Check out the on-demand session below to learn more about these key topics:

• Understanding the difference between measurement and currency
• The future of Big Data + Panels as a currency 
• Operationalizing clean room data

Learn more about Nielsen’s commitment to measurement integrity.

The post For good measure: A conversation with Nielsen and the 4A’s appeared first on Nielsen.

For audience measurement to be accurate, it must be inclusive. And inclusive audience measurement has never been harder to achieve, or more important to get right. Nielsen’s Chief Diversity Officer Sandra Sims-Williams and Chief Product Officer Deirdre Thomas sat down to discuss DE&I’s crucial impact on audience measurement, both at Nielsen and across the media industry.

Nielsen’s brand purpose is “Powering a better media future for all people.” How does Nielsen prioritize that as a company, and what tangible impact does that have on the media industry and world at large?

Sandra Sims-Williams: When we operate in a culture that is diverse and inclusive, innovation flourishes, our clients win and employees bring the best that Nielsen can offer to the communities we measure.

The rest of the media industry is coming around to the need for greater equity—just look at the writers’ strike, the actors’ strike, the growth of women’s sports. At Cannes Lions, the big narrative was the need to drive inclusion in media, both in terms of access and representation. There is no longer a general market. We have to use creativity, innovation and technology to embrace diverse audiences and their unique experiences.

How has Nielsen evolved as a company to prioritize its commitment to data accuracy and excellence in the face of change and disruption? 

Deirdre Thomas: Everything we do is in service of delivering accurate, equitable, unbiased and reliable media measurement that works for everyone, and measures everybody, everywhere. We use big data validated by large persons-level panels to accurately and objectively track and report the viewing habits of everyone. 

One of Nielsen’s core values is inclusion. How does that influence business decisions and the way the entire company operates? How is Nielsen driving real change, both internally and externally?

Sandra Sims-Williams: Measurement is key: Leaders must be held to KPIs and be accountable, and we have public 2024 DE&I goals about representation in our workforce and our sourceable spend with U.S. diverse businesses that we include in our annual ESG report. Nielsen is activating DE&I in the way only our business can. We help our clients develop a unique connection between our DE&I insights and how their business can grow by spotlighting diverse audiences, content and communities. 

No one expected a global pandemic in the winter of 2019/2020. How has the company updated its products and methodologies since then to be truly resilient and representative? 

Deirdre Thomas: We’re constantly innovating to adapt to changes in consumer behavior and industry needs. We made several changes in reaction to the pandemic. The first is that we turbocharged our measurement of streaming ads and content to reflect the explosion of streaming consumption during the pandemic. We expanded our coverage — for example, enabling measurement of ads on Netflix, and measuring Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime — as well as enhanced the functionality of our streaming measurement product. We’ve also built a strong identity system and enabled advanced audience measurement across streaming, digital and linear platforms in our Nielsen ONE Ads product.

Sandra: Through thought leadership we are also surfacing Nielsen’s products and solutions that measure diverse content. It’s not just how much representation is seen, the narratives that are being told is just as critical.

Nielsen is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year. Looking ahead to Nielsen’s second century in business, what changes in media industry representation do you anticipate? 

Sandra: Underrepresented voices are being seen and heard. The centers of influence across advertising, entertainment and storytelling are expanding to be much more global and diverse. Media platforms are evolving so rapidly, enabling direct connections to audiences and increasing the power of creators through personal, direct influence. Authentic connection and conversations—that’s what audiences want, and that demand is growing. 

Today it’s multicultural marketing; tomorrow our industry must embrace that growing demand from diverse audiences and create space for unique, diverse voices. If you don’t have a strategy to do that, you don’t have a growth strategy.  

What do you think will be the next major disruption for audience representation and data accuracy?

Deirdre Thomas: Privacy will continue to be of the utmost importance to consumers and thus to agencies, advertisers, publishers and measurement providers. This disruption is already well underway but absolutely will continue, and the whole industry will need to adapt to consumer preferences and privacy legislation. While people are excited about all the content that’s now accessible at their fingertips, they are also increasingly wary about exchanging their personal data for that content. At Nielsen, privacy has always been and will always be at the center of our business. When we are entrusted with audience data— whether through our panels or our clients’ first-party data—we tightly safeguard personally identifiable information. Our clean room strategy, identity system, and deep relationships with our panelists are critical elements of our privacy strategy and key enablers of our ability to measure ALL people accurately in a privacy-first world.

To learn more about Nielsen’s diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, along with other ways we work to operate responsibly and sustainably, read our 2023 ESG report. 

The post Counting every voice: How to power a better media future for all appeared first on Nielsen.

Check out the on-demand session below to learn more about these key topics:

• Ensuring accurate audience representation for all people  
• How best to leverage measurement solutions to reach diverse audiences in a fragmented ecosystem

Learn how Nielsen is meeting the moment with Nielsen ONE. 

The post Representation matters: Why measurement of diverse audiences is critical for the media industry appeared first on Nielsen.

Historically, media sellers have two proven growth tactics: raise prices or prove the value of their media to attract more ad dollars. Ideally, sellers should aspire to grow through a combination of both. That’s not typically feasible, which means sellers should start by assessing how their media is faring with respect to other options—all other options.

For buyers, the key is having a holistic view of media buy options, as well as the ROI that each delivers. For example, television continues to dominate media plans globally, but buyers may not have insight into the ROI trends associated with those buys, which can vary from market to market. 

To better understand media valuation and strategy planning amid the broadening media landscape, we recently spoke with Jeremy Cartwright, customer success director in Northern Europe at Nielsen. In our discussion, Jeremy discusses the relationship between spending and ROI, the importance of a solid media pricing strategy and regional differences in media ROI.

For additional insights, download our 2022 ROI Report.

