KUKA Hedda Martina Šola

Guest Hedva Martina ŠolaHosted by Boris ŽivkovićMay 3, 2026

Hedva Martina Šola

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

Why do consumers choose one brand over another? Traditional marketing asks them directly, but the answers are often filtered by conscious biases or even the day's mood. Hedva Martina Šola, director of the Institute for Neuromarketing and a court expert in marketing, explains how her field bypasses these subjective layers. By measuring objective physiological responses, neuromarketing uncovers the true, often subconscious, preferences that drive purchasing decisions. Šola’s work combines neuroscientific methods with deep marketing expertise to understand how brands, products, and even destinations are truly perceived. Her institute helps companies and public entities refine their messaging and offerings, ensuring they connect with consumers on a deeper, more reliable level than surveys alone ever could. This conversation explores how neuromarketing provides a more precise lens on consumer behavior, revealing insights that reshape how businesses approach everything from product design to promotional campaigns.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

When traditional market research asks if a consumer likes a package, the answer is often unreliable, influenced by mood or existing biases. Neuromarketing, Šola explains, bypasses these conscious filters to measure objective, clinical responses to stimuli.

Instead of asking consumers questions, neuromarketing uses tools like electroencephalography (EEG), eye-tracking, and galvanic skin response to measure physiological reactions. These methods provide clinical proof of a consumer's excitement or aversion, offering a reliability traditional surveys cannot match.

The Institute for Neuromarketing employs a multidisciplinary team of social science PhDs, neuroscientists, and a neurologist specializing in EEG interpretation. This diverse expertise is essential for discerning whether a measured 'excitement' is a true response to a product or merely a reaction to environmental noise in a busy setting.

While the Institute for Neuromarketing was formally established only last year, its team members collectively bring over 25 years of experience in the field. This rapid growth demonstrates that formalizing an entity can often accelerate projects that were already years in the making.

Croatian tourist boards are among the Institute's most frequent clients, seeking help with brand positioning and promotional video analysis. This shows neuromarketing extends beyond products to experiences, providing objective data to shape how destinations are perceived and marketed.

Beyond tourism, the Institute collaborates with large companies in sectors like the food industry. Neuromarketing's methods can analyze how consumers truly experience a product, from its taste to its packaging, providing data for optimization across a wide range of industries.

The Institute balances its commercial work (helping companies) with rigorous scientific research (publishing findings in prestigious journals). This dual approach ensures that practical business applications are continually informed by scientific advancement, pushing the boundaries of neuromarketing methodology.

Explore further

ScenariosBusiness challenges CardsEducational cards TimelineTopic evolution