Abstract
Objective: The research aims to analyze the changes in brain activity of emotions caused by the use of celebrities in television (TV) commercials using Electroencephalography (EEG). It tries to determine the positive (liking, having fun) and negative (disliking, bored) emotions of the audience with Electroencephalography (EEG).
Method: We tried to determine the emotional states of the volunteers who watched the commercials by examining the theta activities in different parts of their brains. A questionnaire was applied to 36 volunteers in our research before and after watching the advertisements. EEG recordings were made while the volunteers were watching the commercials. Theta activities obtained as a result of EEG recording were tabulated as duration. The hypotheses were tested by using the responses of the volunteers to the questionnaires and the EEG results comparatively with frequency tables and the Independent-Samples T test.
Originality/Relevance: Both the preparation and broadcasting of TV advertisements, which have a very important place in marketing communication, can be very costly for businesses. Neuromarketing, which encourages interdisciplinary work, allows the use of methods, designs, theories and technologies used in neuroscience in areas such as marketing and advertising. In this study, with the help of EEG, one of the techniques used in neuromarketing, it has been tried to determine the emotions that the advertisements will create in the audience. It is among the few experimental studies conducted in Turkey.
Results: Although EEG results shows that the activity intensity in the left hemisphere and left frontal lobe was higher than the activity intensity observed in the right hemisphere and right frontal lobe in the volunteers watching TV commercials, and the activity intensity in the left hemisphere and left frontal lobe in the volunteers where the advertisements created positive emotions, and the activity intensity in the left hemisphere and left frontal lobe in the volunteers, where the advertisements created negative emotions, statistically, as our hypotheses suggest, no significant activity difference was observed.
Theoretical/methodological contributions: The research contributes to the scientific community by deepening the knowledge on neuromarketing, which is under development in Turkey as in many countries. It also provides clues about the use of neuromarketing in advertising research. This study will contribute to the preparation of effective advertisements by understanding the emotions of the audience.
Managerial implications: Research findings can help businesses and advertisers prepare more effective commercials, thereby saving businesses costs.