Invasive Tech: Neuromarketing (part 2)

Neuromarketing technology was first developed in the late 1990's by Jerry Zalmen, a Harvard professor, who patented his technique under the name Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET). This method basically targets the human subconscious with specific sets of images that are proven to cause positive emotional responses and activate hidden images, which in turn stimulate purchases. Traditional marketing studies include focus groups and surveys to evaluate consumer response, but it fails to provide a deep understanding of the consumer's subconscious thoughts and emotions. Neuroscience has vastly improved behavioral predictions, allowing advertising to communicate and meet the needs of potential customers with different predictions of choice. Product design is then altered to attract and appeal to a target consumer's conscious and subconscious thoughts. This, of course, results in more effective marketing and successful sales. The ZMET technique has been widely used by hundreds of companies, including Coca-Cola, General Motors, Nestle, and Proctor & Gamble. Knowing this, does it bother you and cause you to question any purchases you may have made of their products? Do you feel like you may have been manipulated?