Business-to-business marketers have borrowed a page from the consumer sector, using new segmentation models to optimize sales and tailor messaging by customer, product line and account representative.

Who is viewing your ad online? A basic question often left unanswered. Tracking impressions alone leaves out a critical element in gauging advertising effectiveness—audience delivery.

Recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising, according to the latest Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 Internet consumers from 50 countries.
Ninety percent or consumers surveyed noted that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70 percent trusted consumer opinions posted online.
“The explosion in Consumer Generated Media over the last couple of years means consumers’ reliance on word of mouth in the decision-making process, either from people they know or online consumers they don’t, has increased significantly,” …

San Francisco loves its green cars more than any other area in the U.S., according to new research from Nielsen. The new data from Nielsen Claritas’ PRIZM Market Potential Report finds that households in San Francisco are 60 percent more likely to buy a green vehicle than the average U.S. home, with Washington D.C. 44 percent more likely and New York City 31 percent more likely.
“These estimates help manufacturers and marketers better understand the markets that have ‘green’ potential, and help them focus their resources,” said Bruce Wilkinson, Vice …

Matt O’Grady, President, Nielsen Claritas
In a down economy, price sensitivity can trump loyalty as customers are forced to reduce their spending. Nationwide surveys have reported a decline in corporate allegiance as consumers shift their concerns from patronage to price. When the Nielsen Convergence Audit surveyed 38,000 Americans about their technology purchases, 24 percent said they had switched their cell phone, cable TV and Internet service providers in the last six months of 2008. To strengthen the bonds with their best customers and retain wallet share, a number of innovative companies …