CLASSIC JACK: JackMyers Foresaw Apollo Death Two Years Ago

Project Apollo

Published: February 27, 2008 at 10:47 AM GMT
Last Updated: February 26, 2008 at 10:47 AM GMT

By Jack Myers

Originally published: March 30, 2006

Ad Industry to Nielsen: We Speak Loudly and Carry a Soft Stick

Last week, Nielsen Media Research sister company ACNielsen reportedly decided to put on hold Project Apollo, arguably the industry's most promising initiative. Project Apollo emerged out of meetings led by Procter & Gamble; responsibilities for leadership were handed to ACNielsen in association with Arbitron. Conceived as a "breakthrough service for the next century," Project Apollo was developed to collect and connect three types of data via a single source: multi-media message exposure, brand recognition and preference, and actual purchase behavior. Kraft, Unilever, SC Johnson and Pfizer joined the initiative. If, in fact, ACNielsen has decided not to move forward, it's a further set-back to marketers eager to change industry research paradigms.

A few weeks further back, Nielsen Media Research quietly dropped out of its partnership with Arbitron for the development of the personal people meter. Perhaps Nielsen has some greater strategy, but for now there are no apparent plans to develop a PPM methodology for television.

Realistically, why should Nielsen invest millions in advertising effectiveness research when the industry continues to invest millions more each year in the company's outdated methodologies? We should not find fault with Nielsen for intelligent business decisions. We should find fault with an industry that quietly acquiesces and fails to care or respond to the company's historically lethargic business model.

Originally published: April 3, 2006

JackMyers Media Business Report

Project Apollo Clarification: In our column of March 30, we wrote: "ACNielsen reportedly decided to put on hold Project Apollo, arguably the industry's most promising initiative." Although we based this on a reliable source, both Arbitron and Nielsen issued strong denials. An Arbitron spokesperson commented: "Your article in Media Business Reports yesterday suggested that ACNielsen had decided to put Project Apollo 'on hold'. We want to reassure you that ACNielsen (and VNU) as well as Arbitron continue to be fully committed to Project Apollo. Just last week, we held a Media Summit which was hosted by the six Project Apollo sponsoring advertisers. The participants stressed that Apollo would enable advertisers to overcome the accountability barrier that impedes the flow of funds into media. One reason Arbitron and ACNielsen are so committed to exploring Project Apollo is that it promises to offer a core capability in the revitalization of advertising and media." JackMyers Media Business Report applauds Project Apollo and hopes its underwriters move beyond exploration to full commitment.

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