Nielsen, the market research giant, will acquire the portion of neuromarketing firm NeuroFocus that it doesn’t already own, according to a report in MediaDailyNews. The move was apparently triggered by a bid for NeuroFocus from archrival WPP Group.
Nielsen already owns 30% of NeuroFocus as a result of an earlier investment in the firm (see Nielsen Buys Into Neuromarketing). Nielsen should be in a good cash position to pull off the acquisition as a result of their recent IPO.
The fact that there was apparently a bidding war for NeuroFocus is indicative of the growing interest in neuromarketing among mainstream advertisers.
What do YOU think – is this the start of a stampede for mainstream market research firms & ad agencies to have their own neuromarketing units?
I don’t know about a stampede, but a quickly growing trend? Yes. But that could mean trouble for agencies not even well-versed enough in neuro to know what protocols they should use, who they should hire, etc. I’ve already seen evidence that larger firms are rushing to set up a neuro department, but have no idea how to work it in to the rest of what they do.