Ethical issues in the application of neuromarketing research

Abstract

Namely, neuromarketing represents a branch of the application of neuroscience for marketing purposes and a modern method of studying brain reactions during marketing messages or consumer behavior. As an interdisciplinary science, it relies on the knowledge of a number of sciences: psychology, neurology, consumer psychology, neuropsychology, medicine, biology, marketing, but also the knowledge gained by sharing with them. It proved to be a more advanced method of marketing research than conventional (classical, traditional) techniques and methods (surveys, interviews, focus groups, stakeholders, etc.). Neuromarketing represents the application of neuroscience studies in the knowledge and explanation of subconscious dispositions of consumer behavior. For this purpose, it uses various brain scanning methods, techniques and devices that determine the brain reactions of consumers to marketing stimuli or certain products/services. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) are most commonly used. In this sense, the main goal of this work is to indicate the possibilities of practical application of the techniques and methods used by neuromarketing. By following the reactions of certain parts of the brain and knowing their basic psychological functions, researchers and marketing experts are able to determine the type of psychological process (emotion) that occurs due to a certain stimulus. As a new theoretical concept of consumer behavior research, it causes many controversies and ethical dilemmas.