Desde el punto de vista de responsables de marketing y los neurocientíficos, el mayor problema que tiene que resolver actualmente el neuromarketing es de tipo ético.

En la investigación de neuromarketing, la naturaleza de los datos y el hecho de que estén extraídos directamente de las respuestas físicas de los cerebros de los sujetos hace que se planteen multitud de cuestiones éticas sobre el uso que se puede hacer de esos datos.

La opinión general es que es necesario que el sector del neuromarketing defina y se adhiera masivamente a un código de principios éticos que guíen la investigación. Los científicos consideran que una acción conjunta y coherente en este sentido les ayudará a combatir la mala imagen que tiene actualmente el neuromarketing.

Es necesario señalar que actualmente los neurocientíficos ya se adhieren a los códigos ya vigentes en otras áreas de investigación de mercados. Lo que sucede es que consideran que es necesario realizar un esfuerzo adicional para reflexionar sobre las cuestiones específicas del neuromarketing. Y, sobre todo, es necesario que las consultoras de neuromarketing hagan un esfuerzo extra por comunicar que se adhieren a esos principios éticos.

A continuación, os transcribo el código ético que propone Buyology como estándar para el sector:

Nonconscious Research Ethical Standards

BUYOLOGY INC is a market research company committed to non-medical applications of neuroscience and other advanced techniques to rigorously measure and leverage unconscious decision-making.

We believe…

• That inconscious/emocional components account for 85% of decision-making.
• That companies can better meet the needs of their customers if they understand what unconscious/emocional elements really matter.
• That marketers should avail themselves of the full capabilities of state-of-the-art knowledge and technology including fMRI, EEG, other biometric measurements and proyective tools.
• We recognize, though that using these tools brings with it high standards of responsibility and accountability.

Accordingly, we pledge…

• That we will vigorously protect the individual privacy of our respondents.
• That we will never use the information we collect for any purpose other than what was explained to the respondent prior to their participation.
• That we will always fully disclose to the research participants with requirements around participation twice confirmed on age, literacy and consent.
• That participant privacy is processed and handled at the highest standards. Information is only disclosed when required for accuracy, audit purposes or legal requirements in litigation or court action.
• That we will never share individual respondent information with anyone. All collected data will be coded and the links to the individual respondent will be maintained in separate files from the research findings.
• That we adhere to the Code of Marketing Research Standards established by the Marketing Research Association of America. These guidelines outline the code to conduct research in an honest and ethical manner while respecting the general public and its rights.
• That all of our service suppliers strictly adhere to our standards and operate under ISO9001;2000, ISO 13485;2003 y FDA GMP for equipment manufacturing and HIPPA requirements for the retention and access to participant data. These are required and standard procedures for acquisition, distribution and storage of medical information.
• That we will actively seek rigorous and scrupulous oversight of an independent Scientific Review Board to insure we adhere to the highest ethical and scientific standards.

Otros retos del neuromarketing:

1. Elevado coste
2. Tamaño de la muestra
3. Mala imagen
4. Consideraciones éticas
5. …