Nielsen is suspending its PRISM system for measuring audiences and gauging the effectiveness of in-store marketing. In a statement, Nielsen blamed the indefinite suspension of the service, which began as a pilot in 2007, on the economy. The move comes just over a month after Wal-Mart, an original backer of the effort and member of the industry group of retailers and product manufacturers (including P&G) behind it, said it wouldn’t participate in the national PRISM rollout. AdAge noted that the cost of PRISM data ranges from the low to mid-six figures annually (and up to seven figures for bigger marketers).
The company began notifying marketers and retailers on Friday: "Given the nation’s serious economic state, Nielsen and its clients have decided this is not the right environment to launch a national syndicated service," the company said in the statement. "While the industry as a whole is very supportive of the syndicated service, many clients, in the face of the current economic environment, are not in a position to fully fund a syndicated service at this time."
