So what are the key differences between the male and female brain? There are some key structural differences, such as a larger hippocampus in women, as well as a heavier reliance on brain areas that contain mirror neurons, which enable a person to feel what they see another person is feeling.

The practical implications are clear: women have better memory for detailed information than do men, while men tend to have better spatial ability and the ability to build systems.  For marketers who want to appeal to women as effectively as possible, this means that they need to get product design, packaging, pricing, branding, messaging and more in sync with how the female subconscious mind receives and processes information, and directs behavior – greatly increasing the chances of marketplace success.

Pairing science-based market research innovation with conventional methods enables Nielsen and NeuroFocus to better understand the elements of successful consumer engagement – providing a powerful tool for generating greater returns on the great investment it takes to launch and sell new products.

Learn how neuroscience is being applied to create more effective marketing and advertising programs in the current issue of Consumer Insight.

The findings come from Nielsen’s Global Online Consumer Survey, conducted in 52 markets worldwide between September 22 and October 6, 2008.

Only 18% of respondents said they believe the recession will be over within a year.  Younger survey participants (ages 25 to 29) expressed the least amount of confidence, with just 6% saying the recession would be over within 12 months.  Older respondents (ages 65 and older) were also pessimistic about an immediate end to the recession — only 7% told Nielsen they believe the recession will be limited to one year.

More women than men (91% vs. 82%) feel the U.S. economy is in recession.  Men were also more optimistic than women about their personal finances — 39% of females described their finances over the next 12 months as “not so good,” compared with just 28% of males.  In addition, only 16% of women surveyed think their job prospects over the next 12 months will be good, compared to 26% of men.

Of those surveyed, 38% told Nielsen the ailing U.S. economy will be their biggest concern over the next six months.  Increasing fuel prices were the top concern for 10% of respondents, followed by debt (9%), increasing utility bills (7%), increasing food prices (5%), and job security (5%).

“By the end of the second quarter, most U.S. consumers had already come to the conclusion the country was in recession,” James Russo, vice president, Marketing, Nielsen, noted.  “As far as consumers are concerned, it doesn’t particularly matter that a growing number of economic indicators are pointing in that direction.  They were feeling pain in their wallets and bank accounts long before October’s tumultuous stock market activity.”

In order to cope with their economic woes, U.S. consumers told Nielsen they are trying to reduce their use of gas and electricity (67%), cutting back on out-of-home entertainment (56%), spending less on new clothes (55%), and using their cars less often (54%).  Just 4% report taking no action at all.

Those who do have extra money left after paying the bills told Nielsen they are hesitant to spend it.  After covering essential living expenses, 38% of U.S. consumers put any spare cash into savings, while 36% use it to pay off debts, credit cards, or loans.  Nearly a quarter of consumers (24%) report having no spare cash. 

View the full press release.

Read a related press release on consumer confidence in Hong Kong.

View results from Nielsen’s global survey of consumer confidence.

Learn more about the current state of the U.S. retail sector.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in Seeking Alpha, Adweek, and Convenience Store News.

Learn more about global consumer confidence levels in the December 2008 issue of Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” online newsletter.

In August, videos at JohnMcCain.com attracted more female than male viewers for the first time, Nielsen Online reported Wednesday.

Women accounted for 58% of all unique video viewers on John McCain’s website last month — up from July and June, when they made up 48% and 37% of unique video viewers on the site.

The increase in women video viewers at JohnMcCain.com came during the same month that McCain selected Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate.

Barack Obama’s website drew consistently large percentages of women video viewers during the summer months, according to Nielsen. In August, 63% of all unique video viewers on BarackObama.com were women.

Video streams at BarackObama.com increased 155% in August — up from 502,000 streams in July to 1.3 million last month. During the same time period, the number of unique video viewers on Obama’s site increased 173% — from 302,000 in July to 824,000 in August, the month of the Democratic National Convention.

Video viewing at JohnMcCain.com also showed modest increases in August, according to Nielsen. Video streams grew by 16% over the previous month — from one million streams in July to 1.2 million in August. Meanwhile unique video viewers on McCain’s site increased 5% — from 452,000 viewers in July to 475,000 in August.

Most overall online video metrics, including unique video viewers, total video streams, and streams per viewer, were either flat or down slightly from July to August, according to Nielsen. Time spent per person viewing online video increased nearly 8% from July to August.

View the full press release.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in Silicon Alley Insider.