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Tag: ethics

The myth of the zombie consumer

February 26, 2015 0 Comments
The myth of the zombie consumer

Much of the fear expressed by critics of neuromarketing seems to be based on an implicit assumption that consumers need to be protected from neuromarketing because they’re weak and passive and, therefore, easy dupes of wily and clever marketers. This is an ironic assessment, because if these critics took the time to understand the brain […]

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Can neuromarketing make you want things that aren’t good for you?

September 30, 2014 0 Comments
Can neuromarketing make you want things that aren’t good for you?

(This is the third post in a series about neuromarketing criticisms. The first two posts are here and here.) People doing things that aren’t good for them is a serious personal and public policy problem, sometimes with tragic consequences. But it’s a problem that was with us long before the birth of neuromarketing, and it’s […]

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Is there a “buy button” in your brain, and can neuromarketing push it?

September 25, 2014 1 Comment
Is there a “buy button” in your brain, and can neuromarketing push it?

(This is the second of three posts in a series about neuromarketing criticisms. The first post is here.) This concern is closely to the question from the previous post about mind-reading. If neuromarketers can read our minds, they can discover ways to manipulate us into buying things that we wouldn’t buy otherwise. In other words, […]

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Can neuromarketing read your mind?

September 15, 2014 0 Comments
Can neuromarketing read your mind?

A big concern of some commentators is that neuromarketing is a kind of mind-reading technology that can probe into our private thoughts and expose them to marketers. This concern vastly overestimates the power of neuromarketing and misrepresents the sciences that underlie it. We cover this topic in detail throughout Neuromarketing for Dummies, but for now […]

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Why I’m not afraid of priming

April 27, 2014 1 Comment
Why I’m not afraid of priming

Recently I read a very thoughtful blog post on neuromarketing ethics by Barry Adams, a web developer and provider of digital marketing services in Ireland and the UK. Barry’s post, entitled “Friday Commentary: A Crossroads for Marketing – The Ethics of Neuromarketing” is worth reading in full. Here’s an excerpt that caught my attention: … as […]

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Unintended consequences? Food ads automatically prime eating in children and adults

October 2, 2013 0 Comments
Unintended consequences? Food ads automatically prime eating in children and adults

A really fascinating, and in several ways disturbing study recently crossed my desk. Authored by Jennifer Harris, John Bargh, and Kelly Brownwell, the article is called “Priming Effects of Television Food Advertising on Eating Behavior”. It was published earlier this this year in Health Psychology.  Abstract and online access are available here. The study shows in undeniable […]

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Neuroethics: Some principles

September 5, 2013 0 Comments
Neuroethics: Some principles

(Since the Murphy et al. article was published in 2008, further academic work on ethical principles for neuromarketing has been sparse. We provide an updated discussion of all five of these principles in Neuromarketing for Dummies.) We’re finally starting to see some serious examination of ethical issues in neuromarketing.  A recent issue of the Journal of […]

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Are nonconscious processes out of control?

July 16, 2013 0 Comments
Are nonconscious processes out of control?

I have written several posts about the the question of whether nonconscious processes need to be “protected” from stimuli that trigger them.  The need for protection is derived from a belief that these processes are somehow more vulnerable than conscious processes, and further, that stimulating them can make us do things (specifically, buy things) that […]

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The Hidden Persuaders: The best book I (n)ever read

July 8, 2013 1 Comment
The Hidden Persuaders: The best book I (n)ever read

In 2007 there were a number of reviews and appreciations of The Hidden Persuaders written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its publication. I just finished reading a very interesting account by Michelle Nelson, called “The Hidden Persuaders, Then and Now,” published in the Journal of Advertising, Spring 2008. Diligent googling might find you a […]

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Should there be industry standards for neuromarketing?

June 12, 2013 0 Comments
Should there be industry standards for neuromarketing?

Neuromarketing is starting to do a better job developing industry standards that clients can understand and use to evaluate neuromarketing practitioners and practices. In the past, I believe this has been a big factor in the failure of neuromarketing to grow as quickly as many of us believe it should have (see my blog post “Can Neuromarketing Get It’s Groove Back, […]

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