Companies carrying out neuromarketing research today need to consider the responsibilities and ethical implications it involves. Responsible neuromarketing practice applies both to the people taking part in the studies and to the consumers who ultimately receive the products and services.
The main findings concern how information is collected and handled within the research. Studies of reactions to the stimuli being analysed, if not conducted properly, could amount to an intrusion into an individual’s privacy, and may leave participants inadequately informed about how the data gathered will subsequently be used. Procedures must be explained clearly, and confidentiality over the use of the data must be protected in order to head off any subsequent complaint.
An ethical question also arises when that information is later used to build a message designed to drive sales but which does not reflect the product’s actual characteristics. The result of this poor practice is consumer dissatisfaction, since the products meet neither their needs nor their preferences.
The following considerations should therefore be taken into account when conducting market research using neuromarketing techniques:
- Responsible research requires the consumer’s full consent to being monitored and exposed to marketing stimuli.
- Organisations must follow procedures that guarantee data is handled appropriately, ensure complete confidentiality, and see that data is deleted once the research is complete. Property rights must also be preserved, along with the responsible distribution of that data to third parties.
- Neuromarketing studies should pursue rational objectives that benefit society — campaigns against drug and alcohol use, for example.
- Researchers should comply with the Code of Ethics drawn up by the Neuromarketing Science and Business Association (NMSBA), which establishes that researchers must not mislead participants by taking advantage of their unfamiliarity with the field or their lack of information about it.
Irene Ruiz
Student on the Master in Responsible Marketing and International Trade Management at CMI
