The Conficker computer virus, which has been infecting computers since late 2008 and threatens to impact PCs starting April 1, is getting big buzz in the blogosphere. In the last week, buzz has grown so much that it recently eclipsed chatter for another web hot topic, March Madness and the NCAA Championships. While viruses often spread thanks to mass misinformation on the web (and dubious emails), could the abundance of this computer bug buzz be acting as an early viral warning for PC users?
Recent Buzz On Conficker Vs. March Madness

Spring …

Few sectors of the economy have been as tarnished during the global recession as banks and financial institutions.  With the closure of some well-known industry names and the billions in losses racked up at others, it is understandable that consumers may feel some nervousness when it comes to the stability of their banks.  The fact is, however, that most banks are secure, and to communicate that fact, they have increasingly shifted the focus of their advertising to brand building.
According to a new report from Nielsen UK, total UK ad spending …

Eli Lilly produced three of the top four most-recalled prescription drug and vaccine ads on TV last year, according to new research released today by The Nielsen Company.
The ranking revealed that a spot for Eli’s Cialis was the most often recalled new pharmaceutical ad 2008.  The ad was recalled by viewers at a rate 55% greater than the average based on all new prescription drug ads launched over the past year.  The erectile dysfunction drug ad features a couple interrupted from an intimate moment by a surprise visit from their daughter.
“Prescription …

ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” was the number one ranked primetime telecast on broadcast TV for Monday, March 30, 2009. The program had approximately 20.5 million average viewers.
CBS’s “Two And A Half Men” and “CSI: Miami” were the number two and three-ranked programs with approximately 14.6 and 13.5 million average viewers.

Rank
Program
Network
Viewers (P2+)

1
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
20,484,000

2
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
14,556,000

3
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
13,458,000

4
HOUSE
FOX
12,511,000

5
24
FOX
11,265,000

6
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
CBS
11,025,000

7
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
9,735,000

8
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
CBS
9,202,000

9
CASTLE
ABC
9,089,000

10
MEDIUM
NBC
7,267,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (March 30, 2009).

Overall, ABC won the night with an average audience of almost 16.8 million average viewers, while …

American shoppers have a huge range of options when choosing where to shop, from convenience and dollar stores to traditional grocery and drug stores to warehouse clubs and supercenters.  Who shops where? And what are they buying?  These are just a couple of the questions answered by Nielsen’s “U.S. Consumer Dynamics Across Channels & Categories” study released earlier this month.
On a dollar volume basis, grocery stores continue to capture the highest percentage of consumer dollars, with 33.1 percent.  In Grand Rapids, Michigan, groceries …

Alex Burmaster
It might seem strange for a company promoting online to caution against claims that digital has killed print when it comes to news, but in the search for tasty and attention-grabbing headlines I do feel the industry overestimates the so-called “death of the newspaper” and the adoption of digital technologies that will potentially replace them.
Whilst digital has major advantages over print in terms of immediacy and depth of content, there are some things that it simply can’t replace in the minds or lives of consumers. We saw a similar …

Jeff Herrmann, The Nielsen Company
Recession or not, for good reason there is no shortage of innovation in the mobile media industry (e.g. iPhone 3.0, the upcoming Palm Pre). The bottom line: consumers still want more! According to recent research across the U.S. and Western Europe conducted by The Nielsen Company on behalf of Tellabs, consumers are still bullish on the use of the mobile device beyond voice calling services and plan on continuing to adopt and use mobile data services. Of the 200 million current users of advanced mobile data …

As a preview to his presentation at this year’s Consumer 360 conference, Joe Uva, CEO of Univision Communications, discussed the diversity and the growing influence of the Hispanic market.
“Latinos are finally starting to exercise their scale,” said Uva. “Whether that’s through civic engagement – they certainly had a voice in electing President Obama – or whether it’s taking a more active role in education and local community issues.”
Joe Uva will speak Thursday, May 14 at Consumer 360. “It’s a great opportunity for us to talk about just how important a …

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
FOX
WEDNESDAY
2,631,000

2
AMER IDL THU RSLT SP-3/26
FOX
THURSDAY
2,284,000

3
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
MONDAY
2,148,000

4
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
MONDAY
2,038,000

5
60 MINUTES
CBS
SUNDAY
1,905,000

6
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
TUESDAY
1,863,000

7
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
TUESDAY
1,769,000

8
CBS NCAA BSKBL CHMP FR 2
CBS
FRIDAY
1,712,000

9
NCIS
CBS
TUESDAY
1,712,000

10
CBS NCAA BSKBL CHMP TH 2
CBS
THURSDAY
1,684,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (March 23, 2009 – March 29, 2009)

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
S KIDS CHOICE 09
NICK
SATURDAY
7,675,000

2
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
NICK
SATURDAY
6,439,000

3
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)
USA
MONDAY
5,466,000

4
SPONGEBOB
NICK
SUNDAY
4,984,000

5
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
NICK
SUNDAY
4,862,000

6
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)
USA
MONDAY
4,847,000

7
JON & KATE PLUS 8(S)-03/23/2009
TLC
MONDAY
4,603,000

8
SECRET LIFE/AMERICAN TEEN
FAM
MONDAY
4,493,000

9
SPONGEBOB
NICK
SATURDAY
4,482,000

10
SPONGEBOB
NICK
SATURDAY
4,382,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (March 23, 2009 – March 29, 2009)