Seven in 10 consumers agree that advertising contributes to economic growth, while eight in 10 agree that advertising helps create jobs, according to a new survey of 25,420 consumers in 50 countries conducted by The Nielsen Company for the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) in March-April 2009.
Additionally, 68% feel that, as a critical driver of competition between companies, advertising leads to better products and lower prices. Consumers’ views on the economic benefits of advertising are broadly consistent across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
The survey also shows …

Alex Burmaster, European Internet Analyst
Our global trust in advertising survey illustrated that the online ad industry has a lot of work to do when it comes to reaching the levels of trust consumers already have in traditional media ads.Aside from brand Web sites (trusted by 70 percent of online consumers globally) e-mails, sponsored search links, video ads, banner ads and mobile text ads are at the bottom of the trust league. Of course, traditional media advertising forms have been around much longer and, consequently, consumers have had more time to …

For the first time in eight months, Russian consumers’ confidence has stabilized after posting significant declines, according to Nielsen’s ongoing “Russians through Crisis” study.  In the second half of 2008, consumer confidence stood at 104, dropping to 88 in November 2008 and hitting a low of 75 in March 2009.  In May, confidence recorded an uptick to 82.
As with consumers around the world, job security and personal finances are the key concerns for Russians today.  Almost three-quarters of those surveyed characterized the security of their jobs as “not so good” …

Recently, at Nielsen’s Consumer 360 Conference, The Nielsen Company featured a unique exhibit, Consumed: The Economy Hits Home, which looks at how today’s uncertain economy is shaping consumer attitudes and behaviors and how marketers can navigate this new landscape to uncover growth opportunities. Mark Leiter, President, Professional Services, provides a guided video tour.

Read the corresponding presentation: Consumer or Consumed.
More video and presentations available at Consumer360.com.

For 25 years, Nielsen has organized what has become one of the most important business events in Italy.  The focus of L’Incontro Nielsen 2009, which was held late last month in Sardinia, was the economic crisis and possible solutions for recovery.
Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and an advisor to several heads of state, opened the event by outlining his views of the crises facing the world today: economic, energy and climate. The solution, Rifkin believes, is a third industrial revolution propelled by a hydrogen economy. …

First signs of how consumers will behave post recession.
Restraint will be the new mantra among consumers, according to the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Survey. But, that doesn’t mean they won’t start spending again in the near future.
Respondents to the poll conducted in April, across 50 countries making up 86 percent of the GDP, said they would continue to focus on fiscal responsibility. Yet, “they will allow themselves some of those little indulgences,” said James Russo, vice president, Global Consumer Insights. “Perhaps pent up demand will play itself out and they’ll …

As the global economy appears to be bottoming out – at least in some parts of the world – questions still remain as to why so many people worldwide were blindsided by the severity of the crisis. Part of blame, it seems, may rest with the media.
According to a recent 52-nation online survey conducted by The Nielsen Company, the general consensus among consumers across much of the world is that the media did a poor job informing the public about the issues leading up to the current financial crisis.
In every …

he financial crisis around the world has led to a sharp drop in consumer confidence and dramatic changes in consumer attitudes and behavior. But the Chinese are holding up remarkably well. How is their reaction to world events impacting confidence in their economy?

In the current volatile economic environment, consumers are shifting their money from higher-risk investment accounts into more conservative savings and non-interest checking accounts, according to the quarterly Market Audit from Nielsen Claritas. Based on findings in the 4th quarter of 2008, the Market Audit, a comprehensive assessment of the financial products being used, the opportunity exists for financial institutions to attract new customers and retain existing ones by offering low-risk accounts such as fixed interest savings accounts, variable interest money market accounts and CDs, together with non-interest checking accounts. Although …

Despite recent optimism about a turnaround in the global economy, consumer activity in the United States and China showed significant declines during the month of March. The change was led by a continued decrease in shopping trips and consumer transactions, according to the Nielsen Economic Current scorecard. The U.S. decline may be partially attributed to the Easter holiday occurring in March last year, while it took place in April this year. Similarly, the drop in China may have been affected by the Chinese New Year (a high sales peak), which …