Abstract:

The path to better consumer engagement for growth is paved with leading and bleeding edge combinations of art and science: from metrics to meaning to action. Marketers today are focused on the rapid changes in consumer behaviour, especially those driven by new media technologies that affect where, when, and how consumers are exposed to advertising. Similar technological changes are also impacting research methods and measures. These changes are giving rise to big data, programmatic buying, neuroscience and biometric research, and other innovations that researchers need to master if they want to keep pace with consumer change and secure their place at the decision table. However, this need to innovate, think differently, and redefine the role of researchers does not mean researchers should dismiss established and validated methods. The ARF’s “Neuro” studies are at the leading edge of innovation for our industry, They not only definitively demonstrate the power of the new neuro-science-based marketing research tools to make ad creative more effective, but they also show how these measures work best in conjunction with other methods, including qualitative research. This groundbreaking work is paving the path to measure emotion, the holy grail for truly effective consumer engagement.