Text Message Ads Make Impression On Young

Given the immense popularity of texting in the U.S. and abroad, it’s not surprising that marketers have been ramping up their use of the medium to engage their customers. According to Nielsen, 16% of texters in the U.S. see some form of text-message advertising each month. Not surprisingly, teens are the most likely to engage with short-code marketing—35% see some form of text-message advertising in the course of a month. African-American and Hispanic mobile subscribers are also more likely than the average texter to engage with some form of text-message advertising in a month, at 24% and 23% respectively.

Of those texters who recall seeing some form of advertising while using text-messaging, 45% say they have responded in some way. And the most popular response to any type of mobile advertising (text, video, Internet, etc.) —sending another text-message. Fully one-quarter of responders sent another text-message—emphasizing the interactivity and engagement this medium presents.

Learn more about the growing impact of text messaging in the November issue of Nielsen Consumer Insight.

Tags: mobile advertising, SMS, teens, Text Messaging

Global Shoppers Consider Ethics And Environment

Compared to the rest of the globe, Latin America’s consumers place the highest importance on how environment standards and labor conditions impact products they purchase. In North America, consumers come in just below the global average when considering the importance of those factors according to a Nielsen report on Corporate Ethics And Fair Trading, done in partnership with Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute. In addition to Latin and North America, the report details consumer perceptions in the Asia/Pacific region, Europe, and emerging markets. “A global social conscience is one of the biggest trends to have emerged in the last decade. Global consumers are collectively speaking out and demanding that corporations make a positive contribution to society,” notes Amilcar Perez, Vice President, Marketing, Latin America, The Nielsen Company.

Read Corporate Ethics And Fair Trading: A Nielsen Global Consumer Report.

Tags: corporate ethics, environment, global environmental concerns, grocery shopping, labor practices

Asian Influence Growing In The U.S.

Often overlooked by marketers in comparison to the tremendous growth of the Hispanic population, Asians comprise a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population that is not only culturally diverse, but also well-educated, affluent, and media savvy. Asians are expected to continue to grow rapidly as a share of U.S. population. Although they will likely continue to be ranked the third race or ethnic group by size (behind Hispanics and African Americans), they will make up a significant share of population over the next few decades. The fusion of Asian culture into the American mainstream will continue to gain importance and will increasingly gain focus from makers and sellers of consumer products, particularly in West Coast markets and those of the Northeast.

Read more about the media preferences, shopping behavior and acculturation patterns of the Asian consumer in the latest issue of Nielsen’s Consumer Insight.

Tags: Asian-Americans, Consumer Insight, demographic shifts, ethnic population, Multi-cultural marketing

Nielsen Online Looks At Black Friday And Online Deals

By Emily Heitkamp, Nielsen Online

When details of the global financial crisis overtook the headlines in mid-September, consumers and brands began assessing their position in the economy and strategizing for the downturn. Retailers have reacted by announcing plans to offer deep discounts for the holidays, from high-end to mass-merchandise. Some have rolled out deals in advance of Black Friday. With reports of more and better deals from retailers and a bleak economic outlook for consumers, it would be natural to assume that consumers are hungry to take advantage of opportunities to save money. But will consumers tighten their belts so much that even deep discounts won’t get them spending?

Continue reading at Connecting The Dots… Nielsen Online’s Analyst Blog.

Tags: black friday, economy, holiday shopping, Nielsen Online, online discounts

SPORTS WRAP: NBA Teams Putting Up Big Local Numbers

Less than a month into watching the NBA season, Nielsen has spotted some noticeable trends, including several teams outscoring last year’s ratings in their local markets. While the San Antonio Spurs are still the highest-rated NBA team with a 6.8 Average Household Rating in their market, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trailblazers are close behind, thanks to large increases in viewership compared to this time period last season.

NBA Local Ratings Box Score

• The New Orleans Hornets ratings are up 163% compared to a year ago, thanks in large part to last year’s come-from-nowhere victory of their division.
• In Cleveland, fans witnessed the high flying Lebron James lead the Cavs to an eight-game winning streak, which fueled a109% lift in ratings from last season.
• Atlanta and Portland, two teams loaded with young talent, have captured the attention of their markets, with a 97% and 44% increase in their local ratings respectively.
• In Orlando, Dwight Howard and the Magic are atop their division, and are also enjoying a 26% boost in viewership compared to last season.
• The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, who benefit from the nation‘s two largest markets, are also outperforming last season, with 17% and 14% increases.

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Tags: Atlanta Hawks, basketball, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs

Primetime Broadcast Ratings, November 19, 2008

CBS’s “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: NY” were the number one and number two-ranked primetime telecasts on broadcast TV for Wednesday, November 19, 2008.

FOX’s “Bones” rounded out the top three with 10.8 million average viewers.

Rank	Program	Network	Viewers (P2+)
1	CRIMINAL MINDS	CBS	16,334,000
2	CSI: NY	CBS	14,119,000
3	BONES	FOX	10,818,000
4	GARY UNMARRIED	CBS	7,882,000
5	OLD CHRISTINE	CBS	7,847,000
6	LAW AND ORDER	NBC	7,623,000
7	PRIVATE PRACTICE	ABC	7,225,000
8	HOUSE-WED 9P	FOX	5,684,000
9	DIRTY SEXY MONEY	ABC	5,580,000
10	LIFE	NBC	5,427,000
Source: The Nielsen Company (November 19, 2008).

