Exploring the consumer's brain: a neuromarketing approach

Abstract

The search for consumer preferences has always been the main goal of marketing. The consumer, however, does not make choices only on rational and predictable bases but is also influenced by his unconscious sphere. In this, the development of neuromarketing techniques has certainly helped, allowing brands to provide the right products to the right consumers and avoiding wasting resources in the production of infinite product variations. According to multiple researchers, the most active brain area during non-rational and emotional decisions is the amygdala, strongly linked to emotions such as anger, excitement, fear and anxiety. According to experts, the stimulation of this area would activate neuronal circuits capable of positively (or negatively) influencing purchasing decisions. The simplest way to stimulate the amygdala is through visual stimuli. For this reason, the thesis also focuses on a specific research area of neuromarketing: neurocinema, the analysis of videos and images that can stimulate specific decision-making processes and consequently have a greater impact on the consumer. In the final chapter, this thesis develops a research project, via questionnaire, in order not only to confirm the role of the amygdala in decision-making processes but also to encourage the use of neuromarketing techniques, to make companies more competitive in a market consisting of intangible, emotional and symbolic levers.