The Effect of Congruence on the Attention and Sponsorship Processing: An Application of Neuromarketing by Electroencephalogram

Abstract

Academics, professionals, and business strategist agree on the importance of consistency in the act of sponsorship to measure their effectiveness (Woisetschläger and Michaelis 2012). The congruence measures the relationship fit between sponsor–sponsee as perceived by the consumer. Previous studies have linked the ability of neuroimaging to predict the acceptance of advertisements (Vecchiato Kong and Wei 2012). The objective of the research is to measure the effect of congruence on the effectiveness of sponsorship and processing information from a neuroscientific point of view. To measure the variable of attention, the electroencephalogram (EEG) system evaluates the change in the signal of the human brain. In such cases, the effectiveness of various marketing strategies may be evaluated by monitoring brain activity. Neurosky, Inc., develops the device used in this research and comparisons of these instruments by medical professionals have found significant similarity in results (Ekandem et al. 2012). The development of the control variables in the experiment was developed through focus groups and surveys, where four sponsorship messages were created. Consumers were utilized in order to obtain results in the degree of attention, time, and processing method of advertising. Statistical tests confirm a significant difference between levels of attention in messages. The two models, consistent and inconsistent messages indicated that only two had similar results accuracy and attention whereas processing time was significantly higher in inconsistent messages. The degree of attention is showed that it was incremental and less successful to individuals who are exposed to inconsistent message and could produce an emotional rejection of sponsorship. Thus in turn, would then suggest then that a higher level of attention combined with higher negative rejection implies the need for more effective communication campaigns (Tribou 2011). The perception of the viewer in a meaningful incongruence scenario can lead to a rejection of the brand in which the viewer would not assimilate the sponsorship (Lindstrom 2008) which would infer in an opposite result from which it was intended. The importance of the research indicates that it is imperative for companies to know the perception of their messages enabling them to develop more efficient messages, not to mention, the amount of sponsors which are associated to events and sports teams due to the transmission of image and attitude towards brand attributes of the brand sponsored and the sponsoring brand (Gwinner 1997). References available upon request.