Under the expansion, Millward Brown will fully integrate Affectiva’s Affdex facial coding software with its Link copy-testing solution so that participants faces can automatically be recorded while they watch ads within a normal survey environment. The results will then be fully cross-analysed with viewers’ survey responses and delivered within an online dashboard.

Unilever will apply facial coding to all its quantitative advertising pre-testing projects worldwide in 2013, whilst The Coca Cola Company have decided to use facial coding in their Link research for animatic advertising. Combined with other clients who are also repeat users, Millward Brown says it expects to run thousands of emotional measurement projects this year.

Graham Page, head of Millward Brown’s neuroscience practice, said: “We’re really excited that two of our most forward-thinking clients have chosen to use this leading edge technology at scale. The combination of direct observation of physical responses and viewers’ interpretation of their reactions provides a really powerful view of the way people respond to advertising. It adds real depth to our understanding and builds on our validated metrics to deliver new insights in an easily applied and cost-effective way.”