title: Redefining neuromarketing as an integrated science of influence.
abstract: Multiple transformative forces target marketing, many of which derive from new technologies that allow us to sample thinking in real time (i.e., brain imaging), or to look at large aggregations of decisions (i.e., big data). There has been an inclination to refer to the intersection of these technologies with the general topic of marketing as "neuromarketing". There has not been a serious effort to frame neuromarketing, which is the goal of this paper. Neuromarketing can be compared to neuroeconomics, wherein neuroeconomics is generally focused on how individuals make "choices", and represent distributions of choices. Neuromarketing, in contrast, focuses on how a distribution of choices can be shifted or "influenced", which can occur at multiple "scales" of behavior (e.g., individual, group, or market/society). Given influence can affect choice through many cognitive modalities, and not just that of valuation of choice options, a science of influence also implies a need to develop a model of cognitive function integrating attention, memory, and reward/aversion function. The paper concludes with a brief description of three domains of neuromarketing application for studying influence, and their caveats.
authors.affiliation: Warren Wright Adolescent Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA ; Mood and Motor Control Laboratory or Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA, USA ; Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Hans C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Breiter
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; Medill Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Block
authors.affiliation: Mood and Motor Control Laboratory or Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA, USA ; Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Anne J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Blood
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; Department of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Bobby
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Calder
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; Aston Business School Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chamberlain
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University Leicestershire, UK.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Warren Wright Adolescent Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA ; Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Sherri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Livengood
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; Medill Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Mulhern
authors.affiliation: Warren Wright Adolescent Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA ; Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; Medill Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Kalyan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raman
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; Medill Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.affiliation: Warren Wright Adolescent Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA ; Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; Medill Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Viswanathan
authors.affiliation: Applied Neuromarketing Consortium, Medill, Kellogg, and Feinberg Schools, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; Department of Statistics, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA ; Department of Psychology, Drexel University Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Fengqing Zoe
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: choice; influence; marketing communications; neuroeconomics; neuroimaging; neuromarketing; scaling