A new study suggests our brain waves may be able to reveal not only the type of movies we like, but also predict which movies will do well; this is why we love science!
The study consisted of 32 college students watching 18 movie trailers each. Electrodes were placed on their scalps to measure their brain waves using EEG (electroencephalography).
After watching each movie trailer, the college students rated each movie trailer on how much it appealed to them, and how much they would pay to see that film on DVD.
The research team from Erasmus University in the Netherlands then analyzed the EEG data results on brain waves, which showed brain waves were actually linked with each participant’s ranking of each movie trailer. The higher the brain wave activity, the higher each participant ranked said movie trailer; cool or what?
This study is one of the first ever to show that “EEG measures are related to real-world outcomes, and that these neural measures can significantly add to models predicting choice behavior.’’
The research results from this study are due to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Marketing Research. What an incredible innovative way to connect consumers with marketing campaigns!
Researchers also found that brain waves could help marketing companies and professionals be more accurate in judging how well a movie will do, or judging how a movie trailer will be received by its target audience. Could this research potentially save movie directors spending millions (or billions) on movies that in-fact do not appeal to their target audience?
Associate professor of neurology and director of comprehensive epilepsy center at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Anto Bagic himself has labeled the research findings as intriguing.
Despite anticipating skeptical attitudes towards the idea of EEG being more accurate and cost-effective than trailing movies on a test audience, Bagic sees great potential in the future of EEG in helping us better understand brain processes that we understand only partially.
Could this be the first step to a more innovatively technical approach to marketing activities for businesses?
