Agency

The Nielsen Company reported that advertising spending for the first three quarters of 2007 decreased –0.1% over the same period last year, with Internet continuing to demonstrate the strongest performance (plus 15.9%) of any category.

According to preliminary figures from Nielsen Monitor-Plus, the leading provider of competitive advertising information, in addition to Internet advertising, other categories that showed an increase during the first three quarters of this year were: National Magazines (7.7%), National Sunday Supplements (6.0%), Outdoor (5.7%) and National Cable TV (1.2%).

Get ready with those multi-channel campaigns.

The Web surfing habits of boomers and over-60s are more firmly rooted in traditional media than those of their younger counterparts, according to a Deloitte & Touche study conducted by the Harris Group.

In January 2008, U.S. Census Bureau field representatives will collect information about how much Americans spend for groceries, clothing, transportation, housing, health care and other items from a sample of households across the country.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today concluded its quadrennial review of the broadcast ownership rules. The Commission amended the 32-year-old absolute ban on newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership by crafting an approach that would presumptively allow a newspaper to own one television station or one radio station in the 20 largest markets, subject to strict criteria and limitations.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today adopted a Report and Order (Order) which will expand opportunities for participation in the broadcasting industry by new entrants and small businesses, including minority- and women-owned businesses, to own broadcast outlets.

The new rules will help eligible entities with access to financing and availability of spectrum.

Viral efforts need to include the real world.

Most people use word of mouth, either giving or receiving advice about brands. But influencers, who have sway over others and often engage with multiple audiences, are especially attractive to marketers who want to spread brand news quickly.

The Nielsen Company released a year-end look at the most popular trends among Americans during 2007.

Yahoo! Telemundo today announced the Top Trends in Search, as told through the millions of Yahoo! Telemundo searchers. Yahoo! Telemundo’s Top Trends in Search reveals a portrait of a politically-charged culture with celebrity and diet obsessions, a fascination for tech gadgets and a passion for soccer and baseball.

Hong Kong- Rising oil prices, the spread of the sub-prime credit issue in international markets, and the slow down in the US economy are all taking their toll on the confidence of the world’s consumers. According to the latest Global Consumer Confidence Study conducted by The Nielsen Company, more than a quarter of global consumers expect a global recession in 2008, resulting in a dip in confidence in 21 of the 48 markets Nielsen surveyed.

In the 1980’s, branding guru Alan Siegel, Chairman of Siegel & Gale, introduced the concept of “Corporate Voice” to create communications programs that unified a company’s diverse exposures and built a distinctive, focused, coherent identity that would rise against all background noise.

Verse Group releases a groundbreaking paper challenging “positioning” as the cornerstone of marketing. New research provides convincing evidence that brand stories are more effective.