IPG Mediabrands Taps Gracenote to Support Client Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives

Gracenote Inclusion Analytics Empowers IPG Mediabrands to Deliver Greater Value to Clients Through New Data and Insights into Diversity in Entertainment Content

Emeryville, CA and New York, NY – Sept. 23, 2021 – Gracenote, a Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) company, announced that IPG Mediabrands, a client-led, consulting-first, community-driven marketing agency, has licensed the Gracenote Inclusion Analytics solution to help advertisers better connect with important but underserved audiences. Through Inclusion Analytics data and insights, Mediabrands will gain new visibility into the gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation of talent appearing in popular linear and streaming TV programming. Equipped with this intelligence, the agency will further sharpen its consultative offerings ensuring clients effectively reach key target audiences, meet critical marketing objectives and deliver on important Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives.

Leveraging industry-leading Gracenote Global Video program metadata and Studio System celebrity race and gender data along with trusted Nielsen Television Ratings and Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings data, Gracenote Inclusion Analytics delivers useful new metrics such as Share of Screen, Inclusion Opportunity Index and Share of Audience. These measures quantify the visibility of starring cast members representing different identity groups in popular programming in addition to providing insight into the make-up of viewing audiences and how they compare to the general population. Gracenote Inclusion Analytics will empower Mediabrands with data and insights enabling them to connect brand advertiser clients to the entertainment content that represents and engages diverse audiences. 

Mediabrands has made significant investments in equity and inclusion advocacy in the last year. For example, Mediabrands agency MAGNA created the industry-first Equity Upfront™ to raise visibility and receptivity of Black-owned and targeted media businesses. In addition, Mediabrands developed the proprietary Media Responsibility Index to improve industry standards around brand safety and responsibility in advertising. The agency has also pledged to invest a minimum of 5% in Black-owned media channels in aggregate across all clients by 2023. MAGNA continues to host monthly Equity Sessions expanding to Asian American and Pacific Islander, Hispanic and LGBTQIA+ audiences. Gracenote Inclusion Analytics will be leveraged by all Mediabrands agencies to help a number of top-tier clients advance their own DE&I initiatives. 

“As the make-up of the United States population continues to diversify, so do the content preferences and desires of TV watchers as well as consumers more broadly,” said Stacie deArmas, SVP, Diverse Insights & Initiatives at Nielsen. “A massive opportunity exists to serve all groups by advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in media and creative content. Realizing the scale of the opportunity, Mediabrands is leading the charge with its clients by leveraging data-driven insights from Gracenote Inclusion Analytics.”

“One way we can contribute to a more representative and welcoming media and entertainment landscape is by supporting programming that presents diverse casts and content,” said Brian Hughes, EVP, Managing Director, Audience Intelligence & Strategy, MAGNA. “This mission begins with the data to analyze shows not only by viewership but also by how balanced casting is. Increasingly, advertisers want to invest in programming that reflects the values of their brands and equity-and-inclusion benchmarks are a key part of that.” 

Gracenote Inclusion Analytics anchors the company’s new Content Analytics suite of offerings tapping Gracenote entertainment metadata in conjunction with Nielsen audience measurement data. Gracenote Content Analytics will provide the entertainment industry a new toolset to inform business decisions around content production, licensing, distribution, marketing and advertising in order to help ensure content resonates with important audiences and earns return on investment. Click here to learn more about Gracenote Inclusion Analytics.