WHAT IS FACIAL CODING AND HOW DOES IT WORKS FOR NEUROMARKETING PURPOSES

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This is a neuromarketing method that do not focus on recording brain activity, it aims to identify and measure micro-expressions that code non-conscious reactions, based on the activity of the facial muscles. Despite the fact that is subjective in deciding when an action has occurred or when it meets the minimum requirements for coding, they give real time data (Thabani & Wellington, 2017). With advances in camera technology and computer vision methods, this methodology has been automated with near real-time software measuring the emotional facial expressions of consumers as they experience marketing content. (Nielsen, 2016).

Involuntary facial actions happen when a person experiences emotional situations, and facial expressions are frequently viewed as almost universal across cultures. This technique can be a useful diagnostic tool to understand whether a stimulus has elicited a specific positive (smile) or a negative (frown) facial expression, and is increasingly used as an aid to evaluate ad effectiveness. It is important to highlight, however, that facial expressions evolved to communicate our feelings in a social context and therefore occur at relatively low levels in the context of the passive media upon which the vast majority of marketing communications occur (i.e., television, internet) (Nielsen, 2016).

Micro-expressions are defined as very refined facial movements that are extremely momentary (1/25 to half of a second) and barely perceptible by the human eye. Because these are challenging to notice, artificial intelligence and especially machine learning strategies used for micro expression analysis becomes more than useful. Micro-expressions are a rich source of data that can uncover genuine feelings of an individual. Their source is high-stake circumstances, meanwhile somebody intends to hide their honest sentiments inside the context of their manifested expressions (also known as macro-expressions). Therefore, the importance of micro expressions’ identification and correct analysis within the neuromarketing field lies in the fact that an individual’s facial expressions never lie – so human faces become the main source of details, data and information needed to be integrated into marketing strategies. (Dragoi, 2021).

Face coding as a neuromarketing instrument is used for testing advertisements and movie trailers, measuring non-conscious reactions by  analyzing the activity of 43 facial muscles; it allows to note and recognize in real-time 6 core emotions (happiness, sadness, surprise, dislike, fear and anger) and it is mostly used for improving ad content, being a relatively inexpensive neuromarketing tool.  (Dragoi, 2021).