NeuroFocus Obtains 'Core Patent' for Applying Neuroimaging as a Marketing Tool
BERKELEY, Calif., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuroFocus, Inc., the world's leading company in the rapidly-expanding field of neuromarketing, announced today that it has acquired the "core patent" that underlies the use of neuroimaging as a marketing tool.
The acquisition of U. S. Patent Number 6,099,319 strongly reinforces the company's leadership position atop the global neurological testing field. Since this seminal patent is central to the application of neuroimaging to marketing, branding, and advertising testing, the acquisition provides NeuroFocus with the rights to extract commercial value from the use of neuroimaging in these fields. In addition, the acquisition confers legal rights regarding any past or future unlicensed use of the patent.
In announcing the acquisition, Dr. A. K. Pradeep, Chief Executive Office of NeuroFocus noted that, "This patent is the cornerstone of the entire field of neuromarketing that applies fMRI technology. It established the scientific foundation, the protocols, and the proprietary techniques that are used to derive highly detailed research data that can be applied to marketing materials to help achieve their maximum effectiveness. It is an extremely significant step in our advancement, and it will allow us to offer clients a whole new and exclusive dimension of knowledge and insight into what consumers notice, like and remember best about their products and their messages."
The patent was acquired from its inventors, Dr. Gerald Zaltman and Dr. Stephen Kosslyn, who received U. S. Patent Office approval of their application in 1998. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Dr. Zaltman is the Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration Emeritus at the Harvard Business School. He served as the Co-Director of The Mind of the Market Laboratory at the Business School, and was also a member of the University's Mind, Brain, and Behavior Interfaculty Initiative.
Dr. Kosslyn is the John Lindsley Professor of Psychology and former Chair of the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. He has published over 300 scientific papers, and is one of the founding fathers of the field of cognitive neuroscience.
The technology known as fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) employs highly sophisticated equipment that measures changes in blood flow and resultant oxygen content to specific regions of the brain. Test subjects are exposed to various stimuli (images, sounds, or scents, for example), and the fMRI process captures their brain's reaction in terms of blood flow and oxygen levels providing a powerful index of local brain activity.
NeuroFocus' current testing regimen includes applying high density arrays of EEG (electroencephalographic) sensors, which capture actual brainwave activity many as 128 different sectors of the brain at 2,000 times a second. This neurological data is complemented with eye movement tracking technology and peripheral measures of re-activity. The combination of extremely precise brainwave activity monitoring, combined with biometric information, provides what the company describes as a "deep dive into the consumer's mind."
"The addition of this patent to the growing number of our own patents, with many more in active development, underscores our standing as the world's preeminent neurological testing company," Dr. Pradeep said. "It also indicates our mission for the future, which is to provide leading client companies all over the globe with the most scientifically-advanced, proven brain activity monitoring technologies to help them achieve the most effective, impactful marketing materials and other creative content."
About NeuroFocus
NeuroFocus Inc. is the market leader in bringing neuroscience knowledge and expertise to the world of advertising, marketing, product development and packaging, and entertainment. The company leverages Doctorate-level academic credentials in neuroscience and marketing from Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, and the Hebrew University combined with C-suite level business management and consulting experience.
NeuroFocus clients include Fortune 100 companies across the consumer package goods, food and beverage, financial services, automotive, and retail sectors. Entertainment category clients include major companies in the broadcast and cable television and motion picture industries. The Nielsen Company is a strategic investor in NeuroFocus.
CONTACT: Tom Robbins of NeuroFocus, Inc., +1-510-367-1920 (California),
Thomas.robbins@neurofocus.com
Web site: http://www.neurofocus.com/