Buffalo, NY - The Canisius University Center for Professional Development (CPD) and Dent Neurologic Institute (DENT) have partnered to investigate consumer research using neuroimaging techniques, particularly EEG. By understanding the human brain, researchers can better understand consumers and why they choose some products over others. Neuromarketing is a fast-growing field that provides a new breakthrough in obtaining marketing and sales results. Companies including Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Cocoa-Cola, Jet Blue and Volkswagen are using this new technology.
Neuroimaging uses a combination of techniques found in psychology and neuroscience to comprehensively and objectively investigate the factors driving purchasing decisions. Neuroimaging researchers use techniques including fMRI, EEG, eye-tracking and psychophysics to better pinpoint the pros and cons of consumer products and advertising campaigns.
“We are very proud of our partnership with Dent Neurologic Institute,” said Frank Swiatek, interim executive director and executive-in-residence at the Center for Professional Development. “DENT adds a great deal of credibility to our neuromarketing projects as we help organizations to obtain more reliable and accurate consumer information.”
All Electroencephalology (EEG) studies will be conducted at DENT, whose EEG Laboratory is accredited by the American Board of Registered Electroencepholographic Technologists (ABRET). Erikson G. Neilans, PhD, a facilitator and neuroscience consultant for the CPD, will conduct the interviews with the participants and analyze the data for clients.
“We will use the same diagnostic testing techniques used to diagnose various neurological conditions in order to gather a more in-depth and comprehensive analysis of consumer behavior,” said Neilans. “We will measure the brain’s responses to various products and designs and then share the findings with clients for implementation.” Neilans says neuromarketing provides an alternative to current practices including focus groups and surveys, which have been prone to errors and biases that lead to misconceptions about the products in the real-world.
“All of us at DENT, especially our neurophysiology subspecialists and EEG technologists, are very excited about our collaboration with Dr. Neilans and the Canisius Center for Professional Development,” said Kenneth R. Murray, MD, EEG program medical director. “We believe that this exciting collaboration is an opportunity to bring together the fields of neuroscience, technology and marketing to best understand and identify the unconscious mind’s response to advertisements, brands, products and ultimately, buying decisions. We hope the results of this study will provide new and useful information to our colleagues in the advertising and marketing industries. Collectively, the goal is to improve a company’s product reach and buying decisions, to consumers.”
The CPD has begun in–house customized projects with local organizations and will offer a public seminar entitled, “Use Neuromarketing to Improve Your Marketing Results,” on February 24, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Center, 300 Corporate Parkway, Amherst.
To register for the seminar, contact the Canisius Center for Professional Development at 716-888-8490. For more information about the programs and services offered by the CPD, visit www.canisius.edu/cpd or email @email.
Canisius is one of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation, and the premier private university in Western New York.
