ANALYSIS OF MARKETING AND ENTERTAINMENT EFFECTIVENESS USING MAGNETOENCEPHALOGRAPHY

• US 20090082643A1
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: NeuroFocus Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Inventors: Knight, Robert T., Gurumoorthy, Ramachandran, PRADEEP, Anantha
• Granted Patent: US 8,494,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/245 specially adapted for magnetoencephalographic [MEG] signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7235 Details of waveform analysis A61B5/349 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

Central nervous system, autonomic nervous system, and effector data is measured and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of marketing and entertainment stimuli. A data collection mechanism including multiple modalities such as Magnetoencephalography (MEG), Electrooculography (EOG), Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), etc., collects response data from subjects exposed to marketing and entertainment stimuli. A data cleanser mechanism filters the response data. The response data is enhanced using intra-modality response synthesis and/or a cross-modality response synthesis.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a data collection mechanism operable to obtain response data from a subject exposed to marketing stimuli, the response data obtained using a plurality of modalities including magnetoencephalography (MEG);

a data cleanser mechanism operable to filter the response data;

an intra-modality response synthesizer operable to enhance response data associated with each of the plurality of modalities, wherein enhancing MEG response data comprises performing dipole localization measurements;

a cross-modality response synthesizer operable to combine response data associated with each of the plurality of modalities to validate response data in each of the plurality of modalities;

a composite enhanced effectiveness estimator operable to generate a composite enhanced effectiveness measure of the marketing stimuli.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modalities further comprises Galvanic Skin Response (GSR).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modalities further comprises Electrocardiograms (EKG).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the intra-modality response synthesizer enhances response data associated with MEG by analyzing data in subbands within the different frequency ranges including delta, theta, alpha, beta, low gamma, and high gamma (kappa) bands.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cross-modality response synthesizer combines response data to validate and enhance response data from one modality using response data from another modality.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the response data from one modality is time shifted prior to combination with response data from another modality.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein mechanisms such as time and phase shifting, correlating, and validating intra-modality and cross-modality determinations allow generation of a composite output characterizing the effectiveness of various stimuli.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein brain activity is measured to determine temporal and spatial locations of brain activity.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein brain activity is measured to determine interactions and types of interactions between various brain regions.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein different frequency bands and subbands used for multi-regional communication in the brain are measured to determine effectiveness of stimuli.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein inter-frequency coupling in the signals, including signals modulated on a carrier wave, is measured to determine effectiveness of stimuli.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein inter-hemispheric time-frequency measurements, including specific band and/or sub-band powers, asymmetries in inter-regional intra-hemispheric coherences, and asymmetries in inter-regional intra-hemisphere inter-frequency coupling are analyzed to determine effectiveness of stimuli.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein combined time-frequency responses of ongoing MEG are determined to extract single trial evoked information

14. The system of claim 1, wherein individual specific facial emotion encoding templates are matched with individual responses to enhance the identification of subject emotional response.

15. A method, comprising:

providing marketing and/or entertainment stimuli to a subject;

obtaining response data using a plurality of modalities, the plurality of modalities including magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electrooculography (EOG);

filtering the response data;

enhancing response data associated with each of the plurality of modalities, wherein enhancing MEG data comprises performing dipole localization measurements;

combining response data associated with each of the plurality of modalities to validate response data in each of the plurality of modalities;

generating a composite enhanced effectiveness measure of the marketing and/or entertainment stimuli.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of modalities further comprises Galvanic Skin Response (GSR).

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of modalities further comprises Electrocardiograms (EKG).

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of modalities further comprises pupillary dilation.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of modalities further comprises eye tracking,

20. The method of claim 15, wherein inter-hemispheric time-frequency measurements, including specific band and/or sub-band powers, asymmetries in inter-regional intra-hemispheric coherences, and asymmetries in inter-regional intra-hemisphere inter-frequency coupling are analyzed to determine effectiveness of stimuli.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein combined time-frequency responses of ongoing MEG are determined to extract single trial evoked information

22. The method of claim 15, wherein individual specific facial emotion encoding templates are matched with individual responses to enhance the identification of subject emotional response.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

means for obtaining response data using a plurality of modalities, the plurality of modalities including magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electrooculography (EOG);

means for filtering the response data;

means for enhancing response data associated with each of the plurality of modalities, wherein enhancing MEG data comprises performing dipole localization measurements;

means for combining response data associated with each of the plurality of modalities to validate response data in each of the plurality of modalities;

means for generating a composite enhanced effectiveness measure of the entertainment stimuli.