Neuromarketing is a new field of marketing that studies consumers sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective response to marketing stimuli. Researchers use technologies such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to measure changes in activity in parts of the brain, electroencephalography to measure activity in specific regional spectra of the brain response, and/or sensors to measure changes in ones physiological state (Heart Rate, Respiratory Rate, Galvanic Skin Response) to learn why consumers make the decisions they do, and what part of the brain is telling them to do it.

As Mindhacks points out:

if you read the newspaper articles [one in the NY Times and one in the Guardian] it’s shocking to compare their grandiose claims with this study which is currently the best ‘neuromarketing’ evidence

In other words, the marketers are marketing their own research tools — whether they work or not — both to the world and seemingly even to themselves. This smacks of pseudoscience. The usual process is bad enough: when the experimental results don’t match the desired outcome, research tends to be suppressed. But this is even worse. When the research methodology is marketed instead of its actual results, the cart is well and truly put before the horse.

Nowhere is safe from advertising. [A potato-crisp manufacturer] is inviting the British public to come up with an advert for their nachos that will be broadcast into space from a radio telescope in Norway this June. The ad will be aimed toward the “habitable zone” around one of the stars in the constellation Ursa Major. This is 42 light years away, so peckish aliens might take a while to get here.

Now if you don’t mind, I think I’ve just about had it…. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??? It’s as if Franz Kafka, David Cronenburg and Terry Gilliam dreamed up some hideous TV monster, and it ATE TV-LAND then crapped out RECURSIVE TV NIGHTMARES. This is in Revelations, right?

Honestly though. Are they on crack or what?

Hmm?

It’s just as true to say that advertising has been intrusive and irritating for many generations.

Here’s the problem, the conservative anti-government types have starved the government of funds, and now our elected officials are at a loss about what to do. You see, people all agree with the cut-taxes mantra, but sure don’t want any services to be cut! Of course the fact that taxes go towards things that we all want and need such as infrastructure and bridges that don’t collapse isn’t explained when politicians talk about tax cuts. So now, the Golden Gate Bridge district is going hat in hand to big corporations, who have got very low corporate tax rates, so they can fund a small portion of the expensive bridge maintenance. Of course, that advertising money which is paid to the Golden Gate Bridge will be a tax-deductible advertising expense to those corporations!

So we sell off the visual beauty of one of our nation’s landmarks for a paltry sum, and the bridge still can’t make enough to cover expenses. I’ve got an idea, how about we start taking in enough money in taxes to fund our basic infrastructure.

Thanks again, Andy!

Frankly, this seems like a losing battle, with the marketing budgets firmly stacked in favour of food producers who currently have no obligation to supply healthy food. Is there a better way..?
Update: More from mindhacks.com (thanks, Kelly!)

“One sample of the food was presented in [branded] packaging, another sample was presented in a similar plain paper bag. … Children consistently said the food from the [branded] packaging actually tasted better, regardless of whether it was actually from the company, or whether the company even had it on their menus… another significant predictor was how many televisions the family had in their home, suggesting that exposure to advertising itself might play a part.”

Mmm, gotta love that TV.

“The city of Sao Paulo passed an ordinance last year banning outdoor advertising; photographer Tony de Marco has been documenting the skeletal remains of the advertising infrastructure throughout the city; the impact looks like the aftermath of a new type of atomic weapon that targets marketing but leaves buildings & people unscathed.”

The MetaFilter post has lots of interesting comments and some links to other equally fascinating stuff.

Art Not Ads International!

Thanks - Andy.