Marshall Brain's Blog

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Pushing the Buy

You've probably see the images of the human brain that show how different parts of the brain "light up" when thinking about certain kinds of things. The headline that normally accompanies something like that is, "Scientists discover portion of the brain associated with love," or "scientists discover that seizures start in the habeus corpus," or whatever.

Now there is a new group that is funding the research. According to the article:

Sellers have always expended a great deal of time and energy trying to figure out what potential buyers really think (as opposed to what they say when you ask them). Now, using powerful brain-scan technology, they can do so scientifically. Ford of Europe uses such "neuromarketing" techniques to better understand how consumers make emotional connections with their brands. DaimlerChrysler has funded several research projects at the University of Ulm in Germany, using brain-imaging technology to decode which purchasing choices go into buying a car. Firms like Oxford-based Neurosense have sprung up to make neuromarketing a bona fide business tool.

The part that is worrying about this is: Who knows what they will discover? For example, what if they discover some combination of words and phrases that, when delivered in the proper sequence, causes your brain to NEED a Ronco Vegamatic? Or a Pontiac Aztek?