Cognitive Biases in Private Branding. A fMRI Experiment of Over-the-Counter Drugs

This research analyzes the neural implications of choosing the retail brand instead of the industrial brand, by means of an experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We found that the preferred brand is not the only one that stimulates emotional affiliation; that the information on price increases the level of concentration; that the higher the price differential between the private label and the industrial brand, the Greater the emotional involvement. The results suggest that the price positioning of the two types of brand represent a strategic choice that assumes a value which is not strictly confined to the category boundary