Overall, CBS won the night with an average audience of almost 12.8 million viewers,
while FOX took second place with almost 8.3 million average viewers. NBC and ABC
claimed third and fourth places with roughly 6.1 million and 5.9 million average viewers,
respectively. UNI and the CW followed in fifth and sixth places with average
audiences of roughly 4.4 million and 3.5 million average viewers, respectively.

Tags: ABC, Bones, CBS, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, CW, Dirty Sexy Money, FOX, Gary Unmarried, House-Wed, Law and Order, Life, NBC, Old Christine, Private Practice, UNI

Holiday Shoppers Continue to Shift Purchases Online for Convenience

American consumers will continue to shift their gift buying online this holiday season, citing convenience, time saving, and price according to Nielsen Online. Amid the current economic downturn, 53% of consumers cite price as a reason to buy online, compared with 46% last year. However, convenience continues to trump price as 76% of consumers cite the ability to shop 24 hours a day and 74% cite time saving as key factors for choosing online shopping.

The results are based on a Nielsen Online survey, conducted November 6-11, intended to gauge online consumers’ holiday shopping plans for 2008.

Top 10 Reasons to Shop Online (U.S.)

RANK	Reasons To Shop Online	% Of Respondents
1	Able to shop 24 hours a day	76%
2	Saves time	74%
3	Avoiding crowds	65%
4	Saves gas	59%
5	Sales/Discounts/Promotions	55%
6	Low prices	53%
7	Comparison shopping	48%
8	Selection	40%
9	Available product information	37%
10	Items are in stock	37%
Source: Nielsen Online, Pre-holiday Survey, November 2008

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Tags: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, book sales, economy, holiday shopping, Nielsen Online, online shopping, toys, video games, Wal-Mart

Primetime Broadcast Ratings, November 18, 2008

CBS’s “NCIS” and “The Mentalist” were the number one and number three-ranked primetime
telecasts on broadcast TV for Tuesday, November 18, 2008.

ABC’s “Dancing W/Stars Results” was sandwiched in between the two, in second place.

Rank	Program	Network	Viewers (P2+)
1	NCIS	CBS	17,990,000
2	DANCING W/STARS RESULTS	ABC	17,590,000
3	MENTALIST, THE	CBS	15,844,000
4	HOUSE	FOX	13,263,000
5	WITHOUT A TRACE	CBS	11,850,000
6	DANCING W/STARS RECAP #5(S)-11/18/2008	ABC	11,604,000
7	LAW AND ORDER:SVU	NBC	10,109,000
8	FRINGE	FOX	9,175,000
9	BIGGEST LOSER 6	NBC	7,774,000
10	ELI STONE	ABC	6,358,000
Source: The Nielsen Company (November 18, 2008).

Overall, CBS won the night with an average audience of almost 15.2 million viewers,
while ABC took second place with almost 12.0 million average viewers. FOX and NBC
claimed third and fourth places with roughly 11.3 million and 8.6 million average viewers,
respectively. UNI and the CW followed in fifth and sixth places with average
audiences of roughly 4.5 million and 2.2 million average viewers, respectively.

Tags: ABC, Biggest Loser 6, CBS, Dancing W/Stars Recap #5(S) 11/18/2008, Dancing W/Stars Results, Eli Stone, FOX, Fringe, House, Law and Order: SVU, NBC, NCIS, The Mentalist, Without A Trace

Demand Soars For Video-On-Demand And New Technology

According to a new report by Nielsen PreView, Entertainment-hungry Americans are rapidly embracing new devices and technology. The report, sourced from Nielsen’s quarterly Home Technology Report, analyzed device and subscription patterns from 2004 through 2007 and discovered that consumers are quickly adopting many new technologies and swapping out their old technology for the new.

Among the findings in the report, new technologies like Video-On-Demand (VOD) usage rose by more than 150%. Meanwhile many consumers have begun to switch out their old basic cable for more advanced digital cable. In fact, digital cable subscription rates jumped upwards by 30% to 29.5% of U.S. households while basic cable has begun to decline. This explosion in entertainment consumption is underscored by the fact that 39% more households are deciding to put multiple screens in the same room by choosing to put both a PC and a TV in the same room.

View Nielsen PreView’s complete study.

Tags: Cable subscriptions, DVR, economy, Home Technology Usage, MP3, video on demand

DEMO DRILL DOWN: Dried Veggies/Grains Sales Skew To Asian-American Households

Asian-American households spent more than twice as much (+135%) more on dried vegetables and grains than average American households during the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2008, according to Nielsen.

These households also outspent average households by 90% and 78%, respectively, on purchases of family planning products and photographic supplies.

Asian-American households account for just 2.8% of all U.S. households.  In 2007 and 2008, these households represented 6.7% of dried vegetables and grains product dollar sales, 5.4% of family planning product dollar sales, and 5.1% of photographic supplies product dollar sales.

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Tags: Asian, baby foods, baby needs, consumer marketing, demographic segment, disposable diapers, drinks, family planning, Homescan, juices, oral hygiene, photographic supplies, segmentation, sewing, skin care preparations, top categories, U.S., vegetables and grains