“The early buzz data makes one thing clear — controversy drives conversation,” said Pete Blackshaw, executive vice president of digital strategy at The Nielsen Company.

Facebook and The Nielsen Company today announced that Nielsen BrandLift™, which uses the Facebook platform to measure the effectiveness of online brand advertising, is now available in the UK.

In the wake of Tuesday’s devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, much of what people around the world are learning is coming from social media sources, according to The Nielsen Company.

The overall advertising environment in 2009 was fairly gloomy with slashed budgets and revised strategies to address the new reality. However, that didn’t stop the industry from evolving, and the lessons learned will likely pay-off in the year ahead.

Nielsen’s Melissa Davies offers a summary of her experience at the recent FDA hearings which focused on how healthcare and pharmaceutical companies can responsibly engage consumers online and through social media.

On Friday, November 13, Nielsen’s Melissa Davies, Research Director, Healthcare, Online division, will present testimony at an FDA hearing surrounding the pharmaceutical industry and regulations surrounding social media.

While beleaguered shoppers will be looking for ways to make the season bright, retailers can do their part by bringing some much needed holiday cheer to the shopping experience.

Following Nielsen’s presence at ad:tech, Nielsen’s Pete Blackshaw discussed the power of social media as it relates to the future of advertising and marketing.

From digital dads to social media mavens, children redefine how parents and kids communicate using traditional and new media. Just ask the eight-year-olds using cell phones—and not for phone calls alone!

Social media has not only changed the way consumers communicate and gather on the Web, but also impacted content discovery and navigation.