Neuroscience moves into advertising

Posted by: Stephen Baker on July 01

Neuroscience will lead advertisers to hit us with the equivalent of 2x4s, preliminary studies from Simulmedia indicate.

The idea is that viewers’ brains respond more strongly to clear and didactic promotions. In the post, we’re shown two promos. One, a dull but straight-forward 30-second spot for Entertainment Tonight, tells us exactly what we can expect (Britney in a bathing suit). Our brains, statistically speaking, respond in unison to that. Contrast that with a much choreographed promo for Nip/Tuck, which (to my eyes) is much more captivating, but opaque. Brains respond to it in many ways. The conclusion from Simulmedia, Dave Morgan’s TV ad tech startup, is that advertisers will prefer the predictable brain patterns produced by clear communication.

Does that mean that TV promos will be dumbed down? Perhaps. But conceivably, promos that are both clear and funny or visually compelling will prove to be even more effective. I can only hope that researchers will eventually track down the brain waves of the audience segment drawn to weird stuff.

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