Since becoming part of the larger Nielsen family, we at Nielsen Online have been able to pursue cross-media research more than ever before with exciting results. Ken Cassar has blogged about his findings regarding the merits of multi-channel retail. Results of a recent Nielsen Online survey show that most consumer-electronics shoppers turn to the Web to conduct product research, but are more likely to make their final purchase in-store. Moreover, multi-channel shoppers tend to spend more in store than offline-only shoppers by as much as 61 percent. These two channels can compliment rather than compete with each other, if retailers build on their unique strengths.
Perhaps to an even greater extent, media brands also find themselves appealing to this free-ranging consumer. ESPN, a true cross-media brand, has been working with Nielsen to determine how ESPN fans navigate across platforms. It might surprise you to learn that users of both ESPN TV and ESPN.com actually spent 27 percent more time watching ESPN TV than TV-only users and 50 percent more time at ESPN.com than Internet-only users. In this case, the more sports, the better!
You can find more details about each of these studies in this month’s Nielsen Consumer Insights newsletter. I encourage you to check it out - it’s another valuable resource based on Nielsen’s wide range of research services and analyst insights.
Blogger turned author – about bloggers, and much more… Pete Blackshaw’s book, “Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000,” hits bookstores on July 8th. The book takes a look at how marketers and brands can establish and maintain credibility in today’s consumer-driven, digital world. Join us for a webinar preview of the book on July 9th, where Pete will host Beth Thomas-Kim, Director of Consumer Services, Nestle USA, and Tom Asher, Director of Consumer Relations North America, Levi Strauss & Co. to discuss how these leading companies are connecting with consumers to drive their businesses.
Congratulations Pete! Now, can a book on child rearing be far off?
I found an interesting Malayan proverb on the label of the Honest Tea I drank for lunch today: “Don’t think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm.”
The proverb appeals to me because it gets to the core of what we do at Nielsen Online. Determining if crocodiles are lurking, regardless of how placid the water looks, is similar to how marketers and media researchers seek to understand their online customers, stay steps ahead of their competition, and anticipate the next big thing that could turn their business models upside down. Everyone sees the same market, but not everyone is a market winner.
This has everything to do with why we are launching the Nielsen Online blog: “Connecting the Dots.” We have a bright team of analysts and researchers at Nielsen Online collectively working with our clients to connect the many dots of data we have to answer their specific strategic questions. But each and every one of these analysts is also developing a unique perspective on how the online market is unfolding. Many of these perspectives are shared with the industry via press releases, events and presentations and webinars, but we’d like to give this team an opportunity to more regularly, and seamlessly, share their insights and perspectives with you. Here are the kinds of topics we expect to be addressing in the days, weeks and months ahead:
- Is the “long tail” going to continue to be the tail?
- How is the meteoric rise in consumer-generated media transforming the search market – and vice versa?
- What relatively unknown sites are creating best-of-breed experiences that are confounding the experts?
- How is the blogosphere transforming the ability to track satisfaction and brand loyalty?
- Why will online advertising continue to grow at healthy double-digit rates for at least the next 5 years?
Welcome to “Connecting the Dots,” where we hope to share online market perspectives that give you an appreciation for what may not be apparent from the water’s surface.
