BRIGHTHOUSE INSTITUTE FOR THOUGHT SCIENCES LAUNCHES FIRST “NEUROMARKETING” RESEARCH COMPANY Company Uses Neuroimaging to Unlock the Consumer Mind

(PRWEB) June 22, 2002

Atlanta, GA – June 3, 2002 – BrightHouse Institute for Thought Sciences emerged from stealth mode today and announced its intentions of revolutionizing the marketing industry.

Thought Sciences bridges the gap between business and science and provides its clients with unprecedented insight into their consumers’ minds. The company plans to change the marketing world forever by using science to observe and understand the true drivers of consumer behavior. The Thought Sciences team uses functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), a safe and non-invasive technique, to identify patterns of brain activity that reveal how a consumer is actually evaluating a product, object or advertisement. Thought Sciences marketing analysts use this information to more accurately measure consumer preference, and then apply this knowledge to help marketers better create products and services and to design more effective marketing campaigns.

For years marketers have tried to understand why consumers make purchase decisions. Although marketers have tested ad campaigns and PR efforts through surveys and focus groups, they still have not uncovered the emotional drivers behind the decision. Many other companies have recognized the value of using science to uncover the drivers of human behavior, but have yet to breakthrough with an effective model to predict consumer behavior. Thought Sciences made a giant step in the “neuromarketing” industry by identifying sections of the brain that respond to preferences. According to Brian Hankin, President of Thought Sciences, marketers will now be able to understand, for the first time ever, the drivers of their consumers’ behavior.

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“Imagine being able to observe and quantify a consumer’s true response to something without the influence of groupthink and other biases that plague current research approaches,” says Hankin. “This could not only help marketers truly understand why specific marketing efforts are effective, but it could also help societal concerns such as identifying why the current anti-drug campaign has not effectively deterred our youth from using drugs.”

Thought Sciences’ team customizes each study to meet their clients needs. In a recent study, volunteers were used to test responses to food, advertisements, cars, and other topic categories. At the beginning of the study, the volunteers filled out a survey identifying likes and dislikes in eight different categories. Then, the volunteers were placed under the fMRI scanner and shown an item on a screen. While viewing the stimuli, Thought Sciences researchers took a picture of the volunteer’s brain and compared the response of the brain to the response on the survey. From the results, the researchers pinpointed the preference area of the brain. Using this data, the Thought Sciences team can now help their client to design better products and services and a more effective marketing campaign.

“Fingerprinting the preference will lead us to great discoveries,” said Dr. Justine Meaux, Director of Research for Thought Sciences. “This is just the beginning.”

Although Thought Sciences has only completed one study, they have already landed a top consumer products company as their first client. Joey Reiman, Thought Sciences Chairman of the Board, believes many companies will follow.

“Neuromarketing is the wave of the future,” says Reiman. “Businesses are using science to gain the competitive edge. Those who don’t will be left behind.”

Thought Sciences will change the marketing paradigm as we know it. Marketers will be proactive instead of reactive with their marketing campaigns. They can use Thought Sciences’ approach to design and evaluate effective marketing communications that will motivate consumers to behave rather than just peak their interest.

“We are crossing the chasm,” explains Adam Koval, Thought Sciences’ Chief Operating Officer, “and bringing a new paradigm in analytic rigor to the world of marketing and advertising. We will enable our clients and partners to design advertising, marketing campaigns – and eventually products – that will more effectively engage and drive their target audience’s behavior.”

Marketers currently base their ad campaigns on whether they capture an audience’s interest. Unfortunately interest alone does not drive people to buy or act. “For the first time,” says Koval, “we will provide our clients with insight into what actually will drive action.”

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About BrightHouse Institute for Thought Sciences

The BrightHouse Institute for Thought Sciences was formed to extend studies of the mind into areas beyond science and academia. Thought Sciences uses neuroimaging as a measurement tool to aid in the enhancement and creation of more thoughtful products and services. Thought Sciences has partnered with leading neuroscience professors from Emory University to better understand human thought and apply the knowledge to societal and business concerns.

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