I'm Engaged!

Hello! I’m Sandra Parrelli, marketing manager with Nielsen BuzzMetrics and I’m engaged – to consumer engagement that is. This is my very first blog post and I am so excited to be a contributor to Engagement by Engagement, a grassroots blog to provide highlights of the ARF/AAAA Consumer Engagement Conference, as well as developments in the advertising industry’s Engagement initiative.

For years now, I’ve heard the term engagement tossed around the industry as it applies to consumers. Today, it’s become one of the most important and challenging issues facing advertisers. Understanding how to measure engagement is crucial to advertising, as we all need to know how effectively messages are received.

Coming from a TV ratings background after nearly 4 years of service as a research analyst with Nielsen Media Research, I was always interested in learning how involved consumers actually were with programming. I’ve since learned that a link can be made to a consumer’s engagement by gauging their recall, awareness and overall sentiment towards the brands and products being advertised during a specific program. Now that I have joined Nielsen BuzzMetrics, I realized that the concept of engagement goes way beyond the scope of television and is so pertinent, that there are conferences devoted to this topic alone. Not only is the importance of consumer engagement linked to a television program, but also to products, services, reputation and corporate image. Understanding what engages consumers are crucial to smart business decisions, since the likes of this highly influential group is substantial.

I think it’s fascinating that the concept of engagement has exploded, and has taken marketers by storm. I am looking forward to the Consumer Engagement Conference next week, and look forward to sharing what I learn.

Till next time.