Brain scientist warns of neuromarketing limitations

Eminent brain scientist Baroness Susan Greenfield today warned researchers about the limitations of using brain scanning technology to understand consumer behaviour.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanners are increasingly used by neuromarketers to detect activity in the brain and to pinpoint areas that relate to desire, brand association and others.

However, Greenfield told delegates to the Research 2005 conference that people can get "a bit carried away thinking that they have discovered the centre for this or that".

She questioned the ability of the technology to "help you sell something by seeing that one bit of the brain lights up" in one group of consumers, but not in another.

Instead, David Penn, managing director of Conquest, said much of what has been learned with brain science "validates" what researchers already do when studying the consumer.

He pointed to a US neuromarketing study which used fMRI scans to show that although consumers say they prefer Coca-Cola, most prefer the taste of Pepsi - demonstrating the usefulness of the traditional blind taste test.

"Brain science makes restropective sense of our old intuitive practices," said Penn.