Nielsen Online launches digital strategic services group; focus areas to include brand advocacy and defensive branding

Client Feedback and Industry Research Confirm Important Need: Help Inform Online Brand Strategies

NEW YORK– May 1, 2008 – Nielsen Online, a service of The Nielsen Company, today announced the launch of its new Digital Strategic Services group, focused on leveraging Nielsen’s online data sources to help clients manage their online reputations, grow brand advocacy and leverage Consumer-Generated Media (CGM).

The Digital Strategic Services group, led by CGM expert and Nielsen EVP Pete Blackshaw, provides marketers with the best research available on today’s digital consumer as well as guidance and analysis that translates research into a concrete plan of action, with special attention to burgeoning social media.

“CGM has moved into the C-suite, and executives and brand managers face an unprecedented range of choices, from how much to invest in digital marketing to how to leverage social media in public relations. We’re able to educate clients and help them make the right choices to seize digital opportunities to connect with consumers and grow their brands,” explained Blackshaw.

“The good news is that today’s outspoken consumer provides a wellspring of insight into the best strategies to drive long-term competitive advantage,” Blackshaw added.

Listening to Clients
Recent customer satisfaction research conducted by Nielsen Online found that over one-third of clients using BuzzMetrics services sought consulting services on top of core analysis. The research also suggested that interest in CGM was increasing at the C-suite and senior executive levels, opening up a broader range of opportunities for acting on Nielsen Online data. 

Recent industry research by Aberdeen corroborates this finding, highlighting the strategic opportunities presented by CGM and social-media analytics, including improved product marketing, communications, market research, customer support, brand reputation protection, competitive intelligence, and new product development activities. Download the Aberdeen report here.

“We’ve learned that in some industries such as banking and consumer electronics, customer service experiences drive significant consumer feedback – both positive and negative – on blogs, message boards, or YouTube,” explained Emily Sobol, senior consultant with the Digital Strategic Services group. “We can use that insight to help brands make informed strategic choices to improve their overall customer service and satisfaction.”

The “Brand Advocacy Quotient” (BAQ) and Nurturing Brand Advocacy
The Digital Strategic Services group maintains that consumer advocacy and brand growth share a symbiotic relationship. Accordingly, a core focus will be developing the Nielsen Online “Brand Advocacy Quotient,” or BAQ score, by combining CGM-, site-, and survey-based data and leveraging the Nielsen Online MegaPanel to determine the extent to which consumers are promoting or eroding brands.

Armed with a brand’s BAQ, the group will advise clients on the key strategies to nurture meaningful advocacy among consumers, including:

Listening Strategies

• How to use CGM/social media analytics as an accountability scorecard
• How to open up the brand feedback pipe to capitalize on more direct input from consumers

Engagement & Response Strategies

• How to leverage social media and Web 2.0 tools such as corporate blogs to engage with consumers
• How to leverage the power of online video to optimize the consumer experience on a brand Web site, mini-site, or partner sites
• How to adapt call-center and customer service operations to the new realities of consumer control
• How to defend a brand and respond rapidly to threats through online stakeholder management

Blackshaw, previously CMO of Nielsen BuzzMetrics and a former co-leader of interactive marketing at Procter & Gamble, co-founded the Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association and recently received the 2008 Industry Achievement Award at Ad:Tech. He is also the author of an upcoming book on customer service-related online strategies, entitled, “Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000: Running a Business in Today’s Consumer-Driven World.”

At Nielsen, Blackshaw and his team have consulted with dozens of major brands across a variety of categories, including entertainment, CPG, healthcare, and cable and wireless.

Editor’s Note: Please source all data to Nielsen Online.

 

Press Contact: Sandra Parrelli; Sandra.Parrelli@nielsen.com; 646-654-7772

Sales Inquiries: sales@buzzmetrics.com; 1.877.999.7335

About Nielsen Online:

Nielsen Online, a service of The Nielsen Company, delivers comprehensive, independent measurement and analysis of online audiences, advertising, video, consumer-generated media, word of mouth, commerce and consumer behavior, and includes products previously marketed under the Nielsen//NetRatings and Nielsen BuzzMetrics brands. With high quality, technology-driven products and services, Nielsen Online enables clients to make informed business decisions regarding their Internet, digital and marketing strategies. For more information, please visit www.nielsen-online.com.

About The Nielsen Company:

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), online intelligence (NetRatings and BuzzMetrics), trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.