In the press | Consumer Neuroscience
2018
The country’s largest market research firm opened a $1 million lab in the heart of downtown Cincinnati that uses neuroscience to determine what is or isn’t working in advertising. New York-based Nielsen on November 29 opened its Cincinnati neuroscience lab at 250 E. Fifth Street downtown. It is the fifth such lab for the company in the United States and its 16th nationwide.
New Balance took a new approach to its New York City Marathon campaign earlier this month, using a compression algorithm from Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience to inform how it edited its 30-second spot into a shorter ad. The company, which served as the official footwear and apparel sponsor for the New York Road Runners for the second year in a row, employed the approach to ensure its 15-second spot was as effective as possible.
The US, notorious for its heavy ad load, is seeing reduction, especially in the number of 30-second ads. According to a Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience study, which analysed 80 US campaigns and found that 15-second ads outperform their longer cousins across a number of metrics: action intent, effectiveness, emotion, and memory.
In today’s fragmented media universe, I hear a lot of discussion from advertisers about how best to connect and engage with consumers across TV, digital and mobile platforms. But what about one of the first, but still powerful, forms of communication: audio? Radio, with its roots in the early 20th century, today reaches more Americans every week than any other platform, including TV, digital and mobile. Furthermore, consumers have more opportunities than ever before to interact with audio entertainment thanks to emerging technologies that are expanding the sonic landscape (see Figure below). So it’s not surprising to hear that audio consumption has increased and that advertisers are seeking ways to leverage this platform in their campaigns.
Dr. Carl Marci, chief neuroscientist at Nielsen, shared his insights and real-world examples to demonstrate the role neuroscience can play in developing and optimizing creative.
Dr. Carl Marci is a lot of things: a medical doctor, an entrepreneur, and a pioneer in neuromarketing. Currently serving as Chief Neuroscientist of Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, as well as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, Carl travels around the world helping marketers and market researchers understand neuroscience, measuring engagement, and non-conscious processing in advertising.
JERSEY CITY, NJ: Six-second television ads offer a concentrated branding opportunity for marketers, according to a study by Turner, the media company, and Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, the research firm.
Consumer neuroscience continues to get better at answering marketers’ most important, and often elusive, questions. How do consumers really feel about my brand? Is my creative really working – and are there individual moments or places where it’s breaking down? Are my ads lifting my brand, or (and we’ve seen this far too often) lifting the category at my expense? The more we understand the brain, the more we understand measuring nonconscious processing, the greater our understanding of consumers. And, with that, the more informed marketers can be about reaching these customers and improve their return on investment.
This study examined how consumers experience short-form ads (i.e., 6s) and ad pods relative to traditional formats (i.e., 15s and 30s ads). We tested in the context of media, including regular programming.
It’s no secret that advertising has changed dramatically over the last several years – or that the pace of change continues to hasten. Messages seem to have invaded every inch of real estate around us – from buildings and buses to bars and bathrooms. Audience targeting and segmenting continue to get more dynamic – and the ubiquity of mobile devices (which, at least by one measure, occupies more than three hours of our days) make advertising literally a constant arm’s reach away.
Nielsen, a global measurement and data analytics company, announced on Thursday the launch of a consumer neurosciences lab here, in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). The state-of-the-art Neuro Lab will enable clients to optimize the effectiveness of advertising (video, print and digital) spend, packaging, in-store elements among others, said Nielsen.
The museum established an advisory committee to support Asher’s work. During their initial meeting, one of the advisory board members, Carl Marci, of Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, which applies the field of neuroscience research to the marketing world, got the conversation started on how to study museum engagement, something he had already set out to define from a consumer neuroscience perspective, and which folded neatly into PEM’s own mission statement, which seeks to create “experiences that transform people’s lives.”
Nielsen, a global measurement and data analytics company, announced yesterday the launch of a consumer neurosciences lab here, in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
Nielsen has launched the Singapore-based Neuro Lab in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). EDB has been supporting the agency in the development of the Asian Innovation Center and Asia Pacific hub of the Innovation Lab in Singapore since February 2015 to build, develop and innovate digital ideas, prototypes and solutions for organisations within Asia.
