Neuromarketing expert Assist. Prof. Dr. Selami Varol Ülker stated that the discipline of 'neuromarketing,' which combines neuroscience and marketing, provides a roadmap for brands by measuring consumers' unconscious reactions. He added that this field, which goes beyond traditional declaration-based methods like surveys, is used in a wide range of applications, from reducing costs to finding the right product design.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Selami Varol Ülker also mentioned that studies in neuromarketing can be conducted using artificial intelligence methods without the need for subjects or laboratories. He said, "However, besides these, the most commonly and frequently used devices include EEG (brain wave measurement), GSR (skin conductance), heart rate, eye tracking, and facial micro-expression tracking."
Head of Üsküdar University Neuromarketing Department, Assist. Prof. Dr. Selami Varol Ülker, evaluated neuromarketing and its role in understanding consumer behavior.
What is Neuromarketing?
Explaining what neuromarketing is and its role in understanding consumer behavior, Assist. Prof. Dr. Selami Varol Ülker said, "The discipline we call neuromarketing is a field where neuroscience and marketing come together, formed by utilizing the strategies of both structures. This field also has broad sub-divisions, from sociology to anthropology and psychology. We can describe it as the discipline of understanding consumers' responses to stimuli, obtained through physiological devices, by adapting neuroscience techniques to marketing strategies."
Heart rate, eye tracking, and facial micro-expression tracking devices are used
Listing the methods used in neuromarketing research, Assist. Prof. Dr. Selami Varol Ülker said, "Neuromarketing has started to form a very broad framework. Now, studies can be conducted using artificial intelligence methods without the need for subjects or laboratories. However, besides these, the most commonly and frequently used devices include EEG (brain wave measurement), GSR (skin conductance), heart rate, eye tracking, and facial micro-expression tracking. We can use these devices in an integrated manner. This integration leads to the emergence of what we call a 'biosensor' structure."
How are marketing strategies determined?
Explaining how neuromarketing fills the gaps left by traditional marketing methods, Assist. Prof. Dr. Selami Varol Ülker said, "Marketing strategies generally use declaration-based survey studies. Such studies lack physiological infrastructure. Neuromarketing has enormous effects in determining the most suitable design before launching a product, understanding the impact of a color choice on the consumer, and performing cost calculations. For example, measuring the impact of using a famous name in an advertisement on the target audience with preliminary tests can lead to a significant reduction in costs. Furthermore, we encounter similar situations in the advertising sector or within what we call the advertising industry. Today, there are examples of advertisements using influencers. Conducting preliminary tests to understand the target audience's structure before making such investments can lead to a significant decrease in cost calculations in this sense."
The issue of ethics in neuromarketing remains unresolved
Stating that the ethical dimension of neuromarketing is frequently questioned due to its targeting of the consumer's subconscious, Assist. Prof. Dr. Selami Varol Ülker said, "The issue of ethics in neuromarketing is truly a structure that remains more 'up in the air'. Not much work has been done on it. However, within the scope of KVKK (Personal Data Protection Law), we collect and store data by obtaining voluntary consent forms. In market studies, implementing certain mechanisms in the long term to control these structures could prevent ethical violations. Our main goal at Üsküdar University is not to manipulate the consumer, but to observe the effects of existing manipulation on consumer behavior and to conduct academic, scientific studies in this regard."
Social projects aimed at raising consumer awareness can be created
Also addressing the measures that should be taken to protect consumer choice freedom, Assist. Prof. Dr. Selami Varol Ülker said, "We are all both producers and consumers. Masses can be informed by creating social projects not aimed at protecting consumers, but at raising their awareness. Perhaps in the long term, we can plan a more public study at Üsküdar University. Communicating how consumer purchasing behavior is manipulated and what pleasure-dependent purchases are based on can constitute a pioneering situation in this regard. I believe that if production activities increase their scope, there will be a great awareness among consumers regarding this. We now need to think about neuromarketing in a broader framework. This is because we are facing a situation called artificial intelligence, which produces results much faster than the research we conduct. Every day, a new technique, a new strategy is being developed."