Nielsen Taps Moult for Media Analytics Initiative

In the US, Nielsen has launched a Media Analytics initiative, focused on developing tools to provide additional insights from its existing syndicated media research data. The new initiative will be led by Bill Moult, a founding partner of the Media Behavior Institute (MBI).

Nielsen says that the launch is the next step in its mission to build an integrated 'Watch' media measurement business across product, client services and now analytics.

Moult will leave his posts as both MBI's CEO and CEO of ad and media research specialist Sequent Partners next month, to take up the position of President of Media Analytics at Nielsen.

MBI was founded in 2008 by Sequent and the Center of Media Design at Ball State University, to use 'state-of-the-art' methodologies to track consumer media behavior. Since its launch, The Institute has partnered with GfK MRI to field the UK- based IPA's (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) TouchPointsmethodology in the US.

TouchPoints provides the media industry with a single source of media planning data, and its US roll-out is being funded by the CIMM - a coalition of US firms created to promote innovation in TV and cross-platform audience measurement.

In a letter to industry colleagues, Moult says that while he is sad to leave his partners and associates, he is leaving MBI 'in a very strong shape', with relationships with GfK MRI, IPA and Ball State firmly in place to continue building the US TouchPoints.

Moult will report to both Nielsen's President Media Products Steve Hasker, and President Media Client Services Dave Thomas. The firm said in an internal statement: 'Nielsen sees USA TouchPoints as complementary to our work and we will continue to look for ways to work with both MBI and CIMM'.

Prior to co-founding Sequent, Moult was President of the Marketing Science Institute, a non-profit organization that brings together marketing firms and researchers from marketing academia to advance the science of marketing. Before that, he served as President and CEO of ASI Market Research and then Ipsos-ASI. Earlier in his career, he led BASES, which is now part of Nielsen.

Web site: www.nielsen.com .