Nielsen has reportedly patented a method of compressing television commercials that the company says makes them as effective or more effective than they are in their original length. MediaPost reports that the method, which also makes the ads cheaper to buy, “is being bundled into Nielsen’s existing consumer neuroscience practice [and] is effectively being offered as added value to brands and agencies that use the service to test the effectiveness of their campaigns.”
Nielsen has quietly begun rolling out a new offering that enables advertisers to compress the length of TV commercials — and potentially other video ads — in a way that makes them as or more effective than their original length, and far cheaper to buy. The new method, which is being bundled into Nielsen’s existing consumer neuroscience practice, is effectively being offered as added value to brands and agencies that use the service to test the effectiveness of their campaigns.
There were workshops that left us with knowledge we didn’t have before. Like the one with Dr. Carl Marci, a neuroscientist who specializes in how personal bias interferes with making accurate judgment calls. In just over 30 minutes, Dr. Marci proved that none of us is as smart as we think we are. It wasn’t even close. It was a humbling experience, and a little embarrassing.
Among the list of high profile business thinkers and advocates appearing at this year’s highly inspiring C2 conference in Montréal, neuroscientist Dr. Carl Marci wowed audiences with his work on the power of commercial and social neuroscience. Through facial coding, biometrics, eye tracking and electroencephalography (EEG), Marci and his team have developed methods to measure our responses to media around us.
Shachar Orren, chief storytelling officer at Disney-backed platform Playbuzz, has used this neuroscientific understanding of interactive content and the brain with enormous success. The company’s suite of storytelling tools allow publishers to craft engagement-based editorial, whereas brands tap the company for interactive branded content campaigns based on the cost-per-engagement (CPE) model. In fact, a recent study from Nielsen on behalf of Playbuzz found that Playbuzz’s branded content solutions perform in the top 10 percent of all Nielsen global Digital Brand Effect campaigns (the highest categorization level possible), garnering an average brand lift of 91 percent.
The fixation by smartphones reaches other age groups, but, in the case of ultra-young people, it gave rise to the “age of distraction”. The abundance of devices connected to the Internet is increasingly reducing the ability to concentrate. In early May, Carl Marci, a neuroscientist and physician specializing in consumer and behavioral issues, came to Brazil to present the results of neurological research performed by his company, which is part of Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, an arm of the giant Teuto- research.
The US-based Nielsen Corporation is one of the world’s biggest marketing research firms. After having bought two important neuromarketing companies, it is considered a world leader in commercial consumer neuroscience. The company claims to “offer the most complete suite of cutting-edge, neuroscience-based tools at global scale.”
It’s not always easy to pinpoint what type of content resonates with consumers—especially if you’re the one creating it. That’s where Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience comes in: With its eye-tracking technology and biometric devices, the company can actually capture sensory information of what a person finds interesting.
Merging such diverse scholars for a conversation, and sometimes debate, was the goal of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative’s second annual summit. Speakers included Jan Trzaskowski from Copenhagen Business School, Dr. Carl Marci from Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, and Josh Duyan, a Penn alumnus and chief strategy officer at CTRL-labs and others from Penn and Duke.
Popular song syncs in advertising can boost consumer engagement, according to a Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience study, but understanding how to leverage these songs in a way that positively impacts brand perceptions is critical.
2017
Nielsen conducts a study to measure emotional response, which helps support that customer’s purchasing habits are very closely related to one’s feelings about a product.
Dr. Carl Marci contributes to how neuroscience, facial tracking, and facial coding are being used to support audience research based on emotional facial reactions.
Dr. Bradley Vines, director of Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, contributes to the conversation on how sound (versus just visuals) is a quintessential vehicle to connect with non-conscious emotional associations in consumer’s minds.
