ACNielsen
Encyclopedia
ACNielsen is a global marketing research
firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City
. Regional headquarters for North America
are located in Schaumburg, Illinois
. As of May 2010, it is part of The Nielsen Company.
, by Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr.
, in order to give marketers reliable and objective information on the impact of marketing
and sales programs. ACNielsen began expanding internationally in 1939, and now operates in more than 100 countries.
, an Audience measurement
system that measures television, radio and newspaper audiences in their respective media market
s. In 1950 they began attaching recording devices to a statistical sample of about 1200 consumer television sets in the U.S http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924209,00.html. These devices used photographic film in mail-in cartridges to record the channels viewed by the consumer and thus determine audience size. Later they developed electronic methods of data collection and transmission. In 1996, ACNielsen split off this part of its operations into a separate company called Nielsen Media Research
(NMR), which operated as an independent company until it was acquired by Dutch
conglomerate
VNU
in 1999.
Another market research tool is the Homescan program where sample members track and report all grocery and retail purchases, allowing purchasing patterns to be related to household demographics. Homescan covers several countries including Australia
, Canada
, the United Kingdom
, and the United States
. In 2004, ACNielsen chose the CipherLab
CPT-8001 as its data collection terminal for the Homescan program throughout Asia
.
, ACNielsen gained particular reputation for their introduction of the Nielsen areas (or Nielsengebiete in German), each of which includes one or more German federal states sharing a similar economic structure, culture, and consumer behaviour. To a considerable part, marketing strategies in heterogeneous Germany depend on the Nielsengebiete, this even leading to the result that some trademarks or marketing campaigns have only been introduced in some of the Nielsengebiete. In addition, in many newspapers or magazines disseminated nationwide, ads may be placed for just only one or some Nielsengebiete; the circulation figures of print media are often stated according to Nielsengebiete, as well.
, as part of VNU's Marketing Information group, and thus is now under the same corporate umbrella as the company it spawned, NMR. Nielsen Media Research is based in New York City
, while ACNielsen headquarters remain in Schaumburg, Illinois.
ACNielsen is also sister company to Nielsen//NetRatings, which measures Internet and digital media
audiences, and Nielsen BuzzMetrics, which measures Consumer-Generated Media.
IMS Health and ACNielsen ORG-MARG entered into a joint venture on the 1st of January 2004, aligning their health care information business operations in India, bringing together the two organizations’ global expertise and strong local presence to deliver a broader array of actionable, strategic solutions to the pharmaceutical market.
In 2005, ACNielsen initiated their MVP (Media Voice Panel) program. Panel members carry an electronic monitor that detects the digital station and program identification codes hidden within the TV and radio broadcasts they are exposed to. At night, members place the monitor in a cradle that sends the collected data through the home's electrical wiring to a relay device that transmits it by phone, making it one of the first practical uses of electrical wiring as a home network
. With an approximately one week notice to members, the MVP program ended on March 17, 2008.
In 2007, the owner VNU changed its name to "The Nielsen Company".
Arthur Charles Nielsen, Jr. (born April 8, 1919) the man who acquired the company from his father, died at the age of 92 on October 3, 2011.
Marketing research
Marketing research is "the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information — information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve...
firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Regional headquarters for North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
are located in Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
. As of May 2010, it is part of The Nielsen Company.
History
This company was founded in 1923 in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, by Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr.
Arthur Nielsen
Arthur Charles Nielsen, Sr. was an American market analyst who founded the ACNielsen company.-Background:Arthur Charles Nielsen was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was of Danish descent. Nielsen was educated at University of Wisconsin , where he received a B.S., summa cum laude in 1918...
, in order to give marketers reliable and objective information on the impact of marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
and sales programs. ACNielsen began expanding internationally in 1939, and now operates in more than 100 countries.
Activities
One of ACNielsen's best known creations is the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, an Audience measurement
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
system that measures television, radio and newspaper audiences in their respective media market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
s. In 1950 they began attaching recording devices to a statistical sample of about 1200 consumer television sets in the U.S http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924209,00.html. These devices used photographic film in mail-in cartridges to record the channels viewed by the consumer and thus determine audience size. Later they developed electronic methods of data collection and transmission. In 1996, ACNielsen split off this part of its operations into a separate company called Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
(NMR), which operated as an independent company until it was acquired by Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
VNU
VNU
Nielsen is a global marketing and advertising research company headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Nielsen is active in over 100 countries, and employs some 32,000 people worldwide...
in 1999.
Another market research tool is the Homescan program where sample members track and report all grocery and retail purchases, allowing purchasing patterns to be related to household demographics. Homescan covers several countries including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2004, ACNielsen chose the CipherLab
CipherLab
CipherLab is a company that designs, manufactures and markets automatic identification and data capture products and systems. The company's mobile computers and barcode scanners are integrated into the networks of government and logistics installations worldwide, as well as grocery, manufacturing,...
CPT-8001 as its data collection terminal for the Homescan program throughout Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
International
In GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, ACNielsen gained particular reputation for their introduction of the Nielsen areas (or Nielsengebiete in German), each of which includes one or more German federal states sharing a similar economic structure, culture, and consumer behaviour. To a considerable part, marketing strategies in heterogeneous Germany depend on the Nielsengebiete, this even leading to the result that some trademarks or marketing campaigns have only been introduced in some of the Nielsengebiete. In addition, in many newspapers or magazines disseminated nationwide, ads may be placed for just only one or some Nielsengebiete; the circulation figures of print media are often stated according to Nielsengebiete, as well.
M & A
In 2001, ACNielsen itself was acquired by VNUVNU
Nielsen is a global marketing and advertising research company headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Nielsen is active in over 100 countries, and employs some 32,000 people worldwide...
, as part of VNU's Marketing Information group, and thus is now under the same corporate umbrella as the company it spawned, NMR. Nielsen Media Research is based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, while ACNielsen headquarters remain in Schaumburg, Illinois.
ACNielsen is also sister company to Nielsen//NetRatings, which measures Internet and digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
audiences, and Nielsen BuzzMetrics, which measures Consumer-Generated Media.
IMS Health and ACNielsen ORG-MARG entered into a joint venture on the 1st of January 2004, aligning their health care information business operations in India, bringing together the two organizations’ global expertise and strong local presence to deliver a broader array of actionable, strategic solutions to the pharmaceutical market.
In 2005, ACNielsen initiated their MVP (Media Voice Panel) program. Panel members carry an electronic monitor that detects the digital station and program identification codes hidden within the TV and radio broadcasts they are exposed to. At night, members place the monitor in a cradle that sends the collected data through the home's electrical wiring to a relay device that transmits it by phone, making it one of the first practical uses of electrical wiring as a home network
Home network
A home network or home area network is a residential local area network . It is used for communication between digital devices typically deployed in the home, usually a small number of personal computers and accessories, such as printers and mobile computing devices...
. With an approximately one week notice to members, the MVP program ended on March 17, 2008.
In 2007, the owner VNU changed its name to "The Nielsen Company".
Arthur Charles Nielsen, Jr. (born April 8, 1919) the man who acquired the company from his father, died at the age of 92 on October 3, 2011.