Neuromarketing och etik: när passerar man gränsen? : En kvalitativ studie om uppfattningar och etiska dilemman kring tillämpningen av neuromarketing och dess påverkan utifrån ett konsumentperspektiv

Sammanfattning: Neuromarketing is a new field of research, a mix between neuroscience, marketing, and psychology. With the help of brain research, neuromarketing has succeeded in identifying feelings and reactions which have benefited companies and helped them to construct efficient marketing strategies. Its effective tools and insights about consumer behavior have contributed to a growing optimism and usage. On the other side, neuromarketing has faced some criticism regarding vague guidelines and ethical issues concerning what should or should not be allowed. This study aims to investigate and analyze ethical dilemmas regarding messages and their influence with roots in neuromarketing from a consumer perspective. This thesis is based on a qualitative research strategy that aims to increase the understanding of phenomena and contexts as well as an insight into participants' perceptions of reality. The empirical material has been collected using semi-structured focusgroups and supplemented with scientific articles and literature. The findings of this study identify situations where neuromarketing and its strategies cross the ethical line. Heavy negative emotions and strong influence with an emphasis on indirect - and manipulative marketing are considered unethical. Furthermore, the results show that unethical behavior can be judged differently depending on the intention and the party involved. The conclusions shows that it is not possible to define a general boundary even though a couple of unethical actions have been identified.