Your Brain’s New World: Neuromarketing and What It Means | Morris Misel

Back in the 1950s a cinema in the US tried to push its merchandising efforts by flashing up ‘Eat Popcorn’ and ‘Drink CocaCola’ subliminally through a movie. This sort of advertising is not permitted these days — it probably didn’t work anyway — but advertisers are doing a lot more to influence behaviour using neuroscience.

This could just be the beginning of how marketers and product manufacturers start using our brain. In this edition of BTalk business futurist Morris Miselowski talks about how researchers at the Tel Aviv University have stored some of a brain’s activity on a memory chip. Imagine that, being able to dump part of your brain onto a removable drive. Or plug in the past from someone who has had a more interesting life.

It’s the stuff of science fiction novels, of course, but as we understand more about our brain the more the opportunity arises for products that interface with our brain — like driving your car just by thinking your way through. Morris calls this a brain-machine interface? Where will it all end?

(taken from BTalk)

Listen now (18 mins 58 secs):

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is neuromarketing and how does it work?

Neuromarketing uses brain imaging, biometric sensors, and psychological research to understand how consumers actually respond to products, brands, and messages at a subconscious level. It moves beyond self-reported preferences to measure emotional and cognitive responses directly.

Q: Is neuromarketing ethical?

Neuromarketing raises genuine questions about consent and manipulation. When advertising is designed to bypass conscious decision-making, the boundary between persuasion and exploitation becomes genuinely contested. Morris Misel has explored these questions as part of the broader ethics of technology and behaviour change.

Q: How does understanding brain function change leadership and communication?

Leaders who understand how the brain processes stress, novelty, and social connection can design meetings, communications, and environments that work with human psychology rather than against it. This is a practical application of neuroscience that does not require a laboratory.

Q: How can I book Morris Misel for a consumer behaviour or leadership keynote?

Contact the booking team at morrismisel.com/event-organisers.

Morris Misel is a global foresight strategist and keynote speaker with 30+ years of experience across 160 industries and 25 countries. Creator of the Immediate Futures™, HUMAND™, and PTFA™ frameworks. Industry Fellow at Griffith University. Regular voice on RTHK Radio 3 (Hong Kong) and Australian media including ABC and Sky News. For keynotes, workshops, and advisory: morrismisel.com | Book Morris

What is Your Brain’s New World?

Back in the 1950s a cinema in the US tried to push its merchandising efforts by flashing up ‘Eat Popcorn’ and ‘Drink CocaCola’ subliminally through a movie. This sort of advertising is not permitted these days it probably didn’t work anyway but advertisers are doing a lot more .

How does Your Brain’s New World affect strategic decisions in organisations?

When signals like Your Brain’s New World emerge, organisations that engage early have the advantage of choosing their response rather than reacting to events. That gap between those who prepared and those who did not is where competitive positioning is actually made or lost.

What should business leaders understand about Your Brain’s New World?

The most important question is not whether Your Brain’s New World will matter, but how quickly it will matter in your specific context. Leaders benefit most from mapping the ripple effects early — not just the direct impact but the second and third-order consequences that arrive later and hit harder. That is the practical work of foresight.

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