How Can Epilepsy Research Cure Advertising?
Posted by Jaci Russo
We’ve all heard the statistic that the average person is inundated with 3000 - 5000 advertising messages per day.
And now with all of the new channels that social media has introduced that number will only get higher.
Luckily, there is incredible research being done and the findings might be able to help marketers cut through that clutter.
Researchers at Louisiana Tech are utilizing the neuron cap (pictured above) to test the brain’s response to stimuli. Specifically how the brain responds to the same images that are often repeated and then the brain’s response when a different image is introduced.
I was able to take a tour of their lab last week and the results so far are pretty impressive. Their work is an effort geared towards epilepsy and the control of seizures.
But I think that the application for advertising is significant. As I watched the test subject’s brain waves became very passive as the same images were shown over and over again (just like yours with the same advertising messages over and over) but when a different image was introduced, the brain waves became active and the subject was engaged.
The response wasn’t just about being different. The “different” images that were introduced would keep the attention for varying lengths, based on the relevancy of the image/message.
When an emotional connection can be formed, the mind is engaged and that will drive action. This level of consumer insight can be phenomenal. The possibilities are staggering - different messages based on psychographic and demographic profiles with true responses, not just what someone thinks they like or don’t like.
Interesting, isn’t it. To be able to utilize studies like this to research campaigns and determine if the message will resonate - seems a lot stronger than what we can learn from just a focus group.
And if they can cure epilepsy too, even better.
