ACNielsen

History
ACNielsen is a global marketing research firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City. Regional headquarters for North America are located in Schaumburg. As of May 2010, it is part of The Nielsen Company. This company was founded in 1923 in Chicago, Illinois, by Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr., in order to give marketers reliable and objective information on the impact of marketing and sales programs. ACNielsen began expanding internationally in 1939, and now operates in more than 100 countries. Arthur C. Nielsen founded the AC Nielsen Company in 1923 with the idea of selling engineering performance surveys. It was the first company to offer market research. The company expanded its business in 1932 by creating a retail index that tracked the flow of food and drug purchases.

Key people
David L. Calhoun, CEO Susan D. Whiting, EVP Mitchell J. Habib, EVP

Products
Marketing Research Advertising research Revenue $4.8 billion (2009)

Employees 36,000 (2008) Website www.nielsen.com

David L. Calhoun is The Nielsen Companys Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer. Calhoun came to Nielsen in 2006 from General Electric. Susan D. Whiting is the Executive Vice President of The Nielsen Company and Chairman of Nielsen Media Research. Whiting has been with Nielsen since 1978 and was named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in New York City business by Crain's New York Business in 2007. The Nielsen Company's major businesses include:
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Nielsen Consumer: provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behavior

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Nielsen Consumer Panel Services (Homescan & Spectra) o Homescan: multi-outlet panel that captures consumer purchase behavior, demographic profiles, attitudes & usage information and evaluations of the impact of media on actual behavior o Spectra: suite of applications that provide segmentation and targeting analysis BASES: combines primary consumer research with forecasting techniques to estimate the sales potential of new product initiatives prior to market entry. Nielsen Claritas: provides companies with marketing research demographic data, marketing software and market segmentation services IMS: media planning and analysis software for industry and proprietary research Nielsen Business Media: includes trade publications, trade shows, digital products and services, serving markets across the entertainment, media and marketing, retail, travel and performance, and design industries Nielsen Entertainment: provides market information, creative testing, marketing solutions and analytical tools through business units focused on film, music, home entertainment, books, and interactive entertainment o Nielsen BookScan o Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems o Nielsen EDI o Nielsen Music Control o Nielsen SoundScan o Nielsen VideoScan Nielsen IAG: collects engagement metrics - advertisements, product placement, and program sponsorship occurring across all broadcast and major cable networks during primetime Nielsen Media Research: measures the size of audiences for television, radio and print, as well as advertising spending and creative content information and services Nielsen Mobile: provides syndicated consumer research to the telecom and mobile media markets Nielsen Online: measurement and analysis of online audiences, advertising, video, blogs, consumer-generated media, word of mouth, commerce and consumer behavior PERQ/HCI: reports on advertising expenditures and content in healthcare journals in the U.S. Scarborough Research: measures the shopping patterns, lifestyles and media habits of U.S. consumers SRDS: provider of media rates and data