VNU To Develop In-Store Measurement Service

VNU's NIELSEN IN-STORE unit and the IN-STORE MARKETING INSTITUTE today (12/6) announced a partnership to launch a global measurement service that will measure consumer exposure to in-store marketing vehicles, including television and radio, shelf talkers, digital signage, and other point-of-purchase displays.

The new service will build on a development effort called PRISM (Pioneering Research for an In-Store Metric) conducted in early 2006 by a consortium of retailers and manufacturers led by the IN-STORE MARKETING INSTITUTE. Members of the consortium include 3M, COCA-COLA, KELLOGG’S, MILLER BREWING, PROCTER & GAMBLE and THE WALT DISNEY CO., with support from retailers including ALBERTSONS, KROGER, WALGREENS and WAL-MART.

We will provide the advertising, media and retail industries with a new currency standard that can increase the efficiency of the media buying and selling process.

"In-store marketing provides manufacturers and retailers with a unique opportunity to reach a large and responsive consumer audience," said VNU Chairman/CEO DAVID CALHOUN. "Until now, however, no one has been able to measure the impact of in-store marketing clearly and accurately. NIELSEN IN-STORE, working as part of our new NIELSENCONNECT unit, will connect resources and capabilities from across VNU to 'follow the consumer' in this critical arena. Working with the institute, we will deliver an innovative service that will allow our clients to quantify the impact of in-store marketing and assess its value in comparison with other media and marketing options."

GEORGE WISHART, who has been named Global Managing Dir. of NIELSEN IN-STORE, said, "The new information we provide for retailers and manufacturers will help them work more effectively to improve the shopping experience for consumers. We also will provide the advertising, media and retail industries with a new currency standard that can increase the efficiency of the media buying and selling process."

The lead-market phase of the new service will be launched in the U.S. early in 2007 and is designed to fine-tune the new metric before it is made widely available to the industry later in the year. The service will be extended globally in the future.

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