Ethics and neuromarketing 2015–2025: the lost opportunity
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the past decade of the relationship between ethics and neuromarketing. While neuromarketing is increasingly used in an ever-greater area of applications, the discussion around ethics is infrequently discussed. Design/methodology/approach – The expectation was tha...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Emerald Publishing
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Ethics in Entrepreneurship and Technology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JEET-03-2025-0011/full/pdf |
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| author | Andrew Robert Thomas |
| author_facet | Andrew Robert Thomas |
| author_sort | Andrew Robert Thomas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose – This paper aims to examine the past decade of the relationship between ethics and neuromarketing. While neuromarketing is increasingly used in an ever-greater area of applications, the discussion around ethics is infrequently discussed. Design/methodology/approach – The expectation was that a burgeoning movement toward more widespread ethical standards – originating in Europe and then moving to the U.S. and beyond – would provide a check on the power of this emerging specialty. Instead, the trendline in neuromarketing over the past 10 years has inexorably moved away from an ethical base and toward a “win at all costs” reality. Findings – In the end, while there was some positive movement toward ethical frameworks prior to COVID, the worldwide implementation of neuromarketing techniques to underpin many of the pandemic’s most drastic countermeasures and suppress dissent seriously damaged the progress that had been made. Originality/value – As the Editor of Ethics and Neuromarketing (Springer 2016) and Guest Editor of a Special Issue on neuromarketing for the European Journal of Marketing (2018) the author can evaluate the past 10 years accurately. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5a75c493fbd34eb6bdefe999f71a56d6 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2633-7436 2633-7444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Emerald Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Ethics in Entrepreneurship and Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-5a75c493fbd34eb6bdefe999f71a56d62025-08-20T02:30:55ZengEmerald PublishingJournal of Ethics in Entrepreneurship and Technology2633-74362633-74442025-06-015111612010.1108/JEET-03-2025-0011Ethics and neuromarketing 2015–2025: the lost opportunityAndrew Robert Thomas0Department of Marketing, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, USAPurpose – This paper aims to examine the past decade of the relationship between ethics and neuromarketing. While neuromarketing is increasingly used in an ever-greater area of applications, the discussion around ethics is infrequently discussed. Design/methodology/approach – The expectation was that a burgeoning movement toward more widespread ethical standards – originating in Europe and then moving to the U.S. and beyond – would provide a check on the power of this emerging specialty. Instead, the trendline in neuromarketing over the past 10 years has inexorably moved away from an ethical base and toward a “win at all costs” reality. Findings – In the end, while there was some positive movement toward ethical frameworks prior to COVID, the worldwide implementation of neuromarketing techniques to underpin many of the pandemic’s most drastic countermeasures and suppress dissent seriously damaged the progress that had been made. Originality/value – As the Editor of Ethics and Neuromarketing (Springer 2016) and Guest Editor of a Special Issue on neuromarketing for the European Journal of Marketing (2018) the author can evaluate the past 10 years accurately.https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JEET-03-2025-0011/full/pdfSocial mediaEthicsNeuromarketingNeuroscienceCOVID |
| spellingShingle | Andrew Robert Thomas Ethics and neuromarketing 2015–2025: the lost opportunity Journal of Ethics in Entrepreneurship and Technology Social media Ethics Neuromarketing Neuroscience COVID |
| title | Ethics and neuromarketing 2015–2025: the lost opportunity |
| title_full | Ethics and neuromarketing 2015–2025: the lost opportunity |
| title_fullStr | Ethics and neuromarketing 2015–2025: the lost opportunity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ethics and neuromarketing 2015–2025: the lost opportunity |
| title_short | Ethics and neuromarketing 2015–2025: the lost opportunity |
| title_sort | ethics and neuromarketing 2015 2025 the lost opportunity |
| topic | Social media Ethics Neuromarketing Neuroscience COVID |
| url | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JEET-03-2025-0011/full/pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT andrewrobertthomas ethicsandneuromarketing20152025thelostopportunity |