How Emotions and Logic in Ads Change What People Think: A Neurocognitive Approach

Purpose: This study investigated the impact of emotional and rational advertising appeals on consumers' brain responses using electroencephalography.Methodology: The study sample consisted of ۲۵ male students from Kharazmi University, aged ۱۸ to ۳۵, who were randomly selected. The stimuli used in this study consisted of ۵۰ banner advertisements with emotional and rational appeal, which were presented to participants randomly for ۶۰۰۰ milliseconds with a ۲۵۰۰-millisecond fixation (+) between each image. Electrophysiological data were recorded using an EEG device, and brain waves, including alpha, beta, theta, and gamma, were analyzed in different brain regions.Findings: The results showed that emotional advertisements elicited stronger responses in the left hemisphere, which is consistent with this region's role in processing positive and motivational emotions. Analysis of the event-related potential components revealed a significant interaction between brain regions and ad type, indicating that the brain does not operate uniformly but shows differential activation across regions depending on the nature of the stimuli.Originality: These findings are consistent with hierarchical models of emotional processing and imply that distinct neural mechanisms are involved in the different stages of emotional processing (early versus sustained). From a practical standpoint, these results are valuable for advertisers and marketers as they demonstrate that emotional appeals can attract greater attention and elicit deeper processing in the brain. Study limitations include the small sample size and the restricted time windows, both of which should be addressed in future research.

کلیدواژه ها:

electroencephalography ، Emotional Appeal ، Neuromarketing ، Rational Appeal