How do neurological responses to advertising correlate to sales?

Does advertising work? Ah, the eternal question.

Many people like to believe they’re immune to the persuasive effects of a catchy slogan, a catchy jingle or a memorable Super Bowl spot. Knowing this, it’s hard to judge the effectiveness of an advertisement just by asking someone. NCS decided to go deeper — we partnered with Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience to analyze how the human brain responds to advertising creative, and how those neurological responses relate to sales.

Using EEGs, heart rate monitors, eye trackers, facial recognition technology and psychological surveys, NCS and Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience developed a study that recorded consumers’ psychological and physiological responses to different TV commercials.

The study revealed what many have long suspected: The effects of a well-made ad are visceral. Our heart rate jumps. Our brain lights up. We smile. We frown.

NCS examined these signals to identify the most influential ads and connected them with sales data. The results show that great creative does indeed persuade consumers to buy certain products. The study proved advertising works on the deepest, most basic level imaginable.