, if a brand can not offer emotional engagement to the consumer, it has
to take the long path of first stimulating the feelings which will then take the audience to more complex thought
processes in the course of which stimuli will be weighed by rational decision making upon which emotion will
develop accordingly. However, this is a risky path because even if a feeling is stimulated, it should be born in mind
that it is less than an emotion thus the marketing attempt is likely to be shun by the target audience before the circuit
is complete besides, working from sparking a positive feeling all the way to establishing a positive emotion needs
cohesive integrated marketing efforts, a single advertising often can not do the trick.
One may ask, if experience is needed for an emotion to prosper, then how advertisers and brand managers succeed
in conveying emotional appeal for the brand or product that is not yet experienced (purchased, tried, positive
feedback, etc.) by the target consumer? This question provides answer to the much debated statement which resulted
in some commentators discarding all the details and formulating one simple interpretation: emotional trigger is more
effective than any rational informatory input. Such a formulation is sure to be misinterpreted and taken as the quick
fix to establishing advertising effectiveness. Specifically in Turkey, one can come across many advertising as well
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as brand management practices stuffing emotional content in whatever marketing practice they can get a hold of and
expecting effectiveness scores to jump off the roof. In order to explore the role played by emotional processes on
decision making, this section starts with reflecting on preliminary findings of the study considered as the milestone
in forming the connection between emotions and neuroscience then, covers subjects highlighting the regions of the
mind commonly associated with emotions in neuro-scientific studies, and finally, how the study of emotions in
affecting choice and behavior changed behavioral economic theory, and concludes with implications regarding the
role of emotions on perception, preference and advertising effectiveness.
2.1. Connection between emotions and neuroscience
The pioneer scholar introducing neuro-scientific methods to the field of marketing research is Prof. Stephen Sands,
the founder of Sands Research located in El Paso, Texas. As presented by Sands in POPAI's 2012 Shopper
Engagement Study, consumer neuroscience make possible to evaluate shoppers' behavior, visual fixations and
emotional engagement through the use of EEG and simultaneously run eye tracking (Bilik, T. July 2012). The
findings of the report are stated as follows: 1. Less than 1/5 of the time spent in supermarkets goes to paying
attention to products one will buy whereas, 82 % of the time goes to paying attention to products one will not buy. 2.
In about 200 milliseconds brand and product related information is processed in other words, purchase decision
forms in 0,2 seconds after encounter. 3. One thinks less and acts more quickly in giving purchase decision when the
good is prize related such as chocolate, ice cream, sweets and candy whereas one thinks more and acts slowly in
giving purchase decision if the good is less enticing such as milk and vegetables. By placing emphasis on often
incoherent customer responses regarding what is reported to be bought and what is actually purchased, Sands
introduce consumer neuro-marketing techniques utilizing EEG and eye-tracking as scientifically valid, effective
methods for correctly revealing insight regarding areas of study on shopper experience as well as codes regarding
purchase decision. Sands’ study also put forward implications on packaging suggesting that brands and marketers
with satisfactory rate of returns should abstain from radical changes in packaging designs of a given product
including changes in logo. Sands supports this suggestion by making reference to the automobile sector and puts
forward that car manufacturers never stray far away from the previous design so as not to lose its loyal customers as
sustainability is nothing to be risk at the expense of casual innovation for the sake of optimization.
2.1.1. Power of emotions in advertising and branding: Where it all starts
For the past 40 years, marketers resorted to various methods to shed a light into the inner workings of the mind and
attempted to reveal insight regarding how people make decisions before behaving in specific ways. Through the use
of modern methods, studies focusing on brain function paved the way for psychologists as well as neuroscientists to
discover the conjunction of emotions (feelings) to reasons (thoughts) on the basis of which behavior formation takes
place. This fact has been highlighted by scholars including but not limited to Antonio R. Damasio, Walter J.
Freeman, and Joseph LeDeaux.
To illustrate the role of emotional undertakings on decision-making, one can begin with examining how the human
mind is primed to function. Formerly the ancestral brain operated in a similar fashion to all mammals; by way of
emotion. Emotional processes identified what is dangerous, governed actions regarding when to run away, when to
approach, what gives pleasure, what gives pain, what tastes good and what tastes bad. In other words, emotional
processes were vital for survival of the specie, and contributed greatly for natural selection; evolutionary theory
suggesting the survival of the fittest as opposed to the unfit. Learning was not acquired at a conscious level through
rational weighting of possible choices as in the face of danger there was no time for logical progression of decision
making to take place. Thus, learning was compulsory, it was based on reflexive decisions that were crosschecked
with encounter with former emotional stimulation and environments on the basis of which memories were formed to
generate appropriate reactions in forthcoming contexts. Formation of memory within the mind can be depicted as
categorizing, labeling and recounting of emotions encountered in respect to a given situation. It should be born in
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mind that the memories that form are complementary. Similar in logic to the Gestalt principle proposing similar
things will be linked in sync to acquire and maintain meaningful perceptions, neural activity forms bundles on the
basis of the similarity between stimuli. Subsequently, triggering one memory is suggested to bring forward other
associated memories assembled within the mind. This explains the power of emotional appeal put to practice in
advertising and branding strategies; applied to associate positive feelings through transfer.
Through the stages of evolution, humans acquired a bigger frontal cortex, an area commonly attributed to cognition.
