Like many industrialized nations, the face of the United States is changing.  An aging population, a declining birth rate combined with growing ethnic diversity will pose new challenges for the economy.  Along with these demographic changes will come shifts in consumer spending, and consumer goods marketers will have to adjust tactics, focus and products if they hope to capitalize on what will be the new reality. 
So what will be different in terms of consumer spending in just 11 years?  A weakened Social Security system and underfunded private pension plans will …

Although Australia’s economy may have technically avoided entering a recession, almost two-thirds of Aussies believe that it has, and consumer confidence has plummeted to an all-time low.  Concerns about job security and personal finances have led Australians to change the way they shop, with a focus on value.  Like consumers in Europe and North America, Australians are trying to stretch their dollars further: they are eating out less, entertaining and cooking at home more often and buying more private label goods. 
These changes present a range of challenges for retailers and …

Nielsen Chairman and CEO David Calhoun addressed the 53rd CIES World Food Business Summit in June, providing retailers and manufacturers with a comprehensive view of dramatic shifts in the consumer economy amid the global financial crisis.   
Watch the presentation [29 minutes]
 The freefall of the economy may be coming to an end, but new rules are in play:

There has been a fundamental shift in consumer spending patterns, as restraint has become the new mantra. Over the next 18 months to two years, consumers will make critical decisions about discretionary spending, saving, or paying down debt, …

Is the President Seeking to Connect with Mainstream America by Choosing Bud Light?
The White House announced that the President will be drinking Bud Light at tonight’s much-publicized “Beer Summit.” Consumer and media research firm Scarborough Research shows that Bud Light is also the beer choice for politically mainstream Americans. Bud Light drinkers (ages 21+) have no distinct political profile. They are just as likely as all drinking-age Americans to consider themselves Democrat, Republican, or Independent, and are average for voting in presidential, statewide and local elections. Bud Light drinkers are …

David Martin, Vice President, Primary Research / Sue MacDonald, Research Manager
You’ve probably heard of the Morgan Stanley report that declares “teenagers do not use Twitter,” based on a sample size of one 15 year-old intern named Matthew Robson. Morgan Stanley rightfully disclosed that they do not claim that his study is representational or merits statistical accuracy, so we thought we could provide both with our NetRatings panel of 250,000 U.S. Internet users.
Twitter’s footprint has expanded impressively in the first half of 2009, reaching 10.7 percent of all active Internet users …

The Nielsen Company reported today that 98.9 percent of U.S. homes are able to receive digital television signals, a gain of 229,000 homes in the last two weeks and 1.3 million homes since the week of the June 12 DTV transition.  As of July 26, only 1.2 million homes were unable to receive digital signals.
% Of Homes Completely Unready For DTV

Date
Total
White
African American
Hispanic
Asian
Under 35
Over 55

July 26, 2009
1.1
0.8
2.2
1.6
1.3
2.7
0.4

July 12, 2009
1.3
1.0
2.6
2.2
1.9
3.2
0.5

June 28, 2009
1.5
1.1
3.5
2.3
2.5
3.5
0.6

June 21, 2009
1.8
1.3
4.0
2.8
2.9
4.0
0.8

June 14, 2009
2.2
1.6
4.6
3.6
3.2
4.4
1.1

June 7, 2009
2.5
1.9
5.1
4.3
3.1
4.6
1.3

May 24, 2009
2.7
2.1
5.4
4.7
3.2
5.0
1.5

May 10, 2009
2.9
2.3
5.7
4.9
3.4
5.4
1.6

April 26, 2009
3.1
2.4
5.9
5.0
4.1
5.7
1.7

April 12, 2009
3.2
2.5
5.9
5.4
4.3
5.9
1.7

March 29, 2009
3.4
2.7
6.2
5.6
4.4
6.3
1.8

March …

When newlyweds Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz asked their wedding party to turn their wedding into a party the result was the latest YouTube hit “JK Wedding Entrance,” which featured the entire cast dancing down the aisle to Chris Brown’s “Forever.” Just five days after it was posted, the video was the most-cited clip according to Nielsen’s BlogPulse, and has recently passed the 10 million views mark after the “Today” show flew the crew to New York to recreate the entire event outside Rockefeller Center.
While it’s great news and great …

Update: Watch James Russo discuss back to school sales on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” [ video - requires Windows Media Player]
The middle of summer marks the beginning of the Back to School (BTS) season, as parents and kids across the country start to prepare to return to class rooms in late August and early September.  The excitement of school starting isn’t just felt by the kids – retailers also look forward to the season, as it’s an incredibly important time for the $2.5 billion office/school supplies category.  Additionally, with the economy mired in a …

Consumers’ hopes for an end to the Global Economic Crisis have been bolstered in the 2nd Quarter 2009, according to a Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Survey released today. The Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index, conducted in 28 markets in June 2009, rose to 82 – an increase of 5 points (from 77) from March 2009 – spurred by renewed consumer optimism and stock market gains in BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and key Asian countries. [See full graphic for complete details]

“In the previous Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence survey conducted …

Recent discussions of a new U.S. health care plan have focused as much on wealth as they have on health.  To help pay for expanded coverage to the estimated 40-50 million uninsured Americans, proposals in the House of Representatives have centered on a “wealth surcharge” for high income households. The surcharges include one focused on those with combined incomes over $350,000 annually, and another on those with incomes over $1,000,000.
Looking at 210 Designated Market Areas (DMAs) across the U.S., Nielsen Claritas demographic data shows that just over 800,000 households (roughly …