Dr. Carl Marci and Dr. Bradley Vines of Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, discuss how neuroscience proves that music is an ideal ad component that can build trust and be as effective as a “celebrity” influencer.
Story cites data from Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience that shows 65 percent of the time, consumers are multitasking while watching TV.
Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience studied Airbus’ modular Transpose system and revealed customers would be willing to pay 35% more than premium economy fares for customization.
An Airbus study conducted with Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience revealed customers would be willing to pay 35% more than premium economy fares for Transpose’s increased customization.
Airbus conducted a study with Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience which revealed that customers would be willing to pay 35% more than premium economy fares for increased customization.
A contributed article by Dr. Carl Marci identifies four key areas in which brands might take risks with the appropriate level of riskiness for the brand.
At the ARF’s 2017 Audience Measurement Conference, Dr. Carl Marci discusses how neuroscience can offer a range of powerful insights into creative effectiveness, as shown by an analysis of popular Super Bowl spots.
Chevy’s Real People ad ‘unbranded’ is highlighted as the Automotive Tech Ad of the Year, highlighting how the work resonated with consumers in memorability, branding and likability.
This contributed article by Dr. Carl Marci examines the proliferation of digital devices and its effect on distracted consumers.
Dr. Carl Marci’s research on heavy digital device users and the ability to make emotional connections with content is featured in finding empathy for financial brands.
Dr. Carl Marci talks about 2017 Super Bowl ads, and how even without a political message may be viewed through a political lens.
Article references Dr. Carl Marci’s New York Times interview, warning that getting too serious during the game where people are looking to be entertained means taking a big risk.
Syndication of the New York Times article that quotes Dr. Carl Marci in reference to political messages within advertising during this year’s Super Bowl.
Scripps study on lifestyle programming, Dr. Carl Marci explains the relationship between emotional responses and long term memory.
Scripps study on lifestyle programming, Dr. Carl Marci explains the relationship between emotional responses and long term memory.
Coca Cola partners with Nielsen to uncover consumers’ non-conscious reactions to the brand’s ads.
The Council for Research Excellence (CRE) today unveiled findings from the second of a two-phased neuroscience-based study designed to better understand how consumers view television programming and advertising in a multi-platform world. The in-home phase of “The Mind of the Viewer” reinforces that networks and brands have opportunities to engage with viewers but that it’s important to understand how different types of distractions compete for viewer attention.
The media industry is making greater use of the precepts of neuroscience in creating compelling content for viewers. The ARF has been advocating neuroscience in media research for several years. Now, a partnership between Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience and YuMe, a firm that looks at cross-platform content, is using neuroscience to more efficiently ascertain the power of content across devices.
The grim story of a man beaten down by the system, from childhood to old age, doesn’t sound like the trappings of a winning commercial for a maker of microwaveable burgers. But the spot was an immediate hit for the Rustlers brand when it aired last year in the U.K., thanks in part to a surprising conclusion. When the man, now old and weary, bites into a juicy Rustlers burger, he suddenly becomes joyful and animated. The ad ends with the tagline “What a time to be alive.”
One of the big takeaways from 2016 seems to be that we’re still bad at understanding one another. It’s a considerable challenge for marketers, whose livelihoods depend on being able to know and influence others. The usefulness of self-reported market research stops short of a grand theory of buying behavior. Many subjects can’t explain why they responded well to a particular ad, or they can’t articulate their connection.
Political messages were featured within advertising during this year’s Super Bowl, warning that it can be risky to show content that is meant for more than mere enjoyment during the big game.
According to Dr. Carl Marci, the 2017 Super Bowl Ads may have seen a watershed year with the political nature of this year’s ads, shifting to more socially conscious messages among advertisements.
Feature on Nielsen’s neuroscience test with Vince Bond at the Detroit Auto Show, Vince details his experience with Dr. Carl Marci, explaining how the technology works and provides the results of his test.
At the In2Summit in Chicago, Dr. Carl Marci explained how emotional responses drive consumer behavior.