This part of the brain governs issues including problem solving, emotions, control of purposeful behaviors, decisionmaking, and consciousness. It should be born in mind that cognition is recognized to be conscious and/or
unconscious, concrete and/or abstract, as well as intuitive and/or conceptual, utilizing existing knowledge to
generate new knowledge. The compulsory disposition of emotions and the memories generated are extremely strong
in the sense that the first reaction in the mind to stimuli is emotional. Emotional region of the brain, also referred to
as limbic emotional system, and the rational region of the brain, also known as rational system, function in sync, and
it is this amalgamation of emotions and reasons that advertisers as well as marketers need to comprehend so as to
effectively position brands and strategize on relevant marketing messages to achieve greater success (Heller et al.,
1998). As a mixture of stimuli is employed in the brain to formulate decisions, reasons and emotions intermix in the
pre-frontal cortical area determining the initiation and tone of decision-making. The power of emotions lies in the
fact that emotions commix with and prioritize reasons. These reasons are used as filters to receive messages in other
words, emotional reasons determine whether attention will be given to the stimuli or not. If there is no emotional
reason, the attempt to draw the attention of the audience will majorly fail; causing the given practice to be shun by
the target consumer. Thereafter, comprehending the reasons that are most emotionally driven is a fundamental
motive of the marketer. Emotions govern decisions, however, it is the priority emotions associate with reasons that
leads to formulations of acts of conduct. This is also evident in individuals taking action on the basis of whatever
reason is most emotionally driven. Understanding the role as well as the inner workings of emotions and their
influence on reasons will uncover substantial insight regarding what will prompt behavior and how change in
behavior can be assisted. Reasons and emotions are basically in sync; function co-dependently. Emotions sort out
reasons on the basis of priority, then emotions are used as filters to conclude how one is going to take action;
whether one will give attention to and whether one will buy the promoted product or not.
In the face of certain situations, individuals resort to guidance offered by emotional memories acquired by emotional
learning. Emotional learning is so quick and effective that it tends to circumnavigate rational processing of
information. Patterns of behavior primed by emotional learning are not easy to be changed, unless new stimulants
are introduced to generate new emotional experience, altering the associative formations within the brain. Thus,
comprehension of emotionally driven motivations to decode the consumer mind so as to encode marketing related
messages accordingly can be vital to achieve success in any advertisement or marketing related practice.
2.1.1.1. Implications on behavioural economic theory
With regards to decision making in the face of financial risk, it is noted that emotional decision making takes 1/5th
fraction of the time required by rational decision making processes (Bilik, T. November, 2012). Evolutionary vise,
as emotions have efficiently guided individuals to make prompt, correct decisions in the face of danger, humans
evolved to be primed to act on emotional decision making to function as a quick, efficient mechanism. As the need
to maintain posterity is embedded deep in our genetic code, avoiding negative outcomes as well as abstaining from
harm is the topmost priority thereafter, emotions have come to play a vital role in determining if one will receive
harm or good. Subsequently, emotional decision-making outruns rational decision- making. Since attention is only
given to input correlated with interiorized stimuli and attention is similar to a mechanism with a stop and start
button, captivating audience attention, generating favorable purchase decision within 200 milliseconds spotlights the
significance to establish emotional connection.
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On the basis of above mentioned factors, it can be suggested that loading a given marketing practice with emotional
content simply is not enough to establish effectiveness. Studies on how emotions impact consumer perception can
not be uncovered by rational report, as most often utilized by behavioral studies, because rational report can not
reveal insight regarding intricate emotional processes. Thereafter, an exploration of emotional processes is needed
which can be carried out by examining the source, the human brain, to shed light into how marketing actions in
reality determine effectiveness and behavior. It is at this point consumer neuro-marketing utilizing EEG based copy
testing and eye tracking comes to the rescue; aiding in the formulation of consumer as well as cultural codes,
revealing scores to brain stimuli on attention, memory and emotion, measuring brain waves in milliseconds,
highlighting the most and least effective scenes and packshots to be identified and edited into a shorter and often
more neurologically impactful version creating wonders for optimization, as well as for boosting effectiveness.
3. Methodology
The methodological framework of this paper integrates both theoretical and practical frame of reference. The
theoretical frame places emphasis on the necessity to engage consumer attention and propose emotional appeal as
the key towards drawing consumer attention. Engagement through emotional appeal is often misconceived and
overgeneralized by some commentators interpreting as if emotional stimulation is a quick fix to ensure advertising
and marketing effectiveness. The allure of emotional appeal is that it works to engage the attention of the consumer,
ensuring that a given advertising is not treated as another nuisance marketing attempt. Furthermore, emotional
appeal works to catch the attention of the consumer, granting the practice a chance to be viewed by the target
consumer and not bypassed instead.
The theoretical frame cover the regions of the mind usually associated with emotions in neuro-scientific
experimentations and how emotions in affecting behavior and choice has provided new insight on behavioral
economic theory to illustrate that simply stimulating the attention of the consumer through emotional engagement is
not enough to influence decision making motives but, it works to turn on the attention of the consumer along the
time lapse of which brand representations can be squeezed in; positive associations can be ensured to come to mind,
judgments can be molded favorably towards the brand in question. Deciphering emotional processes is fundamental
for effective advertising and marketing strategy development so as to establish the intended image, highlight
competitive advantage, and add on emotional appeal if necessary because first and foremost consumer attention
needs to be engaged. Thus, consumer neuroscience utilizing both EEG and eye tracking technologies work
extremely well with copy testing providing scores on attention, memory, and emotion, aiding for formulation of
consumer codes and optimization, pinpointing the exact shots to be edited and cut as described in detail below.
