NeuroFocus and New Scientist Magazine Apply Neuromarketing to Select Cover Design

Research Marks Publishing Industry's First-Time Use of '21st Century Marketing Science' to Identify Cover With Strongest Appeal to the Subconscious Mind

BERKELEY, California, August 5, 2010 - Can neuroscience be used to help a magazine sell more copies? This was
the question asked by the popular science weekly, New Scientist, to
NeuroFocus, the world's largest neuromarketing company.

Using high density arrays of electroencephalographic (EEG) sensors to
capture test subjects' brainwave activity, NeuroFocus measured and analyzed
their responses to three different cover designs for the August 7 edition of
New Scientist.

By monitoring brainwave activity across the full brain as subjects viewed
each of the covers, and using eye-tracking technology to identify which
specific parts of the cover they were looking at, NeuroFocus was able to
measure their immediate, subconscious reaction to the designs scored in seven
NeuroMetrics. These include: Attention, Emotional Engagement, Memory
Retention, Overall Effectiveness, Purchase Intent, Novelty, and Awareness.

By discovering how well something like a magazine cover scores in each of
these NeuroMetrics, NeuroFocus can help the publisher to pick the cover which
is most likely to capture interest and appeal to potential buyers at the deep
subconscious level. The same technology can be applied to a wide range of
areas, including brands, products, packaging, in-store marketing, and
advertising to discover the strength of subconscious responses they generate
in the brain.

Graham Lawton, deputy editor of New Scientist said, "Like most newsstand
magazines we need to create covers which grab people's attention and keep
them engaged. This experiment showed us that, neurologically speaking, there
was a clear winner which stood out noticeably from the other two possible
covers. It's going to be very interesting to see how the use of neuroscience
can translate to increased newsstand sales."

21st century marketing science

Neuromarketing is increasingly being used across numerous industries
worldwide to help companies improve their product development, package
design, and marketing efforts, but this is the first time it has been used by
a magazine publisher.

Thom Noble, NeuroFocus UK managing director, said, "The practical
applications for neuromarketing are very wide ranging and we work with a
diverse selection of clients around the world. We were particularly pleased
about this opportunity to work with New Scientist, however, because it gives
us a chance to show that what we do is based on robust science, is highly
actionable, and delivers demonstrable results."

All three tested cover designs performed very well in the research. But
in terms of overall neurological effectiveness the results for the chosen
design were significantly higher, driven by exceptionally impressive
emotional engagement levels. Strong levels of emotional engagement stimulate
memory retention and purchase intent.

An online version of New Scientist with the specially selected cover and
an accompanying article is available here:
www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727721.300-mindreading-marketers-how
-neuromarketing-stormed-the-world.html

About NeuroFocus

The world's leading neuromarketing firm, NeuroFocus
(neurofocus.com) brings advanced neuroscience knowledge and expertise
to the worlds of branding, product development and packaging, advertising,
in-store marketing and entertainment. NeuroFocus clients include leading
companies across dozens of categories, including automotive, consumer
packaged goods, food and beverage, financial services, Internet, telecom,
pharmaceutical, retail, and many more sectors. Entertainment category clients
include major companies in the broadcast and cable television and movie
industries.

Headquartered in the U.S. and operating globally through offices and
NeuroLabs in the UK and Europe, the Asia/Pacific region, Latin America, and
the Middle East, the company leverages Nobel Prize calibre and
Doctorate-level credentials in neuroscience and marketing from the University
of California at Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, Oxford, Columbia University, and
other leading institutions, combined with executive business management and
consulting experience. The Nielsen Company is a strategic investor in
NeuroFocus.

Tom Robbins of NeuroFocus, +1-510-526-9882, M, +1-510-367-1920, Tom.robbins at neurofocus.com; or Lance Concannon of Text 100, +44-(0)-208-846-0769, M, +44-(0)-7780-601145, Lance.concannon at text100.co.uk, for NeuroFocus