At the In2Summit, Dr. Marci discussed the relationship between emotions and politics, and how thepresidential election influenced this relationship with consumers.
The power of neuroscience technologies on advertising testing is examined, Dr. Carl Marci is quoted saying, “No one technology has a monopoly,” that each neuroscience method is particularly useful for assessing specific reactions.
Dr. Carl Marci is named one of the 25 Marketing Technology Trailblazers, highlighting Video Ad Explorer and its ability to predict in store sales.
Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience study with CRE findings unveiled at ARF, confirm patterns of the earlier study phase, which was conducted in a lab setting — that the single biggest distraction for television viewers are hand-held devices.
Dr. Carl Marci answers questions live in the ANA forum, covering an introduction to consumer neuroscience, new trends and study findings.
In Singapore, Dr. Carl Marci met with Andrew Davy to talk about measurement, the capabilities of consumer neuroscience and lab expansion in Singapore.
Dr. Jane Leighton, Nielsen’s director of consumer neuroscience, and Alistair Daly, chief marketing officer of On the Beach, describe how they used EEG, facial coding, eye tracking and self-reporting to understand the emotional engagement of consumers with On the Beach’s TV ads.
Neuroscience has helped to validate advertiser’s intuition, like jingles which, when used consistently, can be a powerful tool for developing a unique branding asset, according to Bradley Vines.
Host Catharine Hays talks with Dr. Carl Marci about the evolution of consumer neuroscience, major themes seen by clients today and what trends to expect in the future.
Article references the March 2017 Council of Research Excellence Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience study – The Mind of a Viewer, which analyzed what viewers were watching when commercials were airing.
2016
As consumers, we have endless choices and options to customize when it comes to just about anything, from our mobile phones, the way we purchase goods, and even with the way we bank. But compared to the dizzying pace of innovation and expansion of options we’ve experienced in other parts of our lives, the air travel experience can sometimes seem… well, commoditized. Why can’t we have the same level of choice and customization in air travel?
How market research contributed to understanding the impact of shared news content on consumers.
Turner tests NCAA advertising and the effect of customized ads and its level of consumer engagement throughout the tournament.
Time Warner and Nielsen announce partnership to study how video content affects the actual hearts and minds of those viewing short-form video and virtual reality.
Turner engages with Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience to understand NCAA advertising and its effect of frequency on brain response.
Dr. Marci is quoted on how the neuroscience field and its application can help to understand advertising on mobile devices.
NPR radio clip examines the development of the consumer neuroscience industry with compelling quotes from Roger Dooley, author of Brainfluence.
What if you could understand how your audience is responding to an ad while they’re still watching it? Or whether your packaging is turning people off in the supermarket aisle? It turns out, you can learn all that and much more.
A journalist receives a first-hand demo of consumer neuroscience measurement tools while touring the convention hall at CES wearing an eye tracking device and biometric belt to measure his reaction, noting his surprise that devices accurately picked up on reactions that he had not shared verbally.
Dr. Marci’s byline examines the evolution of neuroscience and the ability of integrated tools to measure emotion on page 30-32.
Dr. Marci discusses how the evolution of neuroscience is allowing smaller and lighter sensors to help lower costs, making it more affordable for studios to measure real-time consumer reaction.
Interview with Rebecca Von Der Heide Ph.D. and former associate Manuel Garcia-Garcia address the ethics of consumer neuroscience and the skepticism with these tools.
Many of this year’s most buzzed about campaigns included celebrities, which is a good way to grab attention, but according to Dr. Carl Marci – it doesn’t always pay off.
Dr. Carl Marci weighs in on the effect of celebrities in advertising, particularly around their use in Super Bowl advertisements.
With Super Bowl 50 on the horizon, Dr. Carl Marci talks about the complexity of what has worked in ads in the past and the delicate balance between entertainment, emotion, and messaging are examined.
