Roger Entner, Senior Vice President, Research and Insights, Telecom Practice
Over the past few months, the government’s interest in the practice of handset exclusivity has intensified. On the heels of Congressional hearings in July, Verizon Wireless agreed to dial back its exclusive deals with cell phone manufacturers to accommodate smaller carriers. This week the FCC, which has already begun a review of handset agreements, has made the issue a focus of its regular monthly meeting. But no matter what the setting or circumstances, whenever U.S. lawmakers and regulators discuss competition in …
Maggie Gray, Research Analyst, Online Division
When Sen. Edward Kennedy died late on Tuesday Aug. 25, a year after his 2008 appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, news coverage and online discussion began in earnest as soon as the Kennedy family made the announcement.
By the end of Wednesday (Aug. 26) Kennedy attracted nearly 1% of all blog buzz, according to Nielsen’s BlogPulse search engine, and by Thursday morning (Aug. 27), he was the most-discussed person in the blogosphere. His New York Times obituary was also the most-cited news …
Discussions on health care, changes in the economy and reductions in employer insurance coverage are affecting how Americans are learning about and purchasing insurance products. Consumers view the three categories of Health, Property and Casualty, and Life Insurance differently and they use different sources to get information and make purchases. The latest Nielsen Insurance Audit from Nielsen Claritas (released every two years) identifies some of the emerging insurance trends (such as a decline in life and health insurance) and purchasing behaviors with American consumers. The study collected responses from more …
[read more]Top Ten Most-Recalled In-Program Placements: Summer Series
RANK
Brand
In-Program Placement Description
Program Airing Info
Recall Index
1
Coinstar
Contestants use a coin counting machine in a challenge
Big Brother 11 (CBS, Jul 21)
228
2
Kodak
Host and winner mention that they are in the Kodak Theatre
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, Aug 6)
201
3
AT&T
Sponsor of phone and text voting for contestants
America’s Got Talent (NBC, Aug 11)
177
4
Orville Redenbacher’s
Sponsor of “Orville Lounge” showing backstage footage of contestants
America’s Got Talent (NBC, Aug 5)
176
5
Orville Redenbacher’s
Sponsor of “Orville Lounge” showing backstage footage of contestants
America’s Got Talent (NBC, Aug 12)
173
6
Ginsu
Show producer …
Consumers around the world have cut back on a range of discretionary purchases to conserve cash. One area where some Canadians have reduced spending is non-prescription medications, with a quarter of those surveyed changing their buying habits in this category, according to a recent report from The Nielsen Company. Steps Canadians are taking include using over-the-counter (OTC) meds less frequently (26%), using less than the recommended dosage (13%), buying smaller quantities (10%) or cutting them out altogether (4%).
As a whole, Canadians are more likely to wait out minor illnesses and …
In their heads, American teens know that leading a healthy lifestyle is important, but does that awareness always translate to a healthy body? According to a study from Scarborough Research, 92 percent percent of teens aged 13-17 say that health and a healthy lifestyle are important and when asked to give themselves a “health report card,” 76 percent of teens gave a grade of B- or higher.
“While this self-awareness of how they rate their healthy living seems to contradict statistics on
child and teen obesity published by the CDC and other …
Web sites related to mobile phones – both handsets and services – showed the highest traffic growth in the UK, according to new research from The Nielsen Company. Overall, the sector posted 58 percent growth on a year-to-year basis. Visits to Nokia’s site grew by 203 percent, while Vodafone and O2 also posted solid growth (91% and 79%, respectively). At the same time, schemes that enable consumers to recycle their old mobiles for cash drove more people to related web sites for information.
Perhaps as a sign of the times, the …
For decades, consumer product manufacturers have used research such as focus groups to test new products and marketing campaigns to help ensure that they resonate. And much of the time, those traditional techniques have been effective. But the Internet has added a new twist to consumer research, one that makes it easier for people to voice their opinions to the world. More and more, consumer goods firms are finding that listening to what customers are saying on message boards and dedicated web sites can yield even more insight to what …
[read more]F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote “there are no second acts in American lives,” but this past week quarterbacks Michael Vick and Brett Favre embarked on their second and third acts, respectively, and in doing so turned the sports world upside down.
Last Thursday, when the Eagles announced the signing of Michael Vick during a preseason game, it set off a media storm locally and nationally. The game itself was seen by 647,000 viewers in Philadelphia, a 63% increase over the Eagles’ first pre-season game in 2008. Recent online buzz was also high. According …
Julie Enzweiler, Automotive Research Director, Online Division
Despite the negative online buzz that the Obama administration’s “Cash for Clunkers” program received pre- and post-launch of the program, it appears to have been incentive enough to spur many consumers back into their local dealerships and to the Web to discuss and to research both the rebate and the automotive manufacturers themselves. In the two weeks following the launch, overall buzz for the government program increased 123 percent. However, in the last few weeks we have seen buzz levels begin to decline.
[read more]
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