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 …

CBS’s “Numb3rs” claimed the top slot in Nielsen’s ranking of the top primetime telecasts
broadcast TV for July 24, 2009. The show drew approximately 5.3 million average viewers Friday evening.
FOX’s “Smarter Than 5th Grader” & NBC’s “Dateline” rounded out the top three with approximately 4.8 million average viewers.

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 …

Singaporeans have always been fond of saving their money. But the global financial meltdown has only added to the attractiveness of savings accounts, according to a new survey from The Nielsen Company.  Close to six in ten (57%) Singaporeans said that they are now saving spare cash at the expense of their investments and insurance, marking a slight increase from pre-crisis levels. 
But the biggest change has come from high-income households.  Prior to the crisis, about 40 percent said that they saved most of their money; now, 52 percent indicate that …

RANK
NAME
BET
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT-TUE
NBC
TUESDAY
13,748,000

2
AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 9P
NBC
WEDNESDAY
11,256,000

3
NCIS
CBS
TUESDAY
9,721,000

4
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
THURSDAY
9,611,000

5
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
MONDAY
9,312,000

6
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
MONDAY
8,795,000

7
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
MONDAY
8,521,000

8
SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-THU
FOX
THURSDAY
8,417,000

9
AMERICA GOT TALENT-TUE 8P
NBC
TUESDAY
8,268,000

10
BACHELORETTE, THE
ABC
MONDAY
8,038,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (July 20, 2009 – July 26, 2009)

RANK
NAME
BET
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
COPA ORO 2009 24 UNI-07/23/2009
UNI
THURSDAY
5,086,000

2
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE WED-07/22/2009
UNI
WEDNESDAY
4,510,000

3
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE TUE-07/21/2009
UNI
TUESDAY
4,276,000

4
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE MON-07/20/2009
UNI
MONDAY
4,266,000

5
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE FRI-07/24/2009
UNI
FRIDAY
3,910,000

6
MANANA PARA SIEMPRE THU-07/23/2009
UNI
THURSDAY
3,815,000

7
EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR TUE-07/21/2009
UNI
TUESDAY
3,295,000

8
AQUI Y AHORA TUE-07/21/2009
UNI
TUESDAY
3,284,000

9
EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR THU-07/23/2009
UNI
THURSDAY
3,246,000

10
CRISTINA MON-07/20/2009
UNI
MONDAY
3,193,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (July 20, 2009 – July 26, 2009)

RANK
NAME
BET
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
BURN NOTICE
USA
THURSDAY
6,803,000

2
CLOSER, THE
TNT
MONDAY
6,601,000

3
NASCAR SPRINT CUP L
ESPN
SUNDAY
6,487,000

4
ROYAL PAINS
USA
THURSDAY
6,205,000

5
WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)
USA
MONDAY
5,275,000

6
WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE
DSNY
FRIDAY
5,047,000

7
WWE ENTERTAINMENT
USA
MONDAY
5,036,000

8
NCIS
USA
MONDAY
4,871,000

9
NATIONWIDE POST RACE L
ESPN
SUNDAY
4,869,000

10
HANNAH MONTANA
DSNY
SUNDAY
4,797,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (July 20, 2009 – July 26, 2009)

RANK
NAME
BET
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT-TUE
NBC
TUESDAY
1,500,000

2
LAW AND ORDER:SVU
NBC
TUESDAY
1,099,000

3
CSI: MIAMI
CBS
MONDAY
1,071,000

4
AMERICA GOT TALENT-TUE 8P
NBC
TUESDAY
1,016,000

5
CSI: NY
CBS
WEDNESDAY
981,000

6
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
THURSDAY
950,000

7
SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-WED
FOX
WEDNESDAY
946,000

8
SO YOU THINK CN DANCE-THU
FOX
THURSDAY
900,000

9
NCIS
CBS
TUESDAY
832,000

10
BIG BANG THEORY, THE
CBS
MONDAY
719,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (July 20, 2009 – July 26, 2009)

Mark Laceky, Vice President, Price & Promotion Practice, North America, The Nielsen Company
The economic downturn continues to put stress on consumers, resulting in accelerating changes in basic purchasing patterns. An important part of the overall equation for consumers is the relationship between price and value. As consumers develop new value systems, how should manufacturers and retailers view and manage the other side of the equation-price?
If your business models and pricing strategies pre-date recent changes in the economy and consumer behavior, you could be headed for trouble. Perhaps now more than …