Methodes - Bloakes

Research methods

Bloakes uses neuromarketing research methods. We offer the complete range of methods and we are specialized in linking the most suitable method to your research question. By doing this, we collect the highest quality data and translate these into clear insights supporting the best decisions. At Bloakes we distinguish between the following three categories of neuromarketing methods:

In the brain – through fMRI or EEG, to see where brain activities take place.
On the body – through facial expressions, heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance and eye movements, to see how the body responds to stimuli.
Unconscious preferences – through implicit response time research to predict future behavior.

Our experience is that a combination of implicit response time research and eye tracking provides answers to most questions, is very reliable and has the shortest lead time.

Would you like to know more about the different methods in neuromarketing research and which method is best suited to your problem? Please contact us.

Implicit research Eye tracking research

Implicit research

The unconscious mind is at the helm of 95% of your decisions. Fully automatic and fast. And for a good reason too, because otherwise a lot of energy would be wasted on making all your daily decisions.

Kahneman (2011) distinguishes system 1 (unconscious) and system 2 (rational) thinking. Simply put: system 2 thinks and decides with words, system 1 thinks and decides through emotions, memories and associations. With the Bloakes Intuitive Analysis Suite (BIAS), it is possible to directly measure in system 1, enabling you to predict which decisions customers make and why. welke keuzes klanten maken en why.

How does implicit research actually work?
Participants, who are selected based on the characteristics and demographics of your customers, are instructed to repeatedly categorize a word or image (stimulus) or to choose between two options, under time pressure. Each time we measure the response time, as well as the accuracy of the action and the actual choice. The faster the choice, the stronger an association is encrypted in the memory. This reaction time is key for measuring intuitive preferences and the strength of implicit associations.

Eye tracking research

We use eye tracking for various touch points, for example a website, e-mail or even a direct mail on paper. With an eye tracker we follow the pupil movements of a consumer. This provides insight into which elements attract the most attention and where visitors meet barriers in the natural flow on a website, for example.

By default, the collected data are transformed into a heatmap and gazeplot. A heatmap shows the aggregated attention distribution of a group of participants. A gazeplot shows the fixations and intermediate eye movements (saccades) during an impression of a touch point per participant. At Bloakes we deep dive into these data, by deducing additional metrics from the eye tracking data, such as the attention value of a touch point and the extent to which the elements in a touch point stand out (saliency).

behind a customer decision or association. This way you do not only get raw data, but also uncover the deeper motives that drive your customers. We can tell you more about this topic in our blog.

Facial coding

In the sixties, Paul Ekman discovered that facial expressions are universal and uniform. Even people who are born blind have the same facial expressions as any other human being. He listed 43 facial muscles that together produce about 3500 relevant facial expressions. All these muscles are divided into 24 Action Units, which together pinpoint the 7 basic emotions of the respondent, also called the FACS (Facial Action Coding System).

How does facial coding research actually work?
Through an online panel, the facial expressions of a respondent are measured while watching a stimulus, such as a TV commercial. The data from this video are then analyzed by our special software. This way, we gain insight into the emotional experience of the consumer while viewing a stimulus. Based on this, we provide insight into the emotional flow and whether we see room for improvement in relation to what you want to achieve.

Why use facial coding at Bloakes?
We always combine this type of research with implicit research. This allows us to make the connection between the emotion experienced during the exposure and the effect on the memory in the association network in the brain. Because ultimately that memory determines the next purchase decision. Combining these two methods provides you with exactly that insight, and the insights you need to keep optimizing your business.