Neuromarketing vs. Status Quo

On frustrating aspect as an academic listening to neuromarketing claims is that they seem like an extreme reaction against the marketing research status quo, but without a sustainable business model.

Here’s what each looks like to me:

• Status quo: Assume that consumer can be trusted to tell us the truth, at least most or all of the time. Otherwise it becomes difficult to convince clients to buy what we have to sell.
• Neuromarketing: Assume that consumers cannot be trusted, at all. Otherwise it becomes difficult to convince clients to buy what we have to sell.

Assume that consumers cannot be trusted.

It doesn’t require too much common sense to see what these positions are incompatible because of how each positions their products and services. The more reasonable, but maybe not as sexy or eye-ball attracting, position has got to be:

• Neuromarketing 2.0: Sometimes consumers can’t or won’t tell us the truth. We will help you figure out when those sometimes are.

  Oh, we might even be able to tell you what consumers are not revealing, but don’t trust us until we can validate it in some way.