AdTech 2011 - On The Apple iPad: Dave Gill Of Nielsen

One mention of the name "Nielsen," and you're bound to think about TV ratings, but as I learned at AdTech 2011, Nielsen's much more. Zennie62 talked on video with David Gill, the Vice President of Mobile Media for Nielsen.

As Gill says, it's no longer about ratings, but about multiple screens, "Nielsen historically has been known for the television ratings business and currency business. But we actually have two different parts of business, what people watch and what people buy. It's a big consumer part about looking at exposure to different parts of advertising across different kinds of platforms. And increasingly, I think advertisers want to know not just your typical brand lift metrics, but sales lift metrics - did it actually move the needle for people at retail."

On the iPad: Where Are We Today?

The Apple iPad was hyped as the tech that would change all media when it was first announced. But now that it's out, many media app producers suffer from dramatic declines in readership, even as sales for the iPad, and now the iPad 2, are through the roof. Where are we now with the iPad? "Literally speaking we're a year-and-a-half down the road, Gill said. "It is changing print media. We're looking at, pretty closely, cross-media consumption - watching television, and at the same time they are going to use another device to check Facebook or to shop or research purchases."

Gill reports that what VISA CMO Lucio said at Tuesday's AdTech Keynote holds: people buy via recommendations online, more and more. The iPad, coupled with TV, actually helps fuel that kind of purchase process. Nielsen is tracking that activity and Gill explain that the iPad reflects a "significant game-changer" in this area. He thinks the iPad is complementary to a number of media activities, like movies.

Niesen Products

At AdTech, Gill and his staff are talking about their audience measurement services for potential clients. Banking clients want to know about customer acquisition. Health Care is attractive because tablets present what Nielsen thinks is a big market.

For more information, just go to Nielsen.com.