NEW YORK, Nov. 29, 2006 – Do marketers who advertise in the Super Bowl benefit from an "echo effect" of online buzz? If not, are they getting their full money's worth against nearly $2.5 million per 30-second advertisement?  What if the buzz is negative or hostile?

For the fourth year running, Nielsen BuzzMetrics, the global measurement standard in consumer-generated media, will answer these important questions for major brand marketers investing millions of media dollars on the world's largest advertising stage.  Findings will be available through syndicated and custom overnight reports.

Nielsen BuzzMetrics will audit brand buzz before, during and after the game, arming advertisers with comprehensive data and deep insight around commercial talk-value, stickiness, virality and even the popularity and appeal of the spokespersons and celebrities in the television advertising event.

"If 'engagement' is the name of the game, one major proxy of return-on-investment for Super Bowl advertisers is whether their ads genuinely engage consumers to talk about, post, comment, critique or even blog the ad," said Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing officer of Nielsen BuzzMetrics.  "We'll be looking critically at whether advertisers and their agencies sufficiently 'primed the pump' to nurture buzz about the ads before and after the game."

Free Super Bowl Webinar
Covering past Super Bowl results and anticipated trends for 2007, Nielsen BuzzMetrics will host a free Webinar on measuring and auditing conversation related to Super Bowl advertising, on Dec. 15, from 1-2 pm EST.   Sign-up here. 
 
Super Bowl Program Elements
Nielsen BuzzMetrics' Super Bowl buzz-monitoring program includes real-time analysis of messages and opinions expressed across nearly 40 million blogs, message boards, online communities and sports-enthusiast sites among other venues. Buzz will be analyzed by volume, emotion, favorability, specific issue and penetration among influential consumers. Key questions to be tackled:

• Volume: How much conversation did the advertising generate before and after the placement, and why?
• Comparisons: How did buzz compare among Super Bowl advertisers?
• Key Issues: What specific issues were played back in the buzz, and why?
  Use of Spokespersons: Did spokespeople help or hurt, and why?
• Key Audiences/Influencers: Who talked about the ad, and did they make an impact?
• Marketing Integration: How did other digital marketing tactics, such as the Web site or brand blog, contribute to buzz?

"Create-Your-Own-Ad" Initiatives
Nielsen BuzzMetrics will gauge consumer reaction to major initiatives by key advertisers, including General Motors, and the NFL, in which consumers and students have been invited to create Super Bowl ads.

"What makes this year especially unique and buzzworthy is that a handful of the ads are being created by consumers," said Blackshaw.  "We'll be glued to consumer reaction to these one-of-a-kind spots."
 
Super Bowl 2006 Analysis
In previous years, Nielsen BuzzMetrics found a host of factors contributed to the talk-value of the commercials, from choice of spokespeople to Web integration.  In 2006, one major advertiser bought more than $6 million in spots for a new product launch but didn't have a workable Web site for the product by kickoff, suppressing consumer conversation. In 2005, virtually all brands suffered from low post-game buzz because the network's last-minute decision to cancel a GoDaddy ad capture significant post-game buzz.
 
In 2004, Super Bowl ads that ran following the controversial Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake half-time show suffered from distracted attention and depressed buzz levels. In contrast, Reebok's Terry Tate commercial and online video in 2003 received an unprecedented level of ongoing buzz that continues to reward the Reebok brand to this day in search results.

Press Contact: Sandra Parrelli; Sandra.Parrelli@nielsen.com; 646-654-7772

Sales Inquiries: sales@buzzmetrics.com; 1.877.999.7335

About Nielsen Online:

Nielsen Online, a service of The Nielsen Company, delivers comprehensive, independent measurement and analysis of online audiences, advertising, video, consumer-generated media, word of mouth, commerce and consumer behavior, and includes products previously marketed under the Nielsen//NetRatings and Nielsen BuzzMetrics brands. With high quality, technology-driven products and services, Nielsen Online enables clients to make informed business decisions regarding their Internet, digital and marketing strategies. For more information, please visit www.nielsen-online.com.

About The Nielsen Company:

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), online intelligence (NetRatings and BuzzMetrics), trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.