ACNielsen Forms New Global Consumer Panel Business

ACNielsen has announced the launch of a new Global Consumer Panel Services (CPS) unit to enhance its growing international panel capabilities. Robert Tomei, formerly the General Manager of the US Homescan panel, has been appointed as President of the unit.

Tomei, who will head up CPS, joined ACNielsen in 1994 as Vice President of Homescan Marketing. In 1999, he was promoted to lead the company's US marketing and, in 2001, became Chief Marketing Officer for ACNielsen Global. In 2003, he was appointed General Manager of the US Homescan business.

'CPS is a critically important business for us and the key to many of our future growth initiatives,' said Steven M. Schmidt, president and CEO of ACNielsen. He hopes the Tomei's appointment will help 'create a new generation of advanced services and deliver the high-value consumer insights our clients need to run their businesses'. Tomei himself believes the new unit will 'provide the global focus that will allow us to develop an overall consumer panel strategy and drive product and service innovation'.

The US Homescan consumer panel, which measures household buying habits via in-home scanners, is set to double from 61,000 to 125,000 households by the end of this year. This expansion will enable the launch of various speciality panels, as well as new services to measure buying motivations, and improved coverage of fast-growing retail areas such as dollar stores and warehouse club stores.

ACNielsen's use of panels in Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America is also on the increase. The European Homescan panel is expanding from 45,000 to 70,000 households in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Also in Europe, the company is launching an I-Scan Impulse panel, made up of individuals rather than households. Panel members use a pocket-sized scanner to record purchases outside the home.

The company is also lending its Homescan expertise to 'Project Apollo', a joint initiative of VNU and Arbitron that aims to provide a better understanding of the link between exposure to advertising and shopping behaviour.

More detail on the company's consumer panels can be found at www2.acnielsen.com/products/cps.shtml

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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