Time Warner and Nielsen is a strategic partner for Medialab, the partnership builds on Time Warner Medialab’s existing neuroscience research — including biometric and eye-tracking technology, enhanced with facial coding, behavioral coding and EEG technology.
Time Warner Inc. announced a three-year strategic partnership with Nielsen for Medialab, a state-of-the-art facility that comprises of leading-edge technologies and research techniques to generate valuable insight into consumer behavior.
Following a conversation with Dr. Carl Marci at Advertising Research Foundation’s Re!Think conference, Jack Neff highlights how neuroscience was figured prominently throughout the conference.
TV commercials seen in TV-G rated programming scored 27% higher attention and purchase intent than commercials in programming with TV-14 and TV-MA ratings, a recent study conducted by Nielsen, commissioned by Scripps Network Interactive and cable channel UP TV.
A five-month study between CBS, Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience and Nielsen Catalina Solutions found a meaningful relationship between reaction of consumers displayed in the lab and in market sales.
In addition to releasing recent study results with CBS, Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience has launched Video Ad Explorer, which can provide brand teams with a full picture of their consumers’ thinking and emotional response.
Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience has unveiled Video Ad Explorer, a suite of integrated neuroscience tools designed to test and optimize ad creative. Video Ad Explorer combines electroencephalography (EEG), core biometrics ( which includes skin conductance response and heart rate ), facial coding, eye tracking and self-report.
Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience launches a suite of tools called Video Ad Explorer, which uses a variety of neuroscience technologies to predict in-market consumer sales and behavior.
CBS, Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience and Nielsen Catalina Solutions announce the results of a five-month study at the Advertising Research Foundation’s Audience Measurement 2016 conference.
Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience is referenced as a way to stay relevant in a fast-changing media world.
A Q&A with Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience’s Carl Marci discusses the results of a recent study that combined in-market sales from Nielsen Catalina Solutions across 60 consumer package good ads and neuroscience measures to predict outcomes.
The neuromarketing industry is examined, the story features quotes from Dr. Carl Marci and tracking the path to purchase to determine the levels of nonconscious emotional impact.
A syndicated article from OZY looks at the neuromarketing industry and features a quote from Dr. Carl Marci.
Time Warner and Nielsen announce partnership and plans to study how consumers engage with Virtual Reality.
Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience studies Vodophone SuperNet’s “Super Dad” ad and finds it was rooted in emotion and popular.
Carl Marci’s talk at the Digiday Retail Summit examine how tools such as eye tracking and biometrics can help brands identify visual hot spots and blind spots.
Michael Smith discusses the evolution of neuromarketing, the expansion of technologies supporting it and its increasing use as a standard testing tool.
Read mUnruly’s new content testing tool – Unruly EQ, in collaboration with Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience can gauge non-conscious responses.
Research from the Council for Research Excellence (CRE), Time Warner’s Media Lab and Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience examine solo viewing and co-viewing TV ads.
“Mind of the Viewer” study with the Council of Research Excellence aims to understand the nature of watching TV in a co-viewing and second screen distracted environment.
The physiological changes in our brains occur over time and affect the way consumers receive and process marketing messages, according to Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience.
Nielsen is featured as reaching new frontiers, including the launch of Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience.
A Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience study on the relationship between emotional responses to video ads and their sales uplift.
A joint YuMe and Nielsen study found VR to be a powerful tool for creating emotionally engaging brand experiences.
Case study of Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience has helped CNN.com gain a better understanding of how news content impacted advertising in social media environments.
A Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience study is referenced for examining the relationship between emotional responses to video ads and their sales uplift.
Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience releases work with Transpose to better understand how passengers respond to novel in-flight environments.
A study with Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience examines the relationship between emotional responses to video ads and their sales uplift.
Release announces the Council for Research Excellence (CRE) unveiled a pair of research studies designed to build on the organization’s previous work to help answer the question, “What is it to Watch TV?” in today’s multi-screen world.
YuMe and Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience released a new neuroscience-informed research report demonstrating how VR presents marketers with potential and challenges.