Designing and Validating a Neuromarketing-Informed Model of the Effects of Banking Service Advertising on Customer Preferences: A Mixed-Methods Study

Ali Taherkhani Koujariha; Mahsa  Akbari

Authors

Ali Taherkhani Koujariha Department of Business Management, Se.C., Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9794-2543
Mahsa Akbari Department of Business Management, Ka.C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6730-025X

Keywords:

Neuromarketing, Banking advertising, Customer preferences, Grounded theory, Structural equation modeling

Abstract

Given the growing role of banking services advertising in shaping customer perceptions and preferences, coupled with the paucity of research on the underlying mechanisms of advertising impact through a neuromarketing perspective, this study aimed to design and explain the process of banking advertising impact and customer preference formation. A sequential mixed-methods approach was employed. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 domain experts, and data were analyzed using systematic Grounded Theory via MAXQDA software. This led to the identification of "customer preference formation" as the core category, framed within cognitive mechanisms, implicit memory, emotional processing, causal, contextual, and intervening conditions, as well as strategies and outcomes. In the quantitative phase, the qualitative model was validated through a two-wave longitudinal survey design ($n = 384$ per wave), with data analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling via SmartPLS. The qualitative findings informed the proposed theoretical framework. The quantitative analysis supported the hypothesized effect of causal factors on customer preference formation (beta = 0.744) and identified longitudinal relationships among selected constructs. The estimated moderating effect was negative (beta = -0.271). However, the high correlations between several constructs and the path coefficient exceeding 1.0 indicate that the longitudinal structural estimates should be interpreted cautiously. The study proposes an integrative, context-specific framework for understanding the relationship between banking advertising and customer preferences. The model offers preliminary guidance for advertising strategy, although its measurement distinctiveness and longitudinal estimates require further validation.

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