Nielsen, P&G Launch Initiative to Advance Diverse Media Equity

Nielsen
(Image credit: Nielsen)

NEW YORK—Nielsen has announced a new Diverse Media Equity program, which is designed to raise the profile of diverse-owned media companies with advertisers and agencies and provide them with better measurement and other tools. 

The effort will include funding certification fees of diverse-owned media, as well as the launch of the first ever report on diverse-owned media reach and audience profiles. 

“Nielsen is investing in diverse-owned media by getting rid of historical barriers in traditional measurement,” said David Kenny, CEO, Nielsen. “Advertisers and the media industry recognize the need to be more inclusive and want to ensure they reach an audience that is increasingly diverse. We are leading the charge to develop a consistent framework and metrics to help demonstrate the value of diverse-owned media.”

In collaboration with P&G, Nielsen will be seeding a $130,000 reimbursement program with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) to help cover the certification fees for diverse-owned media suppliers who qualify. The fund, which will be administered by the NMSDC, will aim to provide nearly 200+ diverse publishers the benefits of Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification, frequently required by large companies to qualify for diverse investment.

In announcing the initiative, Nielsen reported that Canela Media, a Latina owned media company who is part of Nielsen’s pilot initiative, has tripled the number of campaigns measured with Nielsen since signing on.

“We’re excited about Nielsen’s commitment to bringing more visibility and support to minority owned businesses,” said Isabel Rafferty, founder & CEO of Canela Media. “Our partnership with Nielsen has enabled us to deliver the granular level of transparency and measurement our clients demand. Nielsen has been a tremendous partner; they understand our business and offer us valuable insight for campaign optimization and advertising efficacy.”

As part of the new initiative, Nielsen released the "Diverse-Owned Media Audience Reach and Profiles" report. 

Key data from that report highlighting the power of viewership and listenership to diverse-owned media included:

  • The impact of diverse-owned media in smaller local markets where Black-owned television stations reach as much as 41% of all adults and Black-owned radio reaches more than 1.2 million people 12 and older.
  • Hispanic-owned local TV reaches 61% of viewers 18+ in markets ranked 101+ where they are present including 24% of Asian Americans, 33% of Blacks and 39% of Hispanic viewers 
  • Asian American-owned local TV stations, where they are present, in markets 1-48 reach more than 200,000 adults 18+
  • Native American-owned radio reaches nearly 800,000 listeners across the U.S. with listeners spending almost 7 hours a week on average in metros ranked 51-100.

“As an industry, we are just beginning to recognize the power and importance of diverse-owned media. That’s why we’re proud to work with Nielsen to create more equitable support systems and continue to explore more inclusive measurements to build greater brand engagement,” said Carlos Santiago, ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) and Oppside co-founder. “The report data gives media buyers a view into the impact of diverse-owned media and will facilitate increased investment from media agencies and major advertisers.”

The report findings are powered by Media Framework’s MAVEN Diversity, the most comprehensive and accurate database for diverse media ownership discovery and vendor management, developed and refined for over 10 years, Nielsen said. 

More information on the "Diverse-owned Media Audience Reach and Profiles" report and the Diverse Media Equity program is available here

George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.