Design Better Marketing Research

Neuromarketing has become increasingly popular as a research method for businesses looking to understand consumer behavior, but many companies fail to produce results that are generalizable. Their research is often only valuable for their current project rather than providing opportunities for long-term improvements. On the other hand, non-neuromarketing studies often suffer from bias, inherent to their sampling methods, that can be eliminated using basic neuromarketing techniques. In this article, we will explore how to improve research design for both neuromarketing and traditional self-report research.

Neuromarketing Study Design

The most common mistake most businesses make when they design neuromarketing studies is their failure to produce results that can be generalized. For example, companies often test the effectiveness of their ads before they spend money on media placements. This is a good strategy because it ensures ads are effective and prevents waste of media buying resources. However, to get the best value for your study, it should be designed to provide insights that empower you to create more effective ads in the future.

In a study Flying Horse conducted on Taco Time advertisements, the primary objective was to measure an ad's effectiveness before it was produced. To this end, we tested animated storyboards and finished ads to determine whether we could measure a similar response using our suite of neuromarketing tools (hint: we could). However, Taco Time also wanted to determine whether their ads were more effective when they focused entirely on "food porn," or when they also included customer-food interactions.

It turned out that both were effective, but when they used customer food interaction, they had to be more intentional about directing the path of attention.

Another way to create generalizable results without making major changes to study design would be to create a video advertising study as normal, then test different taglines by creating a second version of the study with an updated tagline at the end of each video. This way, you can determine which of your current ad concepts is more effective and make long-term changes to your advertising based on a single study.

When you build in an additional research objective that doesn't interfere with your control variables, you get greater value for each neuromarketing study.

To achieve this, first design your study as normal:

• Select stimuli
• Select relevant sensors such as:
  • EEG,
  • Eye Tracking,
  • Facial Coding,
  • and Galvanic Skin Response,
• Then control as many variables as possible.
• Finally, choose an element that is consistent across all (or most) stimuli and AB test it.

Try this method for your next study!

Traditional Study Design

Often, when traditional research methods are used, the greatest source of bias comes from the sample of participants. This bias is inherent in most traditional research methods, including over-the-phone studies, online studies, and in-person research.

1. Over-the-phone studies have the advantage of allowing researchers to ensure their participants maintain attention throughout the study, but their obvious weakness is that participants may change the answers to their questions or refuse finish the survey based on past experiences with a brand or the perceived expectations of the person conducting the interview.
   
   
2. Online studies have strengths and weaknesses as well. One major benefit of conducting research online is that participants are unlikely to be swayed by the expectations of the researchers as they have no interaction. However, participants often fail to maintain attention throughout the study.
   
   
3. In-person research, when conducted properly, reduces most of the biases discussed above, but it is expensive and can be difficult to perform in a timely manner with large or specific samples because of recruiting challenges.
   
   
4. Fortunately, there is a fourth method that businesses can use to reduce bias in traditional research. By augmenting online studies with neuromarketing techniques, businesses can ensure that participants are engaged throughout the process, even when they have no physical interaction. Using affordable online sampling methods, eye tracking and facial coding can be added to this type of research via the webcams of participants. This way, researchers can ensure participants are paying attention throughout the process.

It's important to ensure your neuromarketing studies produce generalizable results that can be used to make long-term improvements to your business. When designing traditional research, make sure to utilize basic neuromarketing techniques to reduce bias and ensure participants are paying attention. By doing so, businesses can guarantee their research produces reliable and valuable results that can inform decisions and drive growth.