LOS ANGELES and BOSTON, May 15, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Nielsen Entertainment, a leading group of strategic consulting and market research companies, Enpocket (www.enpocket.com), the leader in intelligent mobile marketing, and MovieTickets.com, the leader in on-line movie ticketing, today announced that they are working together to power the first ever time targeted mobile consumer opinion initiative. Coupled with this initiative, Nielsen Entertainment announced it has been building a mobile panel which will also serve as a mechanism to grow the custom research offerings of Nielsen Entertainment's Mobile Division.
The new and unique mobile polling infrastructure transforms even the most basic cell phone into a quantitative and qualitative data collection tool, enabling clients to reach consumers at precise moments immediately before and after being exposed to specific entertainment or advertising content. The application will also facilitate unsolicited consumer comment on programming or content more generally.
With testing underway, the Enpocket-powered solution will be used first in connection with work conducted through the Movie Advisory Board, a joint initiative between Nielsen Entertainment and MovieTickets.com to reach movie consumers at specific times, for example upon either entry or exiting a theatre. Instead of relying on consumers to go home and use their PCs to communicate what they think hours later, this mobile polling platform captures that information on the spot using text messaging, now the most broadly employed service on cell phones around the world and in the United States.
"We believe in the power of mobile to increase our understanding of the new entertainment consumer and today, text messaging is the best language to do that in," said Adrienne Becker, GM of Nielsen Entertainment's Strategic Development Group. "Mobile devices provide numerous ways to engage in a one-on-one conversation with your customer, along with ease, convenience and efficiency, and SMS ensures you will have access to the broadest audience as your sample. As a marketer or researcher, the prospect of reaching your audience to listen, learn and educate is at its core a powerful relationship building tool."
"Whether a consumer is at home or on the go, they usually have their cell phone," said Mike Baker, President and CEO of Enpocket. "Innovative media and entertainment companies like Nielsen are using the mobile device to connect with consumers wherever they are. Our solution turns the cell phone into a powerful yet convenient research tool to get immediate feedback while an event is still fresh in their minds."
"Our selection and confidence in Enpocket is an illustration of their ability to see ahead of the curve and at the same time, stay grounded in practical and powerful strategies and tools for today's consumers. After a long process, they were our clear choice as the leader in mobile solutions," said Ms. Becker.
Nielsen Entertainment evaluated a great deal of mobile technology, custom interfaces and applications in the process of identifying the right partner and mechanism. The Company selected SMS/short message service (text messaging) for this initiative because of its reach and ease of use, opting to deploy more complicated applications as the user experience for those applications simplifies and the breadth of users is comparable to that of SMS use today.
Enpocket is providing Nielsen with a customized, SMS-based mobile polling solution powered by the Enpocket Marketing Engine (EME). The Enpocket Marketing Engine is the world's most widely used mobile marketing software. Nielsen is using its flexible campaign management logic to serve as the platform for its real-time, customized, automated consumer relationship program.
About Nielsen Entertainment
Nielsen Entertainment was formed in 2003 to bring together the best individuals, methodological practices and data collection resources across the world. Through custom research, consulting and the most comprehensive network of entertainment measurement systems, Nielsen Entertainment delivers Actionable Entertainment Intelligence to clients engaged in the business of selling entertainment and trading in the marketplace of our popular culture.
Nielsen Entertainment is comprised of the following businesses: National Research Group (NRG), Independent (NRGi), EDI and EDI International, Television Services, SoundScan, Broadcast Data Systems (BDS), Music Control, VideoScan, Market Navigator, Mobile, Live Events, BookScan, BookData, and Interactive Entertainment, and utilizes the full portfolio of sister companies including Nielsen Media Research and Nielsen Net Ratings to deliver a whole media point of view. Nielsen Entertainment is part of VNU (http://www.vnu.com), a global leader in information services for the media and entertainment industries.
About Enpocket
Enpocket is a global leader in intelligent mobile marketing, enabling organizations to foster and maintain valuable relationships with mobile consumers. Enpocket creates, delivers and optimizes consumer marketing and entertainment programs that combine rich media and advanced targeting. From predictive analytics to engaging MMS promotions, Enpocket's range of technologies and creative services enable big brands to embrace mobile and realize improved campaign returns.
Enpocket provides mobile marketing that works for hundreds of customers, including Vodafone, Sprint, Alltel, Airtel, Singtel, Nokia, Samsung, Panasonic, BenQ-Siemens, Trinity Mirror, TNT, A&E, Chrysalis, Clear Channel, Internet Broadcast Systems, Time Out, Match.com, Pepsi and Nike. Enpocket has offices in Boston, London, and Mumbai. To learn more see www.enpocket.com.
The Enpocket logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2192
About the Movie Advisory Board (MAB)
MAB is a joint initiative between Nielsen Entertainment and MovieTickets.com, the most powerful virtual box office. MAB is a community of moviegoers who either buy movie tickets or search for movie information online and who have elected to participate in a variety of market research endeavors. Some of the MAB services include moviegoer demographic reports, national exit services, online behavior analyses, windows tracking, time targeted mobile polling and advertising/media effectiveness. MAB affords clients the ability to both observe and converse with moviegoers, before and after a moviegoing decision, as well as the ability to match what the consumer reports doing, with actual behavior.