Monday, January 4, 2010

Thanks for the bulletin, Nielsen!


If the TV audience ratings company Nielsen produced viewer data with the speed and forethought they did media analysis, "Laugh In" would still be number one. Here's a bit of a release just out from the Nostradamuses at Nielsen:


"Last year’s downturn caused not only changes in how broadcasters operate, but also marketers. In a new report, Nielsen outlines five advertising trends that will shape continued evolution of the ad business next year. Media convergence tops the list, with a focus on improving return on investment. “The ability to accurately measure activity and link online ads to offline purchasing behavior will be critical,” says the report. Smart phones will be a growing issue, but Nielsen believes accurate measurement will be needed to track the snowballing growth of the mobile media platform. In addition, look for advertisers to continue to build cross-media campaigns. There's also a growing mainstream acceptance of social networking."


So, they have discovered convergence! And recognized the existence of SmartPhones. Linking online ads to offline purchases? And they predict that people will be more accepting of social networking? Oh, and if Nielsen believes that we need better measurement of "the mobile media platform" then where is the world's number one provider of media research's plan to do just that? (What would you expect from a company that still measures most TV markets with diaries, and uses diaries with little stickers for station call letters for radio...and measures almost all their radio markets ONCE PER YEAR?)


Stop the presses!


Would somebody call up Nielsen and let them know Dinah Shore is no longer on the air each week, and if you see "The Beverly Hillbillies," you are probably not watching over-the-air TV?


Don Keith





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