The practical framework consists of case studies selected from a range of industries namely telecommunications,
food and beverage, pharmaceutical, as well as information and communication technologies, and encapsulates
Turkish brands’ copy testing results revealing information regarding advertisement effectiveness measures on
attention, memory and emotion attained by simultaneously synchronized consumer neuroscience technologies
namely EEG and eye tracking. Synchronized EEG and eye tracking run for each case analysis is carried out at
ThinkNeuro laboratories, in an environment simulating a living room setting. While EEG provided scores on
attention, emotion and memory, simultaneously run eye tracking revealed precisely on which scenes and packshots
the research subjects focused.
Why EEG and eye tracking? Even though consumer neuroscience has had a number of controversial issues when
adopted to suggest implications related to marketing practices, substantial and undeniable progress in copy testing
paved the way for the new precision era to be introduced in marketing and advertising domains (Willke, J. & Blake,
B. 2013). The most advanced technique used in copy testing utilizes EEG calculations of electrical activity of the
brain to comprehend how viewers react to advertising. Copy testing assessments uses EEG to diagnose and spot
reactions to stimuli on a fraction of a second basis. EEG used in copy testing is stated to provide effective measures
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on three aspects one of which is attention; when and how much audience attention is given (Page, G. 2010). This is
necessary to know if the target pays attention to or even notices the stimuli in question. The second aspect is
memory; whether memory is activated in response to being exposed to the stimuli. If a given advertisement can not
trigger memory activation, it is not expectable for it to affect behavior. Finally, the third aspect is emotion; the
extent of viewer engagement or opting out. Aside from attention and memory positive emotional attraction is also
crucial. All together, these three measures serve as fundamental factors impacting advertisement effectiveness as
they pinpoint whether audience attention is captivated, whether the advertisement is stored in long-term memory,
and whether the advertisement generates a positive emotional response in the perceptions of the audience. As EEG
based copy testing analyzes viewer’s brain waves in milliseconds, the computed assessments can provide tables
illustrating viewer’s brain wave projections in highs and lows as the viewer responds to various segments of the
commercial. These highs and lows relate to the parts of the marketing practice that are most and least effective as
computed by attention, memory and emotion scores. Hence, in order to accurately spot the peaks and valleys, eye
tracking is necessary to be run to precisely reveal on which scenes and packshots the research subjects focus. By
analyzing case findings and deducting neuro-marketing strategies upon reflecting on advertising measures on
attention, memory and emotion attained by synchronized EEG and eye tracking, Turkish cultural codes of emotional
appeal will be stated and how a given brand’s intended image be established, competitive advantage be highlighted,
and emotional appeal be built through the utilization of consumer neuro-marketing to create better branding and
advertising strategy. As brand equity, advertising effectiveness, and investment can be under risk, the question that
should be posed is; can advertising as well as marketing domains benefit from neuroscience to provide codes of the
consumer mind on the basis of which better branding and advertising strategy can be developed?
4. Data Analysis
The implications derived on the basis of case studies mainly focus on the impact regarding celebrity endorsement
and assessing to pinpoint negative feelings (inevitable in enhancing plot development) embedded in the storyline
triggering a negative impact on the brand being advertised or promoted. This assessment is crucial as the marketing
proposal should not be conveyed to the audience at or immediately following a sequence activating a negative
feeling in the perceptions of the viewer. Since the objective of the brand is to heighten awareness, reinforce intended
image and message, build competitive advantage, and create emotional appeal through positively charged feelings,
analyzing the advertisement scene by scene, running consumer neuro-marketing techniques is fundamental to
correctly diagnose scores on attention, emotion and memory at the time of conveyance of the marketing message.
Such analysis in return provides scientifically proven answers to questions such as: 1. Is the brand logo seen by the
audience- have the correlations between the brand and the marketing messages been successfully established? 2. Is
the marketing offer conveyed at a time when audience attention and emotion scores are high- will the offer be
remembered and perceived in a positive perspective? 3. Is the audience attention captivated- will the advertisement
be watched till the end or at least till the necessary correlations are conveyed and the marketing offer or message is
communicated to the audience? Consumer neuro-marketing provides answers to these three main points of focus on
the basis of which optimization strategies are derived. The following case studies collected across the Turkish sector
also center on the three questions mentioned above and highlight strategic emphasis on optimizing advertisement
effectiveness.
1. Algida/
Making Happy Gone Wrong: Stress Factor.
Algida, a Turkish national brand variant of the Heartbrand, world’s biggest ice cream manufacturer and global
frozen dessert subsidiary of Unilever, launched a TV advertisement in July 2014 especially for Ramadan (the holy
month of fasting in Islamic faith) with the slogan “Share Happiness with Algida”. The experiment is conducted on a
total of 24 study subjects consisting of 12 female and 12 male volunteers in a laboratory set to create a contemporary
living room atmosphere. As the consumer neuro-marketing results report, the overall scores are below the necessary
and expected numbers moreover, below the average sum of all the advertisements being assessed: attention is 67,
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47, emotional impact is 66, 63 and emotional stress is 48,68. As noted by ThinkNeuro, the fact that the opening
scene of the advertisement initiates high attention and emotional scores means that the advertisement bears a high
possibility to be watched till the end. While the sound indexing to the fire of the cannon (marks the end of fasting) is
calculated to increase stress levels, the festive background music decreases stress and assists to build on emotional
appeal. However, in the 4th second the scene in which the kid accidentally kicks the stopper and causes the ice
cream trolley to heavily roll and tumble down the hill simultaneously stimulates emotional stress to elevate and
attention scores to peak. Apparently the festive background music is selected to keep the audience in a good mood,
the music is indeed emotionally appealing and serves its purpose in captivating the audience attention however, in
the 10th second the framing of camera angle projecting the ice cream trolley on the loose, vigorously tumbling
toward the audience leads to a further deduction on emotional impact score topping with a boost in emotional stress.
