Former Nielsen Execs Launch TailWind Activation

In the US, former Nielsen execs Tom Markert and Doug Pierce have launched a research and analytics company called TailWind Activation, offering real world and real-time feedback on television programming.

Markert was previously COO of DIY consumer insights platform Perksy and CEO Americas for ORC International, where he also served as Global Product Development Lead. He previously held senior roles at Research Now and Ipsos; and a number of positions at Nielsen, including CEO for Australia and New Zealand. Pierce most recently served as SVP Sales and Partnerships at Perksy and SVP Client Development at Research Now. Prior to this he spent 27 years at Nielsen, in senior operations, client services, business development, sales and executive management roles.

The new firm is currently piloting a means to provide overnight feedback from viewers of network drama and comedy programming. According to the founders, their new offering complements current ratings services and will take on specific entertainment variables, including story lines, social media messaging, and actors. In addition, the data will measure the percentage of viewers who plan to tune in to programming the following week, as well as those individuals who are recommending the show to family and friends.

While the initial pilot program is focused on network primetime programming, including comedies and dramas, TailWind Activation plans to expand its coverage to include streaming content later this year. Markert comments: 'We have crafted a fact-based and actionable tool set that incorporates real world feedback in near real time. This data helps diagnose why consumers are tuning in or tuning out and we deliver it in time for course corrections. We truly believe this will be a gamechanger'.

Web site: www.tailwindactivation.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.