Following the positive trends exhibited in the first quarter of 2010, Europe’s second quarter was a disappointment according to the latest Nielsen European Growth Reporter.

While global consumer confidence continues the slow but steady climb upward from the lows experienced in the first quarter of 2009, consumer spending is following a similar trajectory.

Global consumer confidence edged up slightly as rising Asian markets were offset by Europe’s growing concerns of an escalating debt crisis according to the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index.

From January 2009 to January 2010, more U.S. counties saw gains in household income and home values compared to the year before.

Australia’s advertising sector appears to have avoided the worst of the ongoing shockwaves of the global financial crisis, although the impact on ad spending was significantly more severe across main media in the second half of the financial year…

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 …

At a time when financial institutions are pulling back on their advertising, a new study from Nielsen IAG shows that consumer confidence in the long-term health of these companies is dramatically influenced by advertising and marketing efforts.
When asked about their own banks, insurance companies and investment firms, 55% of respondents who said they had seen more advertising for their financial institution reported having “complete confidence” in the financial health and soundness of their financial company and only 18% said they had “little or no confidence” in their company. However, among those …

According to Nielsen, discretionary shopping trips continued to decline dramatically in November, as consumers shifted purchases online and to value-oriented retailers.
Overall in November, trips to retailers declined by 2.9% from the previous year.
Retail Channel Trends
Toy stores, electronics stores, and department stores saw the most dramatic declines in the number of shopping trips last month vs. a year ago.  Trips to toy stores dropped by 23%, trips to electronics stores were down by 21%, and trips to department stores fell by 17%, Nielsen reported.
Retail channels offering low prices and strong value …

New technologies have revolutionized the way brands are marketed — today’s consumers have more information on brands, and companies, in turn, have more information about their consumers. 
But according to brand guru Kevin Lane Keller (photo at left), E. B. Osborn Professor of Marketing at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, one key marketing strategy remains unchanged. 
“The most important message for marketers these days is to make sure they have a deep, rich understanding of consumers and how they think and feel about brands and their products and services,” Keller …

Given the current, sluggish economic climate, retailers will have to look hard to find growth opportunities in the U.S.
According to Nielsen Claritas, they might start by taking a closer look at large, fast-growing metro areas, like Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix. 
These three markets ranked as the top three fastest growing U.S. markets in the last eight years — and could offer the retail industry some hard-to-come-by expansion opportunities, Nielsen reported in a new study released Monday.
“While some of these markets like Phoenix and Los Angeles have been hard hit by the recent wave …