Furthermore, in the 19th second, an unidentified source calling out “Hey!” as in watch out makes the final stab on
emotional connection. Although in the 22nd second the frame introduces scenes of people gathered together across
the trolley enjoying Algida brand ice creams of various sort instigates an increase in attention scores as does most
advertisements related to food and beverages, it proves not to be enough to rejuvenate the scores on emotion. Finally
in the 29th second, the frame wherein the plot crystallizes with the brand, the marketing offer is introduced: “Share
happiness in Ramadan with Algida” further records a drop in emotional impact and attention scores.
Assessments provided eye-tracking results regarding packshot assessments indicate that the centralized Algida logo
on the ice cream trolley as well as the Unilever logo at the right hand corner is successfully seen by the audience. In
most of the cases it can be indicated that simpler packshots are more effective with regards to establishing
effectiveness. This stems from the amount of controllable variable; simple packshots are less risky because the
brand can de-cluster and focus on clearly conveying the intended message without complicating the narrative or
perplexing the audience. However, since brands and marketers tend to focus on bombarding the audience with an
array of audial and visual stimuli so as to trigger some attention and stimulate emotional appeal, most often the
marketing message gets either blurred, omitted or altered negatively in interaction with the stimuli embedded in the
narrative. This in return decreases the overall advertising effectiveness of the brand in question. As in this case the
anxiety feeling instigated in the perceptions of the audience triggered due to being exposed to an Algida ice cream
trolley tumbling down towards them at center screen with the Heartbrand logo clearly visible on the face side of the
trolley contributes to associating anxiety, fear, distress with the Algida brand. Consequently the end feeling is likely
to transfer to subsequent marketing communications and perhaps cross promotion practices of Algida and bear
negative impact on its other frozen desert sub brands.
2. Knorr, Koska, Pepsi, Pınar/ Food and Beverages: Implications for Ramadan and Derivative Suggestions.
On the basis of consumer neuro-marketing analysis conducted on a total of 24 study subjects consisting of 12 female
and 12 male volunteers in a laboratory set to create a contemporary living room atmosphere, the TV advertisements
analysed consisted of 4 different food and beverage commercials aired during Ramadan across various cable
channels in Turkey. Half of the subjects who are fasting are exposed to the advertisements before the end of fasting
and the other half after the fasting has end. According to the analysis, it can be suggested that Knorr’s soup
commercials are the most effective in Ramadan. This is not surprising because people of Islamic faith do not eat or
drink till the end of dawn and from sunrise to sunset, this ritual is repeated for an entire month to bestow their
gratitude to God. As thirst dominates hunger, commercials related to quenching thirst is sure to captivate audience
attention. In this case, Knorr’s soup advertisement, a Unilever owned food and beverage brand, is one of the 4
categories aired in Ramadan and the scores attained are as follows: attention score is 80.90 (before) and 84.61
(after), emotional impact score is 93.38 (before) and 51.08 (after) whereas emotional stress is 29.39 (before) and
49.63 (after). As illustrated by the findings, scores on attention as well as emotional impact are high before the end
of fasting index to the undivided attention of the dehydrated audience subsequently, the decrease following the end
of fasting index to the satisfied audience with a full stomach and plenty of liquid intake. Similar in logic, emotional
stress scores are low before the end of fasting as the audience embraces the commercial message, fully engaged to
the steaming hot soup, there is no conflict or defence barrier posed by the dehydrated audience however, after the
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fasting has come to an end and now the viewer is fully hydrated, emotional stress scores start to rise. It is crucial to
note that advertisements fully captivating the attention bears a major risk for brand related messages including the
logo; to not be seen as the viewers’ undivided attention is swept by intense visuals and stimulants. Hence, if an
intense attention getting stimulant is to be embedded, and mirror neurons are to be activated, it is wise to not to
place the brand name and/or logo as well as marketing offer on the same screen or in the same sequence. Rather
stimulant and the logo should be conveyed in separate yet not so distant sequences. This is also supported by Knorr
analysis highlighting the fact that neither the brand text nor the logo is seen almost not by one single experimental
subject which can be monitored in decreasing attention scores and increasing emotional impact calculations.
The second category is Koska’s advertisement, a traditional Turkish confectioner. The conducted neuro-marketing
analysis revealed attention score as 81.64 (before) and 81.70 (after), emotional impact as 69.53 (before) and 68.51
(after) and finally emotional stress as 43.18 (before) and 46.59 (after). As can be noticed, the attention scores do not
differ much which can be rooted to the fact that confectioner category has the least priority especially, as in this
case, if the audience has spent almost the entire day with an empty stomach and dehydrated throat. Since there is not
much emotional stress involved in other words, no immediate gratification is demanded by the viewer, majority of
the attention is free hence, the analysis report that not only Koska brand but also the text on the products are read by
the audience. At this sequence attention as well as emotional impact levels are observed to follow parallel in line.
