Nielsen beefs up online audience information

Nielsen has stepped over the line and into the online space with research aimed to help marketers connect with online TV audiences by synergizing their TV and online ad campaigns.

The research giant's "Nielsen Online Audience Segments" steps beyond the traditional household measurement by using a representative sample of TV and online panelists to determine viewing by individuals across shows and channels. It also delvers specific TV viewing patterns and rules on how to identify an online audience via specific TV viewing patterns, a story on RBR.com/TVBR.com reported.

Clients--the earliest of which include Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Adap.TV, Specific Media, Undertone and Videology--can then model segments based on Nielsen data that includes program attributes such as show, network, genre and daypart; viewer attributes based on demographics such as income, ethnicity, presence of family, geography and browsing habits; and advertising attributes such as exposure to brands, brand parent, product category or volume of exposures.

Nielsen also reportedly offers its clients the ability to target online consumers based on lifestyle, demographics and consumer packaged goods habits, the story said.

"Being able to interact with consumers online who are, for example, heavy viewers of college sports or home design programming, or light television viewers who are difficult to reach through that medium, can prove invaluable to marketers as they are planning their advertising campaigns," said Jonathan Carson, general manager/digital for Nielsen in the RBR/TVBR story.

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