Neuromarketing and consumer behaviour: Evaluating visual, auditory, and emotional advertising stimuli in fast food marketing

Abstract

Marketing research has traditionally relied on self-reported attitudes to gauge advertising effectiveness, yet neuroscience evidence suggests that most purchase decisions are formed unconsciously. Drawing on Kahneman's dual-process theory and the Stimulus-Organism-Response model, this study examines how visual, auditory, and emotional stimuli embedded in neuromarketing-oriented advertisements shape emotional engagement, brand recall, and purchase intention, using McDonald's advertising as the case context. A structured questionnaire combined with an advertisement-exposure experiment was administered to 108 respondents in Mumbai, India, and fourteen hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlation, independent-samples t-tests, chi-square tests, and one-way ANOVA. Eleven of the fourteen hypotheses were supported. Visual, auditory, and emotional stimuli were each significantly associated with emotional engagement and purchase intention, jingle recall was significantly linked to post-exposure visitation, and emotional engagement emerged as the strongest predictor of purchase intention. Age and visit frequency did not significantly moderate purchase intention or ethical perception. The study extends neuromarketing theory to fast food, an under-researched product category, offers practical direction for advertisers on sensory and emotional branding investment, and raises ethical concerns about subconscious persuasion given McDonald's young and impressionable consumer base.