The third category is Pepsi, as the consumer neuro-marketing analysis reveal, the calculated attention score is 83.72
(before), 83.46 (after), emotional impact is 65.98 (before) 59.44 (after), and finally emotional stress is 48.55 (before)
and 49.91 (after). As also supported by Knorr’s soup advertisement, commercials relating to liquids are great
attention getters in Ramadan hence, the high attention scores generated by the Pepsi advertisement. Since emotional
impact is sustained to stray around on average levels, attention is not impeded to the maximum thereafter, as also
illustrated by heatmap readings provided by packshot analysis, “Pepsi” text is clearly read by the audience within
the sequence of which attention scores decrease and emotional impact scores increase. The reason behind similar
attention scores can be attributed to the fact that Turkish population in general prefer Coca Cola to Pepsi as Pepsi is
reported to include heavier dose of artificial sweetener with a low acid ratio. Consequently, Pepsi TV commercial
aired in Ramadan can be stated to be regarded not much different than a confectionery advertisement.
The final category is Pınar brand bologna sausage. Pınar is one of the leading milk and dairy products brand in
Turkey. As the consumer neuromarketing analysis reveal, the calculated attention score is 82.55 (before) 80.76
(after), emotional impact score is 68.87 (before) 64.26 (after) and finally emotional stress score is 55.53 (before) and
53.17 (after). The heatmap readings communicate that Pınar brand is clearly seen and audience focus is successfully
driven by the promoted product projected in the scene within the sequence of which attention scores decrease and
emotional impact scores increase.
On the basis of the conducted analysis illustrated in detail above, it can be suggested that when the categories
promoted in advertisements involve food and beverages, the emotional stress scores tends to elevate. This stems
from the desire for immediate gratification of the need; gratify the thirst and/or hunger. As the assessments
conducted for the advertisements run in Ramadan imply, one advise to food and beverage brands, as well as
restaurants or sectors offering services related to food and beverages can be to advertise in time slots before meals
so as to captivate the attention of the viewer and if strong stimulants such as a juicy, mouth watering piece of steak
is to be advertised it can be suggested to not to place the brand logo, the visual as well as the marketing offer in the
same scene. Transition to the brand offer should be smooth so that the finale introducing the offer will not be
perceived by the masses as the fun part is over and now comes the boring stuff; once the cues indexing to the finale
are conveyed, audience attention is bound to be lost. If the logo is projected to the viewer and/or offer is
communicated at the time of attention loss then the entire marketing communication practice goes to waste.
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3. Teknosa/
Relieve Stress: Sincerity
The experiment is conducted on a total of 20 mother and 4 male volunteers in a laboratory designed to provide a
contemporary living room atmosphere. Teknosa one of the leading electronic appliances retail store in Turkey
launched a TV advertisement with the slogan “Cutting Edge Technology: Mom” for the upcoming Mother’s Day on
May, 2013. As calculated by consumer neuro-marketing analysis the scores are as follows: attention score is 68.81,
emotional impact is 74.28 and emotional stress is 17.86. The findings revealed that even though the opening scenes
of the advertisement take off with a relatively low emotional impact score, the increasing attention score indicate
that the advertisement is likely to be watched till the end. Even though increments and decrements can be noted
regarding attention scores throughout the advertisement, attention scores almost continually increase toward the
final which is an ideal situation for the brand offer to be successfully conveyed to the audience. While attention as
well as emotional impact scores tend to descent and ascent invariably, the most notable peak is reported in the 74th
second, on the scene in which the mother calls out to her son and says: “Dinner is ready!”. This statement
immediately boosts both attention as well as emotional impact scores. Perhaps one of the most critical scenes is the
89th second in which the mother looks at the photo album and reminds her son about the time he fell from the
greengage tree when he was a little kid. Right on this scene emotional impact scores start to decline and emotional
stress is set out to increase. In the 99th second, successful depictions of the mother regarding the anxiety, sorrow,
and fear due to the incident had cast upon her leads to another drastic increase on emotional stress scores however,
the hug initiated by the son with his mother is observed to initiate a decrease in emotional stress levels of the
audience.
As noted by Girişken, stress stems from emotions our consciousness tries to suppress. Unless there is a stimulant
providing relief for the stress in question, stress levels are bound to build up. It is necessary to note that stress might
inevitably come up as part of the narrative or be necessary for the sake of cohesive story or plot development.
However, there are strategies to sooth the stress and decrement stress levels. As put forward by this case, one
strategy is depicting sincere hugs. Even though verbal reinforcements can also be embedded, actions instigating
emotional comfort serve to be crucial, if emotional connection is to be achieved with audience masses. As the saying
goes, actions indeed serve to be louder than words. The success of the advertisement can be attributed to its success
in captivating moreover, maintaining audience attention and establishing strong emotional appeal through its theme
which is honouring and appreciation one's own mother. The offer and the storyline is successfully intertwined,
introducing the technological attributes of the product line by correlating with the attributes of a caring mother such
as an anti virus program (mom- instinct to care and protect), optic zoom (mom- advanced capacity to find lost
objects), stand-by mode (mom- snoozing on the couch, waiting for her son to come home safely). The slight touch
of humour yet the touching, emotionally appealing storyline is well intertwined with the event which is the
upcoming Mother’s Day as well as with the marketing offer conveying to the audience that Teknosa provide highend technological electronic appliances created to ease your life just as your mother. This advertisement not only
enhances brand image by honouring mothers around the world but also transfers a massive amount of emotional
appeal through positive correlations brought up by motherhood, caring, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers
in society. Subsequently, this advertisement serves as a great example in maintaining three fundamental factors in
establishing advertising effectiveness: 1. Captivates, maintains audience attention to build up till the end of the
advertisement, ensures the offer to be received by the intended audience. 2. Enhances brand image, communicates
and reinforces marketing message, heightens brand awareness throughout the commercial through the transferrable
attributes of a very highly charged emotional appeal. 3. Having established emotional appeal through activating
mirror neurons, achieves competitive advantage thus strikingly heightens its likelihood to be top of mind at the time
of purchase. Even though the introduction of the packshot slightly causes a decrease in emotional impact score,
attention score increases and the finale ends with a fall in emotional stress.
