Neuroscience & marketing: Tec lecturer talks at international congress

On September 12 and 13, Alejandro Alvarado, National Director of the Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at Tecnológico de Monterrey and professor at the Tec’s Sonora Norte campus, participated as a keynote speaker at the 2nd International AdMarketing Conference held at the Scientific University of the South in Lima, Peru.

In his lecture, Neuromarketing in the Digital Age: Hacking the Consumer Brain with AI, he explained how AI applied to neuroscience can provide marketers with tools to better understand and predict consumer behavior. 

Alvarado also presented the masterclass Exploring the Power of Neuroscience in Marketing: AI-based Strategies that Win.

He also held the practical workshop Neuroscience Applied to Marketing in the Age of AI, where participants learned how to use advanced tools to measure the effectiveness of visual stimuli and analyze neurological data.

“Alejandro showed us that what people say they want is not what they really want, and what they say they need is not what they really need,” said Elias Morante, one of the conference attendees.

Exploring consumer behavior through Neuromarketing

The event focused on theory and also offered attendees the opportunity to participate in a live experiment. Using eye-tracking technology, Alvarado collected and analyzed data in real-time, presenting some of the results immediately afterwards. 

This exercise aroused great interest in the audience, demonstrating, in a tangible way, how applied neuroscience can reveal in-depth information about the unconscious decisions that consumers make.

Alvarado highlighted how studies estimate that up to 95% of consumer purchasing decisions are made outside of conscious control.

Therefore, he pointed out the importance of a deeper understanding of consumer behavior through neuroscience in order to generate more effective marketing campaigns aligned with the real needs of consumers.

“Based on the marketing perspective, applied neuroscience and neuromarketing tools basically serve to measure consumer attention, memory, and emotions,” Alvarado told CONECTA.

“Applied neuroscience and neuromarketing tools are used to measure consumer attention, memory, and emotions.” - Alejandro Alvarado

Beyond neuromarketing: understanding the true power of the brain

For an in-depth understanding of the consumer, Alvarado explained that different technological tools can be used to measure our responses to stimuli and thus optimize products, campaigns, and strategies to have a more precise impact.

These tools include the use of eye-tracking, which enables identification of the place on the screen with the highest number of visualizations; galvanic skin response, used to measure sweating caused by emotional responses; facial coding; electroencephalograms; magnetic resonance imaging; and more.

Alvarado highlighted the importance of regulating the use of these tools so that they are used ethically, thus guaranteeing consumer privacy. 

“Ethical use of consumer data is key; without trust, any strategy, however advanced, is doomed to failure,” the academic added.

A leader in the field of marketing and neuroscience

After more than 20 years in marketing and seven as part of Tec de Monterrey, Alvarado is now in charge of the Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, ranked 20th worldwide according to the QS 2024 Ranking.

Alejandro’s participation in these types of events shows his commitment to innovation in marketing and the impact that neuroscience and AI are having on the discipline. He is currently working on several academic and research projects that fill him with pride and satisfaction.

Thanks to his passion for teaching and his interest in spreading the word to new generations, Alejandro is currently planning to replicate this talk within Tec de Monterrey with the aim of making an impact on the professional successof the students at the country’s different campuses.

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