Where is the 'sense' in neuromarketing?

This paper provides a critical examination of the contribution of various neurological perspectives to the development of marketing theory. While the broader contributions of neuromarketing will be reviewed in general, particular consideration is given to the contribution of socio-linguistics, specifically by critically examining claims that the use of sensory-based language is no less an automatic processing function of the brain than those studied by physical devices that capture brain images, can be researched without the need for physical intervention, and where results can also be used to influence customer responses to marketers' efforts. While brain imaging devices can show how an automatic process works they are less able to explain why they work in relation to consumer behaviour. Neuromarketing, similar to neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), is recognised as a field where opinions, particularly those formed from the personal experiences of its proponents and practitioners, underpin not only its perceived worth, but also the very criticisms identified in this paper that aims to show the relevance of a consideration of the senses in „neuro' aspects of marketing.