COGNITIVE, PERCEPTUAL AND BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS OF NEURO-STIMULI: A STUDY ON PACKAGED FOOD PRODUCTS

Abstract

Today, the food sector is characterised with intense competition and continuously becoming morechallenging for marketers. When it is realised that 95% of consumers' purchasing decisions aremade unconsciously, marketing tools started to target unconscious minds. Combiningneuroscience and marketing disciplines, neuromarketing studies found that neuro-stimuli,directly addressing the brain, are influential on consumer perceptions. This study investigatesthe effects of neuro-stimuli applied on food product poster and packaging on mother-woman andchild consumers' brand awareness, quality perceptions and purchase intentions. In theexperimental design implemented, a total of 284 subjects composed of women and children aredivided into 6 groups, and they were exposed to various degrees of neuro-stimuli in the posterand product packages in order to measure the influence of these stimuli. Findings of the researchconfirmed that application of neuro-stimuli significantly increased quality perception of womenand purchase intentions of both woman and child consumers. Increasing intensity of neurostimulialso generated a partially significant influence. Theoretical and managerial implicationsare provided based on these findings.