Page, who takes the role of executive vice president of consumer neuroscience, said the agency was banking on the division as being one of its big growth areas this year.

Advertisers, he said, were becoming more receptive to approaches like electroencephalography (EEG) brainwave measurement, eye tracking and implicit association tests – all of which will be rolled out across Millward Brown globally in the coming weeks and months.

Page said the company had been experimenting with neuroscience techniques for six years, but the creation of a dedicated division marked “an important milestone”, while the research approaches themselves promised “a different perspective” on how consumers respond to advertising and brand communications.

Before going public with the launch of the division, Page said some 60 projects had already been completed across the US, UK and Europe, with clients including Panasonic, Kraft and Royal Mail.

Partner companies include EmSense, which supplies Millward Brown with the EEG equipment used to record consumer brain activity. Yesterday, EmSense announced the release of an upgraded piece of kit called the EmBand 24, which it said was specifically designed for market research studies.

Meanwhile, Millward Brown is in the process of appointing a replacement for Page in the role of head of global innovations.