An Introduction to Consumer Neuroscience & Neuromarketing

Bachelor 2020/2021

Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'

Type: Elective course (Marketing and Market Analytics)

Area of studies: Management

Delivered by: Department of Marketing

Where: Graduate School of Business

When: 4 year, 2 module

Mode of studies: distance learning

Instructors: Svetlana Berezka

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 2

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The course aims to introduce students to consumer neuroscience. How do humans make decisions as consumers? What do they pay attention to, and how do our initial responses predict our final choices? To what extent are these processes unconscious and cannot be reflected in overt reports? This course will provide students with an introduction to some of the most basic methods in the emerging fields of consumer neuroscience and neuromarketing. Students will learn about the neuromarketing methods employed and what they mean. Students will learn about the basic brain mechanisms in consumer choice, and how to stay updated on these topics. The course will give an overview of the current and future uses of neuroscience in business.

Learning Objectives

Give an overview of the current and future uses of neuroscience in business
Introduce the basic brain mechanisms in consumer choice

Expected Learning Outcomes

Know key methods and reasons for employing neuroscience to study consumers and communication effects
Know key concepts in attention and consciousness
Understanding how senses affect consumer
Understanding what are emotions and feelings
Introduce multiple kinds of memory and how memory effects can be measured
Know ethics of neuromarketing

Course Contents

What is Neuromarketing all About?
We first need to define the field – what are the key concepts, what are the key methods and reasons for employing neuroscience to study consumers and communication effects? In this module, we will introduce the topic and how some specific studies provide key insights into what neuroscience has to offer in relationship with more traditional methods.
Attention & Consciousness
In the second module of this course we are turning to the functions of the brain, and we will first focus on attention and consciousness. This module will focus on some key concepts in attention and consciousness.
Sensory Neuromarketing
In this module we will have contents filled on the topic of sensory neuromarketing. How are our senses affected differently as consumers? What can you do to organise your communications to better use all the senses? How does the brain actually use the senses? What tools do we have for assessing the use of senses, and how they affect consumers?
Emotions & Feelings, Wanting & Liking
In this module, everything is about emotions and feelings, and the relationship between emotions and preference. As we will see, our minds have a dual side: a conscious and an unconscious response and motivation, which are crucial to understanding consumer preference and choice. Indeed, unconscious emotional responses may turn out to be driving consumer choice to the same - or even larger - degree than conscious feelings. Are conscious feelings a mere after-the-fact rationalization upon conscious choice?
Learning & Memory
This module will focus on Learning & Memory. We will determine not only that there are multiple kinds of memory, but that they also serve multiple purposes. If anything, learning is the vehicle we need to understand the most in consumer behaviour. What causes memory, and can we be affected unconsciously by our memories? How can we measure memory effects, and what is the relationship between brand equity and the brain? This module, we also have an interview with Prof. Richard Silberstein, who shares his view on neuromarketing and consumer neuroscience. Prof. Silberstein is the Founder and chairman of the neuromarketing company Neuro-Insight (http://www.neuro-insight.com/).
Neuroethics and Consumer Aberrations
This module, we will focus on both the ethics of neuromarketing, as well as aberrant consumer behaviours. We see that consumer choice can sometimes become the centre focus on a person's life, be it pathological gambling, "shopaholism" or digital dependencies. This module, we will focus on some of these issues, and combine them with the ethical aspects that we face when talking neuro. This module we also end off with two interviews: one with Prof. Jan Trzaskowksi at the CBS, who is working on marketing and the law, where we discuss what the ethical and legal aspects of neuromarketing is. As you will see, Jan has a very particular take on this that I am sure you will find interesting. Our second interview is with Carl Marci, who is the Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Innerscope Research (http://innerscoperesearch.com/) on his background and their take on neuromarketing and consumer neuroscience.

