Temporal and electroencephalography dynamics of surreal marketing

Regina W Y Wang; I-Ning Liu

doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.949008

Temporal and electroencephalography dynamics of surreal marketing

Front Neurosci. 2022 Oct 27:16:949008. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.949008. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Regina W Y Wang^{1

2}, I-Ning Liu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Design, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan.
² Design Perceptual Awareness Laboratory, Taiwan Building Technology Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan.

Abstract

Event-related spectral perturbation analysis was employed in this study to explore whether surreal image designs containing metaphors could influence product marketing effects, including consumers' product curiosity, product comprehension, product preference, and purchase intention. A total of 30 healthy participants aged 21-30 years were recruited. Neurophysiological findings revealed that lower gamma, beta, and theta spectral powers were evoked in the right insula (Brodmann Area 13) by surreal marketing images. This was associated, behaviorally, with the manifestation of higher product curiosity and purchase intention. Based on previous research, the brain functions of this area include novelty, puzzle-solving, and cravings for reward caused by cognitive overload.

Keywords: curiosity; event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP); metaphor; purchase intention; visual language.