Decoding the Irrational Consumer: How to Commission, Run and Generate Insights from Neuromarketing Research (Marketing Science) Paperback – 3 Aug. 2015

If you are looking for an easy-to-read book that covers Neurometrics, Biometrics and Psychometrics then this is the book for you. Darren has great expertise and practical experience in these area. The book is split into Theoretical Insights (why is subconscious thinking so important in understanding consumer behavior) and The New Research Tools. The New Research Tools section in particular is encyclopaedic and provides details on all methods currently being used. It is hands on (warts and all) describing the benefits and pitfalls of all methods. This is a must read for all marketers, market researchers, insights managers, designers, agencies wanting to deliver and assess Emotional Response.

As a practitioner in this new field of neuromarketing it is great to see a no nonsense easy to read book with all the pros and cons of each method being described. Darren Bridger manages to explain why all brands need to understand emotional decision making and the tools that the insights industry need to become aware of. A great read overall and a very good introduction for those wanting to understand neuromarketing methods and even for experienced practitioners!!

If you are interested in Neuromarketing, this is the most accessible, comprehensive, practical book available; written by one of the most experienced Neuromarketers in the World!

Before I got this book, I had to refer to numerous different books and research papers to obtain the broad range of insights featured in this one book. In particular the introductory chapters deal with the consumer mind, understanding the brain - related to aspects such as attention, memory and emotions; decision making is covered in the behavioural economics chapter. There is comprehensive guide to neuro research tools and methods, not limited to implicit response, eyetracking, biometrics…This book really would have been useful when I was completing my Masters degree course, researching the ‘Neuroscience and Brand Application’. Although this book is informed by empirical data, the scientific content has been written in an accessible style. This excellent book is suitable for a range of audiences - undergraduate and graduate students, also professional practitioners involved with marketing, branding, design, digital media, user experience, management, consumer and market research.

We may all like to think that we are rational, predictable and stable, yet science seemingly can and does tell a different tale. This book looks at irrationality in the consumer, giving a glimpse at the developing world of behavioural sciences – a discipline that is taking a foothold in marketing and advertising circles – as well as providing clues as to how this irrationality may be exploited.This is a fascinating subject – something that one does not tire of – perhaps because things are still in a relatively evolutionary and exploratory stage. Many of the old tried and tested marketing techniques are (or should be) no longer relevant. They are being superseded by things such as behavioural economics, eye-tracking and facial coding and this book offers the reader a great explanation and taste of these. This is a book that will be out-of-date relatively quickly because the whole area is changing, yet it provides an excellent “line in the sand” and offers a comprehensive overview of the situation today so you can charge up your knowledge and be ready for this brave, exciting new world.Our decision-making processes are not as linear and as planned as we had been led to believe. Elements of irrationality or attraction can short circuit that process, planting the seed of interest which then takes us onto the traditional linear journey. There may be commonality in many areas of initial attraction, yet it is not a secret sauce in itself whereby you discover that a certain colour is attractive and therefore by using just that colour you are guaranteeing success. You may aid the process along, yet it can be a more irrational, personal interaction that sets the ball rolling.This book manages to straddle several stools at once; it can provide a great introduction for the total newcomer to the subject as well as providing an essential reference resource to the more involved professional or academic. Looking through the table of contents, you might be forgiven for thinking you’ve stumbled over a PhD-level obscure textbook (neuroaesthetics, pupillometry and cognitive interviewing to pick up just a few terms) yet the book clearly and effortlessly provides an overview, offers a great explanation and leaves you wanting to know more about this fascinating subject because you are just so intrigued (and not left lacking by the book).You can sense the author’s enthusiasm for this subject and one hopes that he is working on a more detailed, in-depth companion book covering this subject. If you are in any way involved in marketing, advertising or any promotional activities then you should strongly consider this book. Even a civilian could find it an interesting read, yet you may find it hard to game the system and put up a defence!