MRI scans research for motor sales

14 January 2004: DaimlerChrysler, Ford of Europe and other automakers are using medical research tools to probe the consumer brain to better sell cars, according to a report in Automotive News.

Among the provocative, early results from electrodes-on-the-scalp and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner research: images of sports cars affect the pleasure center of the male brain the same way as sex, chocolate and cocaine.

The field of neuromarketing is still in its infancy, but already consumer advocates including Ralph Nader are objecting, saying it is manipulation or even a form of mind reading.

For automakers, the ultimate goals are insights into designing cars that are easier to use, sculpting cars with greater consumer appeal and creating ads that build strong emotional bonds with the brand.

Several European academics are working with carmakers on basic neuromarketing research. Some US researchers have established consultancies that are already advising carmakers and other consumer product companies about marketing.

In Germany, the DaimlerChrysler Research Center has been at the forefront of neuromarketing, funding several research projects in the Psychiatry and Diagnostics Radiology departments at University Clinic Ulm.

Twelve men who were highly interested in cars were placed in a MRI scanner, a medical device doctors normally use to look for tumors. Researchers showed the volunteers 66 pictures of sports cars, sedans and small cars, and asked them to rate the cars on attractiveness.

Unsurprisingly, the men said sports cars were significantly more attractive than sedans or small cars. But what interested researchers were the specific brain areas that showed activity when viewing a sports car. The part of the brain associated with rewards was more active for sports cars than for sedans and small cars.

In December, US consumer group Commercial Alert demanded the US Office for Human Research Protection investigate whether Emory researchers violated federal human-research guidelines. Auto-industry critic Ralph Nader is chairman of the group's advisory board.

©2004 irishcar.com