Emotional identification with a destination brand: a neuromarketing investigation of Kazakhstan’s visual content

The article investigates the phenomenon of emotional identification with a tourism destination brand, using Kazakhstan’s visual content as a case study. The main objective is to analyze participants’ emotional connection to the destination brand through neuromarketing methods, emphasizing the need to move beyond traditional subjective evaluations toward objective measurements of unconscious consumer responses. The research is grounded in an interdisciplinary methodological approach that combines theoretical analysis with an empirical neuromarketing experiment. Fifteen participants took part in the study and were shown an image-building promotional video aimed at presenting the tourism potential of the destination. During the viewing process, their emotional reactions were recorded in real time using Face Reading software supported by specialized hardware tools, which made it possible to capture both conscious and subconscious emotional responses to visual stimuli.The spectral analysis made it possible to identify the multidimensional nature of brand perception, illustrating how various visual elements generate different emotional reactions among viewers. The scientific and practical value of this research is connected with a deeper understanding of emotional identification in marketing communication processes and with improving destination branding strategies. The findings confirm that the use of visual codes with opposite emotional valence contributes to the creation of a more dynamic, memorable, and emotionally attractive brand image. The practical value includes improving the communicative power of advertising content, guiding the development of marketing campaigns, and promoting Kazakhstan’s tourism services internationally. By integrating neuromarketing insights with visual content analysis, the study provides actionable recommendations for creating emotionally compelling materials that strengthen brand loyalty and enhance the overall tourist experience.

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