When Frito-Lay wanted to increase the appeal of its calorie-conscious snacks to women – who are snacking more than men – it turned to NeuroFocus, a research company that brings neuroscience to the world of advertising, messaging, packaging and product development.  By measuring brainwaves, eye-tracking and skin conductance, researchers can, for example, determine whether a message resonates with a consumer.

In Frito-Lay’s case, NeuroFocus was enlisted by the ad agency charged with re-defining calorie-conscious snacks such as Baked Lays and 100-calorie packages to make them appeal to women.  To learn more about NeuroFocus’s work on this campaign, read the New York Times article here.

Nielsen made a strategic investment in NeuroFocus in February 2008.