Volume Control

"The business of media is about audience, at least as to advertising - advertisers pay to reach an audience. Thus whoever measures the audience controls everything. Nielsen has had a stranglehold on the broadcast market for decades, and I bet they're licking their chops over the blogosphere and New Media."

Scott Karp, Publishing 2.0 http://publishing2.com/2006/01/17/new-media-should-distrust-nielsen/

It Pays to Pay for Knowledge

“The takeaway here is that it’s very hard to build knowledge about the world of consumer-generated media if you’re not culturally built for it. It’s much easier and faster to buy this knowledge, rather than building it on your own. Consumer generated media simply moves too fast.”

Steve Rubel
Micro Persuasion, on Nielsen’s merger with Buzzmetrics and Intelliseek http://www.micropersuasion.com/

Pondering the Possibilities

“Imagine how much a company like MTV Networks would use the services BuzzMetrics would provide. They could track pass-along of MTV Overdrive clips or Ifilm Viral Video and tie that learning into ratings/share data of their on-the-air counterparts on both MTV and VH1? Imagine the learning that big media could now get from their number one research partner about bloggers, podcasters and vloggers (who might be making competing content or parody spots) discussing their networks? Brilliant!”

Seth David Miller
Mostly Muppet Dot Com http://www.mostlymuppet.com

In Tune With the Nielsens

“This shouldn’t come as any big surprise, but some initial data is indicating that iTunes has had a strong positive impact on ratings for NBC’s underdog The Office, as well as seeming to help ABC’s already successful Desperate Housewives and Lost. … As the benefits of online distribution become clearer, it will be interesting to see more networks rush to get their content on the internet.”

Mark Allen
Moustache http://www.studiomoustache.com/blog/

Custom-Built Solutions

“Personally, I think there is a simpler solution to all this — join the dots and use the Web as the conduit for consumer-driven innovation. Create 'hot panels’ of consumers for innovation projects, engage them through research, and build them what they want.”

Paul Marsden
Consumer Empowerment as a Business Strategy http://www.consumerempowerment.com/?p=71