Assessment Elements

Online test: What is Neuromarketing all About?
Test the Coursera platform: https://www.coursera.org/learn/neuromarketing
Online test: Attention & Consciousness
Test the Coursera platform: https://www.coursera.org/learn/neuromarketing
Online test: Sensory Neuromarketing
Test the Coursera platform: https://www.coursera.org/learn/neuromarketing
Online test: Emotions & Feelings, Wanting & Liking
Test the Coursera platform: https://www.coursera.org/learn/neuromarketing
Online test: Learning & Memory
Test the Coursera platform: https://www.coursera.org/learn/neuromarketing
Итоговый письменный экзамен

Interim Assessment

Interim assessment (2 module)
0.12 * Online test: Attention & Consciousness + 0.12 * Online test: Emotions & Feelings, Wanting & Liking + 0.12 * Online test: Learning & Memory + 0.12 * Online test: Sensory Neuromarketing + 0.12 * Online test: What is Neuromarketing all About? + 0.4 * Итоговый письменный экзамен

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

A neurocognitive model of advertisement content and brand name recall. (2007). Marketing Science, 26, 130–141. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.1060.0212
Bargh, J. A. (2002). Losing Consciousness: Automatic Influences on Consumer Judgment, Behavior, and Motivation. Journal of Consumer Research, 2, 280. https://doi.org/10.1086/341577
Bernard J. Baars, Thomas Z. Ramsøy, & Steven Laureys. (n.d.). Brain, conscious experience and the observing self.
CHARTRAND, T. L., HUBER, J., SHIV, B., & TANNER, R. J. (2008). Nonconscious Goals and Consumer Choice. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(2), 189–201. https://doi.org/10.1086/588685
Hultén, B. (2015). Sensory Marketing : Theoretical and Empirical Grounds (Vol. First edition). New York: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1079392
Krishna, A., & Morrin, M. (2008). Does Touch Affect Taste? The Perceptual Transfer of Product Container Haptic Cues. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(6), 807–818. https://doi.org/10.1086/523286
Milosavljevic, M., & Cerf, M. (2008). First attention then intention. International Journal of Advertising, 27(3), 381–398. https://doi.org/10.2501/S0265048708080037
Plassmann, H., O’Doherty, J., Shiv, B., & Rangel, A. (2008). Marketing actions can modulate neural representations of experienced pleasantness. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0706929105
Stanton, S., Sinnott-Armstrong, W., & Huettel, S. (2017). Neuromarketing: Ethical Implications of its Use and Potential Misuse. Journal of Business Ethics, 144(4), 799–811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3059-0
Tuning down the emotional brain: an fMRI study of the effects of cognitive load on the processing of affective images. (2009). NeuroImage, 45(4), 1212–1219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.016
Żurawicki, L. (2010). Neuromarketing : Exploring the Brain of the Consumer. Berlin: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=373948

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Baars, B. J., Franklin, S., & Ramsoy, T. Z. (2013). Global Workspace Dynamics: Cortical “Binding and Propagation” Enables Conscious Contents. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00200
Bray, S., Rangel, A., Shimojo, S., Balleine, B., & O’Doherty, J. P. (2008). The Neural Mechanisms Underlying the Influence of Pavlovian Cues on Human Decision Making. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0897-08.2008
Itamar Simonson. (2005). In defense of consciousness: The role of conscious and unconscious inputs in consumer choice.
MORRIN, M., & RATNESHWAR, S. (2003). Does It Make Sense to Use Scents to Enhance Brand Memory? Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), 40(1), 10–25. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.40.1.10.19128
Ramsøy, T. Z., & Skov, M. (2014). Brand preference affects the threshold for perceptual awareness. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 13(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1451
Salimpoor, V. N., Benovoy, M., Larcher, K., Dagher, A., & Zatorre, R. J. (2011). Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music. Nature Neuroscience, 14(2), 257–262. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2726
Stephen J. Genco, Andrew P. Pohlmann, & Peter Steidl. (2013). Neuromarketing For Dummies. For Dummies.
Thomas, A. R., Pop, N. A., Iorga, A. M., & Ducu, C. (2017). Ethics and Neuromarketing : Implications for Market Research and Business Practice. Switzerland: Springer. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1302195
Tom, G., Nelson, C., Srzentic, T., & King, R. (2007). Mere Exposure and the Endowment Effect on Consumer Decision Making. Journal of Psychology, 141(2), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.3200/JRLP.141.2.117-126
Анисимов, В. Н., Колкова, К. М., Королёва, М. В., & Галкина, Н. В. (2016). Психофизиологические Методы В Маркетинге: Возможности И Ограничения ; Psychophysiological Methods in Marketing: Potentialities and Limitations. https://doi.org/10.18454/IRJ.2016.47.248

Course Syllabus