Nielsen research director Tim Rose will be responsible for overseeing marketing and client service for the launch, which follows the introduction of the service in Egypt, Korea and Japan in recent months.

The service will primarily be marketed at clients in the FMCG, automotive and telecoms sectors, but speaking to Research News, the Australian Market & Social Research Society magazine, Rose said that customers in the banking and travel industries had also shown an interest.

NeuroFocus uses EEG-based neurological testing to measure a consumer’s attention levels, emotional engagement and memory retention while they are exposed to stimuli such as adverts, brands and products.

Rose said the cost of a basic print ad test would be around AUS$25,000, while average project costs would run to around AUS$50,000.

He told Research News: “I think people will be surprised by its cost; it’s not as expensive as many might think. The reason is that the variation in response for neuro testing is small compared to traditional research and 20-30 subjects is enough to get reliable results.”