The vertical packshot analysis reveals that almost every corner of the scene projecting the packshot is seen by the
audience. Maintaining audience attention in advertisements with a long yet strong storyline and intertwined plot is
not so easy. If sincerity can not be successfully communicated to the audience then regardless of the extent of
emotional appeal the audience attention is bound to be lost and defence levels will be activated making the effort to
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Title of the study
be perceived as just another marketing attempt. Once the attention is lost, the viewer is likely to ward it off by
shunning the medium of communication. Perhaps, one optimization can be suggested as taking the script regarding
the anxiety packed greengage tree and the kid falling off the tree out of the storyline. By this way overall advertising
effectiveness can be boosted and the runtime will be shortened this in return contribute greatly towards the turnover
attained from gross rating profit.
4. Abdi İbrahim/
Relieve Stress: Transform Through Humour
The experiment is conducted on a total of 16 female and 8 male volunteers in a laboratory designed to provide a
contemporary living room atmosphere. Abdi İbrahim, a long-established Turkish pharmaceutical company, launched
a TV advertisement in 2012 for its non- prescription medicine brand Bruno, a physiological saline medicine to
relieve saline problems. As calculated by consumer neuro-marketing analysis the scores are as follows: attention
score is 73.48, emotional impact is 71.26, and emotional stress is 47.96. Even though emotional stress posed a
potential to reduce the overall effectiveness of the advertisement, optimum attention as well as emotional impact
scores compensate the loss. As also highlighted by Girişken, the high emotional impact generated with this
advertisement not only draw attention but also prompt mothers towards action; purchase. As observed in previous
analysis, placing babies or toddlers on the spotlight do not always bear positive outcomes due to a number of
reasons mainly stemming from ethical, legal issues and majorly from the high stress level caused by baby or toddler
visuals to worrisome mothers as the visuals index to baby issues involving anxiety bearing, often perplexing infant
care. In this specific case, the stress level can be stated to have been controlled through the use of a fun, engaging
storyline: toddlers gathered around making plans to get the attention of their mothers; as stated by the main character
in the role of the group leader, two of their main weapons towards getting attention as well as affection is crying and
the other is a stuffy nose. They demand that nose is bound to remain stuffy and they declare war against Bruno as it
poses a significant threat to deprive the toddlers from their utmost treasure: their mother’s uninterrupted attention.
They say if there is Bruno, then there will not be any late night attention from the mother as they will all be able to
sleep well hence, the toddlers in the advertisement demand mothers to make 5 times per night visits, give kisses and
sweet cuddles, sing lullabies, play recordings of waterfalls or ocean sounds, or an assortment of easy-listening
lullabies. The narrative interrupts the group talk towards the end and the marketing offer is conveyed “Sorry guys,
that nose will no longer be stuffy now that there is Bruno”. The success of this advertisement lies in the fact that it
makes the audience smile by transforming a relatively stressful situation into an emotional engager by depicting the
power of a stuffy nose from the perspective of a group of toddler who are just after their mother’s attention, love and
care.
Consumer neuro-marketing research reveal that if attention scores start to increase in the first 2500-3000
milliseconds within the opening scenes of an advertisement, it is interpreted as an indication that the production will
be watched till the end. This is also the case with the Bruno advertisement; there is a strong increase in both
attention and emotional impact observed within the allocated time frame. Even though in the 15th second, the scene
wherein the main character is simulated to talk with a stuffy nose induces a decrease in attention scores till the
introduction of the jingle, packshot analysis conducted in combination with consumer neuro-marketing experimental
findings highlight that a sudden increase in attention and an optimum increment in emotional impact also noted in
the 18th second marking the final declaration of the main character and the introduction of the marketing offer
propose that the message has been successfully conveyed at the right scene on the right time to audiences. The
scores indicate that connection between the storyline and the brand is successfully achieved, the storyline is
perceived in a favourable light paving way for emotional connection to be established, top of mind awareness is
acquired, brand image is enhanced, and competitive advantage is attained.
