As the two major presidential candidates, John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL), battle state-by-state for votes, the Internet has become an increasingly critical outreach method, according to a recent report from Nielsen Online. “Campaigns are no longer dabbling online,” says Jon Gibs, vice president, media analytics, Nielsen Online. “We expect a candidate’s Web presence to be an integral part of both campaigns.”
Both campaigns are spending money on image-based ads and sponsored links in order to reach active web users over 18. Nielsen Online reports that 89% of active web …

On Tuesday, The Nielsen Company released the first U.S. figures showing video and TV usage across the “three screens”: television, the Internet, and mobile devices.
Nielsen’s findings show that TV users are watching more TV than ever before (127 hrs, 15 min per month), while spending 9% more time using the Internet (26 hrs, 26 min per month) than last year.
A small but growing number of Internet and mobile phone users are also watching video online (2 hrs, 19 min per month) and on their cell phones (3 hrs, 15 min …

Broadband users are flocking online to network TV websites, Broadcasting and Cable and The Hollywood Reporter reported Monday.
The stories cited a joint study conducted by Nielsen and the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), which found that 35% of adults surveyed have watched at least one television program via the Internet.  Of those, 87% have watched television programs directly from a TV network website, while 82% have gone online to catch up on an episode they missed on TV.
But don’t expect online streaming video to replace viewing via traditional TV …

On Monday, Nielsen Mobile released first quarter 2008 smartphone statistics for the U.S.  Among the findings:
 
Smartphone users are predominantly male (59%) and most are between the ages of 25 and 34 (29%) or 35 and 44 (24.5%). 
A third of smartphone users (35.1%) have an annual household income of more than $100,000. 
More than half (52%) keep their phones for personal use, while another 23% say their company foots the bill.
View the Full Nielsen Media Alert: 6-30-08-smartphone-blast.

Despite the growing popularity of viewing television content online, most adults (94%) who subscribe to cable or satellite television services prefer to watch television on traditional TV sets, according to new research conducted by The Nielsen Company for the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM).
One-third of the adult broadband users (35%) surveyed for the Nielsen-CTAM study said they had watched at least one television program originally shown on TV via the Internet. Of those who sought out video content online, 87% watched television programs directly from a TV network …

BCS reports that American consumers are increasingly turning to social networks to share their woes over the continuing economic downturn, according to a recent Nielsen Online study.  The study mapped the trends of worries voiced by U.S. citizens while they are chatting online.
The study also showed that rising fuel costs and the increasing price of food has led some of the U.S. population to go online to share their saving tips with others.

Is attentive customer service the hottest new marketing strategy? 
In the first of a regular series of Ad Age columns, Nielsen Online Executive Vice President Pete Blackshaw examines how Apple uses in-store “concierges” to both greet and direct shoppers—thus blurring the line between marketing and service. 
“Whether explicitly acknowledged or not, there’s an unmistakable ‘service is marketing’ mantra pervading every aspect of the Apple Store,” Blackshaw writes.  “That’s something every brand, even those not as shiny as Apple’s, can learn from. The opportunity to solve problems, find solutions and even address ‘the …

NYTimes.com’s “Bits” blog, citing Nielsen Mobile data, reported that 3.6% of all mobile phone users in the U.S. – about 9.2 million people – have shopped online via their phones.
That number is expected to grow dramatically in the future, according to Nielsen Mobile’s study, which found that about half of all consumers who transmit data via their phones anticipate making a “mobile purchase” in the future.
But some consumers are steering clear of shopping online by phone — at least for the time being. More than 40% told Nielsen researchers they were wary …

This year’s presumptive presidential nominees seem hesitant to advertise over the Internet. According to Nielsen Online, the candidates have been active with search advertisements, with McCain getting 5.4 million hits in May, as opposed to Obama’s 1.8 million.
Mediaweek reports that digital ad executives say they are disappointed, puzzled, even a little impatient when it comes to the light spending to date. Meanwhile, those with firsthand knowledge of the campaigns say that in spite of the Web proving a fund-raising gold mine (particularly for Sen. Obama), senior officials continue to …

Are you consistently obsessed with the newest technological gadgets hitting store shelves? An online study, conducted by internet ad network firm Mindset Media in partnership with Nielsen Online, has found that early adopters of new technology often display personality traits such as strong leadership skills, dynamism and assertiveness….but some traits, such as modesty, appear to be lacking.  
“A lot of previous research points to wealthy young males as early adopters of technology,” said Sarah Welch, lead researcher at Mindset Media.  “But this study tells us that there are characteristics beyond age …