The post ROI data can help buyers and sellers navigate media valuation in an expanding media landscape appeared first on Nielsen.

Somewhat surprisingly, many are not. In fact, the data from a global analysis of cross-channel media plans shows that half are underfunding their media investments. In essence, the investment levels are too low to be effective. How low? About 50%.

To better understand how spending levels affect ROI, we recently spoke with Imran Hirani, VP, Media & Advertiser Analytics at Nielsen. In our discussion, Imran discusses the relationship between investment and outcome, the frequency in which spending levels are inadequate to generate optimal results and strategies to right-size media spending.

For additional insights, download our 2022 ROI Report.

The post Breakthrough ROI depends on optimized media spending appeared first on Nielsen.

Brands that are investing in emerging media are seeing big returns. Nielsen Marketing Mix Models found that influencer marketing, for example, is just as effective as more established, mainstream channels, and performs within 1% of the ROI of TV and digital ads. And when it comes to new media’s impact on brand, the results speak for themselves. In a study of over 1,000 podcast, influencer and branded marketing ads, Nielsen’s Brand Impact Norms database shows that the median brand recall was over 70% among consumers who saw the ads.

To learn more about the impact of emerging media on ROI, we recently spoke with Nichole Henderson, Senior Vice President, Brand Impact Product at Nielsen. In our discussion, Nichole discusses the rapid rise of new media in marketing campaigns, how they can help drive ROI and how marketers can properly test campaigns before creating their budgets.

For additional insights, download our 2022 ROI Report.

The post Measuring new media’s impact on brand awareness and ROI appeared first on Nielsen.

To get a full view of performance, marketers need to measure and optimize on both sales and brand metrics. And for marketers able to turn full funnel data into actionable insights, the payout is well worth the effort. To learn more about the impact of full-funnel marketing can have on ROI, we recently spoke with Abhinav Maheshwari, Vice President, Performance Measurement, APAC. In our discussion, Abhinav speaks to the dangers of sales-only measurement, and the benefits of brand-building on long-term conversions.

For additional insights, download our 2022 ROI Report.

The post Understanding the impact of full funnel marketing on ROI appeared first on Nielsen.

To establish and maintain meaningful relationships with consumers, marketers need to keep pace with real-time changes in behavior, attitudes and media engagement. According to Jamie Moldafsky, Nielsen’s chief marketing and communications officer, robust and accurate data must be marketers’ north star for understanding and engaging consumers—and for measuring the ROI of that engagement.

With the complexities of ongoing disruption and media fragmentation, Moldafsky says several things remain constant: the need to know consumers and clients, what they want from you and how you can most effectively and efficiently engage them.

In concert with the launch of Nielsen’s 2022 Annual Marketing Report, we spoke to Moldafsky about the importance of brand, the intersection of brand and acquisition, the importance of understanding full consumer journeys and the value of scalable data strategies.

For additional insights, download Nielsen’s 2022 Annual Marketing Report.

The post Agility is key for marketers amid the convergence of brand and acquisition appeared first on Nielsen.

The role of Black-owned media has continued to evolve in the nearly 200 years since Freedom’s Journal–the first Black owned and operated newspaper in the U.S.–went to print. Today, the need for trusted voices to herald the issues, trends and triumphs of Black America remains clear. After the reckoning of 2020, brands and advertisers acknowledged Black-owned media as an integral missing piece in their efforts to not only reach, but to advocate for Black communities.

Nielsen research shows that Black audiences are driving demand for content where their identity is represented on screen. And Black-owned media plays an important part in providing representative content to the diverse Black community. But even with a 27% reach among Black viewers, historically, Black-owned outlets have not always been a part of the media plans designed to reach Black consumers.

Munson Steed, CEO of Steed Media Group, is one of today’s most trusted storytellers in the Black community. The multimedia conglomerate includes print, digital, events and its multimedia news platform, Rolling Out.

Steed joined Nielsen’s VP of Diverse Insights and Partnerships, Charlene Polite Corley, to discuss the impact of diverse-owned media and how brands and advertisers can benefit from working with Black-owned media. Watch the conversation to learn about:

• Why it’s important to invest in Black-owned media as a way of investing in the health and wealth of the Black community (starting at 1:33)
• How brands can benefit from working with Black-owned media and Black-targeted media (starting at 7:30)
• Leveraging social media and digital platforms to better engage and serve the Black community (starting at 11:58)

Learn more in our Diverse-Owned Media Audience Reach and Profiles report.

The post Black-owned media: making the case for better brand partnerships appeared first on Nielsen.

Black History Month is frequently the time when brands step up their efforts to connect with Black consumers. And with the advertising industry’s commitments to spend with Black-owned media, new opportunities to expand programming have emerged for Black-owned radio, which reaches more than 6 million Black listeners each week.

From the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters network of radio stations airing More Than That with Gia Peppers, to the Black Information Network from iHeartMedia delivering news 24/7, audio content about the diverse experiences across Black America are in demand. 

In the video below, Charlene Polite Corley, Vice President of Diverse Insights and Partnerships at Nielsen, spoke to Tony Coles, Division President, iHeartMedia and Founder, Black Information Network, about the power of radio and creating a platform for more authentic Black voices and nuanced stories. Watch and learn more about:

• New opportunities to engage Black listeners with news and talk formats, beyond the usual Urban Contemporary or R&B formats
• The creation of the Black Information Network and the need to invest in more diverse news rooms 
• How COVID shook up the Network’s plans but resulted in better journalism for its newsroom

Learn more about the reach and profiles of Black-owned radio listeners in our Diverse-Owned Media Audience Reach and Profiles report.

The post Tuning into radio’s potential: the power of Black-owned radio appeared first on Nielsen.