At last - a discussion on formalising neuromarketing in SA

Right now, neuromarketing is one of the two most talked about issues at international marketing conferences, the other being new media.

Du Plessis told me recently that in South Africa, these techniques were supplied by all major research companies and a few independents.

SA remarkable by its absence

"However, we lag far behind on the international scene for a number of reasons, some positive, but we also do not have an association.

"If you look at the international website you will see that they have 31 countries with local chairs. South Africa should be wedged between Russia and South Korea, but is remarkable by its absence."

Du Plessis added that the Obama government will this year cut US$85 billion from the budget, but will launch a brain initiative of $100 million that will be increased over the next 10 years.

"The EU has launched a Brain Mapping Initiative that involves 80 institutes and the knowledge that will become available in the next decade is astounding."

The objective, he said, was to start a foundation inside the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) "so that we can find academic funding to do primary research in this area and also obviously, to get marketers to become involved. And to learn."

The outline of Du Plessis' talk on 30 October as well as conference details can be found at www.erikdup.com.

Synopsis

Du Plessis offered this synopsis of what he will be presenting:

Session 1: The history and status of neuromarketing

1. "I will start by explaining how we have entered the 'Age of the Brain', specifically the Brain Mapping Initiative of the European Union involving 80 institutes, and Pres. Obama's Brain Initiative of $100m - in the year that his budget proposals have a $85bn cut.

   This has a significant impact on what we will be learning about the brain in the next decade.

2. "I will review the 'Emotion vs Rational' paradigm from Descartes to Darwin to Adam Smith to James and Freud and Subliminal advertising effects. Of course this ends with the modern paradigm of Damasio (1995) about the role of emotions in reason.

3. "I will review the start-up companies that introduced neuromarketing since 2000. And the 'Neuro-cowboys'
   
4. "I will review what the reactions of the ARF in the USA and the International Neuromarketing and Business Science Association and ESOMAR has been."
   

Session 2: Memory, interpretation and attention

"The basis of all intelligence and behaviour lies in memory (explicit and implicit). Too few neuromarketers give memory enough attention - or even understand how it works. In this session I will explain the details of how neurons form memories and how these are used for interpretation.

This will include a discussion of the foundation for the neuromarketing technique of 'Implicit Association'."

Session 3: Feelings, moods and emotions

"In this session I will explain the role that feelings has in our brains. Why emotions, and why not only emotions.

"I will show two experiments that I did which has just been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Neuromarketing.

"The one will be about moods and advertising with eye-tracking results. The second experiment is a world first experiment using hormonal measures relating to measurement of Ghrelin - the hunger hormone. Does advertising create hunger? Does hunger lead to greater noting of food advertising?"