Keith Winter was named CEO at Emsense, a neuromarketing company that uses EEG and other technology to measure consumer response to media and ads. Winter had previously held the COO slot at Exponential Interactive, an Internet advertising company. Web marketers might recognize Exponential’s previous name, Tribal Fusion, a bit more readily. Previously, Winter held C-level positions at Marketron International, Inc. and Electronic Arts Seattle.
Emsense is targeting the advertising, video gaming, and political markets for its services. Subject responses are measured using a lightweight headset that records EEG activity. The headset also includes sensors that Emsense says measure breathing, blinking, physical motion, heart activity, and even blushing.
Presumably, Winter’s EA experience will dovetail with Emsense’s efforts to penetrate the video game industry. In addition, his Web advertising experience could improve the company’s focus on that area. Web advertising seems to have been largely overlooked by most neuromarketers. To a degree, this is understandable – a single Super Bowl ad costs $3 million this year, which dwarfs entire Web marketing campaigns. Nevertheless, the Web is the fastest growing ad segment, and is certainly deserving of some neuromarketing attention. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Tim Koogle, former chairman and founding CEO of Yahoo! Inc., is an EmSense angel investor and board member.
It will be very interesting to follow EmSense in the upcoming months. The research conducted with their device and methodology should not completely supplant other research tools such as surveys and focus groups. I also have something to say about them in my 2/24/2008 blog at http://www.marketing-consigliere.com/blog1/