• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, July 14, 2015

According to Ipsos, presented by Elissa Moses, a well-established methodology that is used internationally by academia and market research alike to determine the unconscious strength of associations is called Implicit Reaction Time. An advanced version of this method by Ipsos relies upon the measured response time to questions of association in milliseconds.

The fundamental psychological principle behind Implicit Reaction Time is that the brain holds an intricate network of neural associations that are based on our personal perceptions and experiences. The closer associations are, such as brand and its attribute, the faster we respond to acknowledgement.

The report notes that Reaction Time applies to brands and their attributes, products and benefits, political candidates and possible virtues, and any object or entity and the characteristics potentially ascribed. And, applied to marketing practices, reaction time can determine the strength of conviction people have to state intentions such as intent to buy, vote, try, use, discuss, and so forth.

What makes the science of Implicit Reaction Time so remarkable, says the report, is that it enables the capture of the strength of non-conscious associations when conflicted, have feelings we are unaware of, or when our inclination is to give polite, socially acceptable responses.

For instance, if asked if a restaurant is good, if you enjoyed your vacation or if even a product you are using is preferred, you may be conflicted between how you want to answer and how you really feel resulting in a longer time to answer: equating to lesser “conviction.”

Ipsos, in conjunction with Neurohm, embraces the concept with a trademarked system to be practical and scalable for integrating into all sorts of research surveys, says the report. The system, trademarked IRT™, utilizes custom algorithms to enhance the accuracy of the data, considering meaningful respondent and study characteristics.

With the application of the “reaction time” concept, marketers can learn if attributes and associations are truly owned by a brand, product or person, or if consumers are expressing doubt or possible lip service and vulnerability exists. Response time patterns may be described as:

• Explicit Yes: traditional explicit agreement rating level (e.g., top 2 box score)
• Uncommitted Yes: respondents who agreed but responded with a slow or average response time. The higher the value, the more vulnerable the association.
• Emphatic Conviction : respondents who agreed with a quick reaction time. The higher the value, the more widely and strongly held the association.

The analysis or the prevalence and relationship of these answers, concludes the report, can to determine if:

• Marketing communication is positively impacting brand perception
• New products or concepts effectively and meaningfully resonate with consumers
• Fragrances and product experiences evoke the intended emotional profile
• Package change reinforces brand KPIs
• Consumer segments have different explicit and implicit values, needs and desires

To access the PDF Whitepaper, please visit here.