Nielsen plans revamp of Index

"Every single aspect of the survey is to be reviewed," Pemberton said. She will work with two other Nielsen executives, Andrew Whitney and Jennifer Loh, in revitalising the long-standing study of consumer buying and media habits, which has been running in some markets for over 30 years. The survey has increasingly come under fire for neglecting client needs, however, while facing new competition from surveys launched by Synovate, in Thailand and Malaysia, and Roy Morgan. Pemberton, who left BusinessWeek in August, joined Nielsen at the beginning of the year, reporting to Richard Basil-Jones, NMR's regional MD, and Gayle Cunningham, executive director for China and Hong Kong, both new appointments made within the last 12 months. "The new management is very keen to listen. They know the criticisms and frustrations clients have had in the past, want to take them on board and do something about it," she said. Nielsen's adex and audience measurement services are up for an internal review in several markets, and Pemberton will also look at how far the Media Index can be harmonised across markets.