Toward Responsible Neuromarketing: Consumer Acceptance, Ethical Governance, and Participation Intention in an Emerging Market

Abstract

Neuromarketing holds significant promise for developing responsible marketing strategies, yet its ethical legitimacy depends on the very consumers whose neurophysiological responses it seeks to decode. This article examines the psychological, ethical, and contextual determinants of consumer intention to participate in neuromarketing research, a foundational question for responsible deployment of neuroscience-based marketing tools. Drawing on an integrated Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned Behavior framework extended with transparency, awareness, privacy concerns, and financial reward, a sequential mixed-methods study was conducted among Moroccan consumers. An exploratory qualitative phase (N = 20 semi-structured interviews) surfaced nine themes, prominently including universal privacy anxiety, the moral centrality of transparency, and the salience of financial compensation. These informed a confirmatory survey study (N = 175) analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. Attitude emerged as the dominant predictor of participation intention (β = .638, p < .001), driven by perceived usefulness, transparency, privacy concerns, and awareness. Financial reward and perceived behavioral control exerted additional direct effects on intention. Subjective norms were non-significant, suggesting individually-driven participation decisions in this emerging-market context. Findings advance responsible marketing theory and offer actionable governance principles for ethical neuromarketing practice.

Received: 27 February 2026  │  Accepted: 22 June 2026  │  Published: 23 July 2026