5. Vodafone/
The Power of Horror: Attention Getter
The experiment is conducted on a total of 16 study subjects consisting of 9 female and 7 male volunteers in a
laboratory designed to provide a contemporary living room atmosphere. Vodafone, Turkey, the 2nd biggest mobile
communication company in Turkey launched a TV advertisement with the slogan “Canny Tariff” in 2012. As
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Authors’ Name
calculated by consumer neuro-marketing analysis the scores are as follows: attention score is 76.98, emotional
impact score is 63.58, and emotional stress score is 47.84. With the onset of the opening scene an increase in
attention as well as emotional impact can be observed however, the introduction of the female character is recorded
to instigate a downfall in emotional impact which can be stated to keep on diminishing till and after the brand offer
is conveyed. Even though attention is captivated majorly due to the horror theme, emotional connection fails to be
achieved. This finding can be interpreted as; the storyline is engaging, thrilling yet, the connection between the
brand and the advertisement is lost. If the marketing attempt can not establish a connection between the
advertisement and the brand, then the brand will not be able to communicate its marketing message, propel the
audience towards purchase, establish top of mind awareness, or gain competitive advantage. The problem of
associating the brand with the marketing attempt is clearly portrayed by consumer neuro-marketing and packshot
analysis indicating that the storyline successfully captivated audience attention however, the logo was not seen when
the marketing offer is introduced. Without being edgy the storyline is successfully exaggerated and revolves around
the horror experienced by economically dependent teenagers in the face of expensive phone bills. The horror factor
in the scenario can be listed as unexpected phone calls in the middle of the night (operator calling to inform the
credits are low), calls with no answer (low credit, call cut unexpectedly), the chase of avoiding parent interaction,
and the alike. Due to the exaggeration factor and mostly because the audience can not make sense of the
advertisement till the brand offer shows up, emotional stress maintains to be low.
Specifically eye tracking analysis state, despite the fact that study subjects read the “23 January” text in the offer,
they have trouble in focusing on the logo of the brand. Furthermore, the text can be stated to cue the audience that
the fun part of the production is over and now comes the finale; the boring commercial offer because a decrease in
emotional impact is recorded the moment the text appears on screen. Even though the scenario is a great attention
getter, an optimization is required for the last scene if brand logo is to be seen and a connection to be established
between the brand and the stimulants conveyed by the practice. In fact, as also stated in the literature reviewed,
horror is a good catalyst towards action; the more dramatic the situation the more instant the decision is made by the
audience as the power lies in appealing to the reptile brain, instigating a reflexive response without a pause,
portraying the situation as a matter of life and death in other words calling for immediate action. Brands of cleaning
or hygiene goods most often resort to this strategy and offer their product as a relief, as a solution to the distress
creating situations. However, in this case the logo is not seen by the audience hence, the brand can not use the horror
strategy to offer its services. It should be born in mind that even if a given marketing practice is engaging, in this
case giving thrills, keeping the audience in the edge of the seat, and prompting the viewer to be completely involved
as well as alert, it is likely to cause the logo and brand offer to be missed in the overwhelm of rush instigated by
intense stimulation. Hence, a given marketing practice may be regarded as the artefact of a great mastermind
however, if one asks which brand was promoted and an answer can not be retrieved then the entire effort can be
concluded to have serve its entertainment purposes but again entertainment yields no return for the marketer unless
an emotional connection is established and since brand connection with the marketing practice is needed so as to
benefit from recognition and transfer, that entertainment value would do no good to rejuvenate advertising
effectiveness. It should be born in mind that consumer neuro-marketing has much to offer not only for marketing
communications but also for other interdisciplinary domains such as the film industry. In this respect, consumer
neuro-marketing reveals invaluable insight on effectiveness assessment one of the popular uses of which involve
packaging analysis to spotlight the extent of emotional impact propelled by the visual and the text placed on the
exterior side of the packaging as well as the message conveyed to the target consumer by the form of the packaging.
5. Discussion
Deriving on the basis of consumer neuro-markeing assessments reflected in case illustrations, the following
conclusions can be stated. To start with, emotional engagement is not enough to establish advertising effectiveness
at the expense of all else. Attention engaging stimuli is a good start to captivate attention of the audience however,
emotional connection also needs to be maintained which can be achieved by keeping emotional stress scores on the
average or preferably at minimum levels (EEG 40-55). If the opening scenes of an advertisement manage to initiate
high attention as well as high emotional connection scores, then, it is a good indicator that the advertisement will be
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Title of the study
watched till the end. However, depending on what the audience is exposed to, the scores will fluctuate accordingly.
When integrating stimuli so as to captivate audience attention, brand or product correspondence with the storyline
including coherence with the advertising or marketing practice is needed to be established otherwise, audience
masses will be swept by an array of overwhelming audial and visual stimuli; attention will be absorbed by how
funny the endorser is or how good looking the actor/actress is. In the case of such incoherence or mismatch, the
marketing attempt will be perceived as just another marketing nuisance and be omitted by the target audience. If the
brand logo, the marketing offer, not to forget the packshot, are introduced in the same scene, centre staging the
attention drawing stimulant, it is a strategy gone wrong. It should be noted that simpler packshots are more effective
and if a strong stimulant is to be embedded then it is wise for brand related denotations to showcase in the next
scene frame wherein the gaze can focus clearly on intended messages. As strong stimulants activate internal voice, it
is pointless to deliver the marketing offer at a time lapse when the audience is unreceptive to external stimuli.
