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 …

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 …

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 …

Warmer weather seems to have thawed the wallets of British consumers, as sales at grocery chains increased 6.6 percent in the four weeks ending July 11th, the best underlying growth in more than 24 months, according to new research from The Nielsen Company.  The strong results were driven by sales in fresh foods, soft drinks and general merchandise, the latter showing growth in the high single digits.  Unit growth also rose by 2 percent across the sector. 
“Shoppers continue to respond to offers, with another all-time high for promotional spend at …

Todd Hale, Senior Vice President – Consumer & Shopper Insights
A fellow Nielsen associate recently sent me an article she had received from a client about how private label was receiving high acceptance among even affluent American households.  While I am a huge fan of the attitudinal insights from consumer survey data, I am also a huge fan of the behavioral insights from consumer panel data.  The best of both worlds is when we get to integrate both data types in our analytical work in the consumer packaged goods industry.  But …

The U.K. is the European country most affected by the Swine Flu virus. Media coverage in the U.K. has been extensive and subsequent consumer reaction is benefiting sales of related products. Notably, sales of digital thermometers have grown by 57% year on year as people are encouraged to stay at home and “self diagnose” to avoid the spread of the virus. As the Guardian recently reported, many shops have sold out of items such as thermometers. Basic hygiene is being promoted by the government and businesses as one …

The topic of harmonizing data across global markets is not one that consumers think about.  But to consumer product manufacturers, marketers and economists, it is an issue fraught with challenges, as variations in barcodes, brand names, packaging and sizes make it extremely difficult to obtain reliable comparisons from country to country.  Take the simple product chocolate sprinkles:

 
In the U.S. and Belgium, they are used as toppings for cakes or ice cream.  In the Netherlands, however, they are used as a sandwich spread.  Likewise, compote is a dessert in southern Europe …

The latest from Nielsen’s Video Game Tracking service, shows Activision’s highly-anticipated first-person shooter Modern Warfare 2 benefits substantially from association with its multi-platinum parent franchise Call of Duty. While the title of the game was simply Modern Warfare 2 through early July, Activision recently decided to ensure gamers recognized the November-bound title as a true sequel to 2007’s hit Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare by including the Call of Duty prefix in the game title.
By comparing consumer response from Video Game Tracking before and after the name change, …