Spark Neuro, a startup that uses an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset to monitor consumers’ emotional responses to ads and movies, raised a $13.5m Series A to build out its neuroanalytics platform for advertisers.
Spark knows what you really think about that ad
Spark (an acronym for ‘Scientific Persuasive Artistic Research-Driven Knowledge’) monitors brain waves, eye movements, facial expressions, and skin reactions of viewers as they watch ads, trailers, or movies.
Using the 6k data points gathered per second, the system measures attention and emotion levels on a 1-10 scale. Then, advertisers/producers can use that data to understand how successful their content was.
For advertisers, mind reading is big business
By 2021, brands are expected to shell out $757B on advertising. And, if brands are spending that much on ads, they damn well better know if they’re working.
Spark offers a more accurate analysis of an ad’s performance than surveys or focus groups, and big brands are lining up to to know how their audiences perceives their ads.
Investors Peter Thiel, Will Smith, and ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner are eager to see how the tech works for the 2-year-old company’s clients — which already include Anheuser-Busch, GM, Walmart, Fedex, Clorox, P&G, and other Fortune 100 giants.