Study: Link Between Ad Spend, Blog Buzz

For new brands, there is a strong correlation between ad spending and buzz generated in the blogosphere, one that shouldn't be ignored when it comes to making media planning decisions. That's according to a new report issued jointly by Nielsen BuzzMetrics and Nielsen's BASES research division, which finds that marketers that treat tradtional advertising and word of mouth management as two separate animals do so in error, since the two are closely connected. Nielsen's research - which analyzed factors such as buzz volume in blogs, spending, purchase intent among consumers and actual sales - has found that a big advertising budget is the best predictor of significant blog buzz, rather than tactics that attempt to specifically influence such online world of mouth. More ...