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Media Transformation Impacting Retailers

Fast-changing media trends from digital coupons to social networking will increasingly transform how retailers communicate with consumers, said Todd Hale, senior vice president, Consumer and Shopper Insights, The Nielsen Co. On one level, this dynamic means a decline in traditional feature ads and paper coupons, he observed. But it also means a growth in PDA applications and the increasing

DALLAS — Fast-changing media trends — from digital coupons to social networking — will increasingly transform how retailers communicate with consumers, said Todd Hale, senior vice president, Consumer and Shopper Insights, The Nielsen Co.

On one level, this dynamic means a decline in traditional feature ads and paper coupons, he observed. But it also means a growth in PDA applications and the increasing sophistication of how trading partners use media, he said.

Hale made his comments during a presentation at Food Marketing Institute's Future Connect conference here last week.

“Annual media and communications planning between retailers and manufacturers will be the norm,” he predicted.

Hale said texting and tweeting will “diminish the length of commercial messaging,” and that Twitter and Facebook will play a big role in the success of companies.

At the same time, he pointed out that television is still the best medium to reach the broadest audiences.

“You must determine how to develop ad plans in the future,” he said. “You must be smart in terms of how you leverage media to reach your audience.”