In today’s advertising world, where you see thousands of ads daily, it might seem impossible to stand out. But surprisingly, small details like where a baby in an ad looks can make a huge difference. This is where neuromarketing comes in—using brain science to understand what truly catches our attention and shapes our decisions. This blog explores how brands use neuromarketing to design better ads, the surprising lessons from famous commercials, and the ethical considerations that come with tapping into our subconscious.
The Surprising Power of a Baby’s Gaze in Advertising
People naturally respond to babies. You’ve probably noticed how diaper ads often feature a smiling baby front and center. Advertisers use babies because people love babies and it’s believed they instantly grab your attention. But what if that attention actually works against the ad’s message?
Two versions of a diaper ad were tested with only one difference: where the baby was looking. In the first version, the baby looked straight at the viewer. In the second, the baby’s gaze was directed toward the product information. At a glance, most people thought both ads felt the same, but neuroscientific data told a different story.
Using eye tracking technology, researchers created heat maps showing where viewers looked. These maps revealed that when the baby looked forward, viewers were so focused on the baby’s face they barely read any text. When the baby looked at the product info, viewers naturally followed the gaze, reading much more of the text.
This small detail—the baby's gaze direction—caused viewers to:
- Become distracted and miss key information in version one.
- Engage fully with the ad’s message in version two.
This insight shows how tiny visual cues can vastly improve the effectiveness of an ad. Marketers who understand and use such subconscious biases can create ads people actually pay attention to and remember.
Understanding Neuromarketing: The Science Behind Why We Buy
Neuromarketing uses techniques from neuroscience to design more effective advertising. It’s especially important today because studies estimate that we are exposed to over 4,000 advertisements every day. With so many competing for our attention, brands must connect with consumers on a deeper level.
Neuromarketing recognizes that people don’t always make buying decisions through conscious, logical thought. Our reactions often happen in milliseconds, driven by emotions and subconscious processes. For example:
- Impulse buys at the supermarket that you didn’t plan.
- Songs stuck in your head after hearing them on the radio minutes before.
Researchers use tools like eye tracking to see where people look, biometric engagement to measure physical responses like heart rate and sweating, and facial coding to understand emotional reactions. These methods reveal how attention, memory, and emotion work together during ad viewing—without relying only on what people say in surveys.
This approach lets marketers accurately gauge how deeply you engage with an ad and predict how likely you are to buy the product.
Two respected sources for further understanding how neuroscientific analysis is applied in marketing include the insights shared by Harvard Professional Development and the Harvard Business Review’s overview on neuromarketing.
Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, a leader in the field based in Boston, uses these techniques with major brands to improve marketing strategies. Working with companies like this has helped develop real-world expertise and improve ad designs based on how people actually react.
Case Study: Analyzing the Kendall Jenner Pepsi Ad
One striking example of neuromarketing in action is the infamous 2016 Pepsi ad featuring Kendall Jenner. The ad showed Jenner calming a protest by handing a police officer a can of Pepsi. It faced widespread criticism for trivializing the Black Lives Matter protests.
Neuromarketing analysis methods included:
- Biometric engagement measuring heart rate and sweat to detect emotional involvement.
- Eye tracking to observe where viewers looked.
- Facial coding to identify emotional reactions.
- Self-report surveys capturing viewers’ opinions.
The data showed major problems in viewer engagement. Most of the ad fell below neutral engagement levels, meaning people tuned out during much of the ad. The first minute was especially troublesome with a downward engagement trend. Contributing factors included:
- Lack of clear context.
- Poor creative choices, such as fast cutting, unusual camera angles, and faces partially hidden.
These elements distracted viewers, who couldn’t focus on central characters or storyline. Eye tracking confirmed scattered attention with no one place holding the viewer’s gaze. Such scenes caused viewers to “fade out” and lose interest.
However, facial coding showed something unexpected: viewers reacted positively to the characters other than Kendall Jenner. These characters seemed relatable, and when they appeared on screen, eye tracking revealed strong, focused attention.
At the climax—the moment Kendall Jenner hands the Pepsi to the police officer—more than 95% of the audience focused on the scene. Despite this, biometric data and facial expressions indicated confusion and discomfort, likely due to ambiguous shots (like disembodied hands) and sensitive social implications.
The ad's ending, with protesters cheering, saw an uptick in engagement; viewers mirrored the on-screen positivity. Importantly, 100% of participants saw the Pepsi branding clearly during the last part of the ad.
What can we learn from this?
- Visual clarity and easily understood context are critical to keep viewers engaged.
- Emotional responses vary; viewers may connect with some parts even if the overall message misses.
- Neuromarketing offers insights that traditional surveys alone can't provide.
Ethical Considerations and the Future of Neuromarketing
With the power to tap into subconscious thoughts, neuromarketing raises important ethical questions. Critics worry it could manipulate consumers unfairly. But it’s important to understand what manipulation means here.
Manipulation involves playing on people's fears or hopes to control their actions or beliefs. All advertising, to some degree, tries to shape opinions and feelings. Therefore, neuromarketing isn’t uniquely manipulative; it simply uses science to be more effective.
That said, there are areas where neuromarketing could be risky or inappropriate. For example:
- Political campaigns.
- Controversial social issues.
- Voting-related matters.
- Propaganda content.
Some experts argue for restricting neuromarketing use to consumer products only, avoiding these sensitive areas.
Since the 1960 consumer protections, like the Consumer Bill of Rights initiated by President John F. Kennedy, education and fairness have been crucial. Now, as neuromarketing grows, there’s a call to update these protections. The goal is to ensure consumers fully understand how their brains are targeted and to set ethical boundaries for marketers.
Despite concerns, neuromarketing is not something to fear. It can help brands create more engaging, relevant ads that resonate with consumers, avoid offensive mistakes like the Pepsi ad, and support social good. Advertising can become as memorable as Super Bowl commercials, building strong, positive brand connections.
For a deeper dive into ethical questions around neuromarketing, see analysis from the American Marketing Association and Forbes articles discussing manipulation concerns in neuromarketing here.
Final Thoughts: The Impact of Neuromarketing on Everyday Life
Neuromarketing explains why ads stick in our minds and influence what we buy even when we’re not fully aware. These effects appear all around us—whether we associate Cheerios with childhood, think of Apple when imagining innovation, or link Coca-Cola with happiness.
Understanding these influences helps consumers make smarter choices and recognize subtle triggers in ads.
Paying attention to simple cues like gaze direction or emotional tone in commercials can reveal much about how advertisers shape our feelings and decisions.
As neuromarketing advances, both consumers and brands can benefit from more honest, effective communication that respects subconscious influence while improving the overall experience.
If you want to explore more about how neuroscience and psychology play a role in marketing, you can find talks like this one on the TEDx platform, which hosts many great educational videos.
Neuromarketing is already changing the way ads are made and understood. The better we understand how our brains react, the better ads will become—not just more persuasive, but more thoughtful and meaningful.
This deeper connection between science and marketing holds promise for smarter advertising and more informed consumers.
For further information about neuromarketing basics and how companies use these insights to predict consumer behavior, you can check out this detailed post on neuromarketing by Harvard Business Review.
Also, Harvard Professional Development offers a practical overview of how neuromarketing tools help advertisers understand consumers better.
Enjoyed this insight? The full talk by Sam Usher, a student of engineering psychology and neuromarketing at Tufts University, dives even deeper into this topic and shares real-world data and ideas. Watch the talk here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMkkVCQdoa4
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