fNIRS in neuromarketing | Neurensics neuro-marktonderzoeksbureau

Methode_fNIRS

What is fNIRS?

fNIRS stands for functional near-infrared spectroscopy — a non-invasive technique used to measure brain activity. It uses light in the near-infrared spectrum to detect changes in blood oxygen levels, which serve as an indicator of brain activity.

With fNIRS, you can primarily observe the difference between emotional and cognitive activity. The ratio between the two reveals the extent to which a stimulus evokes predominantly unconscious affective responses.

Our behavior is largely driven by unconscious and emotional processes. fNIRS is a valuable tool for investigating whether a product or service is unconsciously perceived more positively than a comparable alternative.

And because fNIRS, like EEG, is portable, it allows for research in real-world settings. This includes point-of-sale locations, events, or studies involving participants who cannot access an MRI scanner — or when such equipment is simply unavailable.

How does fNIRS work?

fNIRS works by shining near-infrared light through the scalp and skull, which is absorbed by the hemoglobin in the brain’s blood vessels. When brain cells are active, they immediately consume oxygen. Oxygen-rich blood responds differently than oxygen-poor blood. With fNIRS, you measure the fluctuations in oxygen consumption by brain cells.

The brain activity is captured via the cap that respondents wear on their heads. The cap resembles a swim cap and contains electrodes (sensors) that transmit the recorded brain activity to a computer, where specialized software performs the analysis.

fNIRS_in_neuromarketing

The green dots refer to the front of the brain, while the blue ones point to deeper regions. The green dots primarily represent conscious, factual processing areas, whereas the blue ones reflect unconscious emotional sensations. It is especially the activation of these deeper areas — and the extent of that activation — that drives our behavior based on feelings of reward.

The advantages of fNIRS

fNIRS offers many advantages for predicting consumer behavior:

fNIRS is the second-best neuromarketing technique when it comes to predicting consumer behavior, such as purchase intent, loyalty, or brand appreciation.
fNIRS measures brain regions that are inaccessible to all other equipment, except for MRI.
fNIRS is portable, the equipment is compact, and therefore scalable. It can be used worldwide and allows for measuring brain activity in a natural environment.
fNIRS is a direct measurement in the brain, which allows for working with small sample sizes — sometimes with as few as 24 participants per target group.

fNIRS in combination with Eye Tracking and BGI

We combine fNIRS with Eye Tracking and Brain Guided Interpretation (BGI) to find answers to marketing challenges.

Eye Tracking

fNIRS research is often combined with eye tracking, which records where people look, for how long, and in what order.

This allows researchers to measure which specific elements in a marketing message attract attention. Eye tracking uses infrared sensors to precisely detect and track eye position down to the millimeter, showing exactly where focus is directed.

In combination with fNIRS, you know what people are looking at, how they experience it, and how they value it. It’s a valuable addition to fNIRS, because eye tracking alone is never enough. The eyes look, but the brain sees.

Brain Guided Interpretation (BGI)

After the research analysis comes interpretation. For this, we use BGI: an online follow-up study that provides in-depth insights to complement the fNIRS results.

We gain deeper insights into the emotions and reactions triggered, as well as valuable information on explicit KPIs such as brand attribution and message comprehension.