Additionally, consumer neuro-marketing assessments put forward that certain cues lead to a sudden downfall in
attention and this is bad for emotional connection as it can not be achieved without attention. Such cues refer to a
range of stimuli that signal closure such as depictions of door closing, shaking hands, verbal utterances such as
“bye”, “good night”, “cut”, portrayals of end of the day, closing a textbook, shutting a door close, and the alike. In
other words, indexes that signify the end of something is seen to have the impact of saying “stop recording” to the
brain. It is necessary to note that after such cues strong stimulants are needed to jumpstart attention. Conclusions
regarding emotional connection on the other hand can be stated as follows. For attention to serve marketing
objectives, emotional connection is needed to be established. The major impediment for developing emotional
connection is the stress level generated by a given stimuli which can be the script, visuals, the jingle, tone of voice
of the actors or the narrative. Emotional stress is instigated by stimuli indexing to anxiety, terror, humiliation or
sadness bearing signifiers in other words anything negative. Along the course of depiction, if the audience is drawn
to feel or remember one of such negative thoughts which is also recorded to be activated when the viewer can not
make sense of a given marketing practice, emotional stress scores arise concurrently decreasing not only emotional
impact scores but also attention scores. Accordingly, if the marketing offer or brand related messages are introduced
in a scene in the time frame of which emotional stress scores elevate and attention scores decrease, the effort can be
concluded to have gone to waste. Some strategies for relieving stress factor can be advised as projecting comfort
providing stimuli such as depictions of sincere hugs, smiles, easing gestures, people gathered around enjoying eating
food, and the alike. However, it is best to avoid negative thoughts unless the negative is turned into an unthreatening
aspect through humour so that female and male viewers will not react negatively then form defence barriers. Stress
factor also arises when celebrities are used as endorsers. Celebrity endorsement is risky as the audience most often
can not relate with the celebrity. In such a case, internal voice intervenes and subsequently increases stress scores.
Finally, if the celebrity as well as the packshot, logo, slogan and banner is a must to be placed in the same scene then
it is necessary for brand related indexes to be positioned vertically in line with the centre of the screen because as
audience attention is naturally drawn towards the centre of the screen, the gaze will wonder up and down in a
vertical line, catching glimpses of brand related messages. Finally, some of the overall optimizations that can be
offered include introduction of brand message within the 40th second time frame and keeping advertisements not to
exceed 45 seconds because the longer the advertisement the harder it is to keep audience interest; advertisements
longer than 45 seconds is seen to trigger opting out. Such optimization can provide for packshot exposure at a time
when attention and emotional impact levels are all time high thereafter, pave the way for successful transmission of
brand messages to audience masses. Finally, with respect to avoiding stress, animation serves marketing purposes
extremely well because it not only provides differentiation, but also passes through audiences’ defence barriers as it
generates no stress, no internal conflict.
Emotional engagement should not be sought at the expense of all else as human brain processes knowledge,
experience and feeling altogether to form the final emotion. To illustrate on this fact, it is necessary to highlight that
first of all, it is emotions that command to our reptile brain; emotions can be regarded as automatic reactions to
stimuli hence, when making purchase decisions, actions take place as if under the control of autopilot; prompting
decision formations to generate in about 200 milliseconds based on the final feeling instigated by the product or the
brand. Second of all, decisions are weighed on a scale to determine whether the offer and/or the product presents
itself as a prize or punishment. The two major determining factors shaping consumer behaviour and decision consist
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Authors’ Name
of seeking pleasure and abstaining from pain. Abstaining from pain is a more powerful drive subsequently, as higher
priced goods initiate a higher feeling of pain compared to moderately priced items and services, the necessity for
luxury brands to present the experience delivered by the product and the shopping experience at utmost level,
necessity to place emphasis on presenting the promotions as an ultimate prize via the depictions in the advertisement
heightens drastically. Third of all, beginnings and the end constitute the most fundamental parts regarding the
interpretation of the whole. In other words, first impression determines how the following stimulant is to impact
perception while the end feeling determine if we are to tag the experience as positive (prize) or negative
(punishment). Not to forget, the power of visual as well as design is beyond the power of the verbal. Thereafter, the
impact transmitted through visual depictions is more profound than what is verbally communicated. This is affirmed
in the statement regarding interpretive processes; 65% of meaning making in face-to-face conversations are derived
on the basis of readings of facial gestures as well as body language thus, verbal communication can be stated to be
taken into consideration at the very end. Last but not the least, the pain associated with an offer, product or brand is
not directly correlated with price but rather with the cost and balance ratio; what else does the product offer
(correlational associations- success, prestige, etc.), is it indispensible, is it worth the price or even purchase? If the
attention of the reptile brain is to be captivated and the offer is to be perceived as a prize, a given marketing practice
needs to cue solid positive attributes and feelings by activating mirror neurons because otherwise, the messages
become abstract and this is bad news not only for internalization indexing that no attention will be given and, that
there will be no emotional engagement in return, all of which will amount to a total waste in marketing effort.
Finally, there are certain codes of behaviour indexing to consumer codes of purchase. One such code activating
attention, as well as emotion and stress is recognized as cultural codes encompassing the ideas, customs, and social
behaviour defining a particular group of people or society. As these codes vary from one culture to another, it is
necessary to decode the given codes so as to strategize accordingly. For instance, as also affirmed by ThinkNeuro
assessments, the ultimate drive connoting prize for Germans is control whereas for Turks, it is seeing and embracing
loved ones.
The case study assessments and optimization strategies derived on the basis of cultural codes of consumer mind
serve to illustrate that consumer neuroscience can help identify the exact moments in an advertisement that activate
memory, draw attention, prompt an emotional response, and aid to determine on a second- by-second basis which
parts are and are not effective in engaging viewers. By including only the most effective segments in a given
advertisement, it is suggested that significant savings can be realized from optimization while improving
effectiveness.
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