Neuromarketing research tools have limited value unless integrated with traditional market research methods. It is said that neuromarketing uncovers the unconscious response to messages and that traditional research indicates the cognitive response which is of course influenced by the unconscious.
Additionally, it is my belief that no one neuromarketing method satisfies the requirements necessary to solve all marketing research problems. Suppliers of marketing research services should not be technology focused…rather marketing focused. A company that uses 1 neuromarketing technique is a technology company, not a market research supplier.
I own a company that provides comprehensive neuromarketing and traditional communication and sensory research services and I am surprised when I hear that research companies provide perfunctory use of traditional survey techniques. Neuromarketing can provide insights into why a respondent may express a like, dislike, emotion and arousal but I have not seen evidence that by itself it can predict how they will behave.
I am a very strong supporter of neuromarketing…I have created a company that integrates various psychophysiological methods with traditional cognitive research. I don’t believe that it has value as a stand alone tool when used to solve marketing research problems.
The objective of research is not to use a specific methodology but to get an answer that represents reality. An integration of traditional and multiple neuromarketing tools is the best answer.
