Toronto, January 6, 2016 — Environics Analytics (EA) announced today that it has acquired select assets related to the provision of Spectra products and services in Canada from Nielsen Canada. Under terms of the agreement, which was finalized on December 30, 2015, EA will assume delivery of Spectra consumer targeting products and services as part of its marketing and data analytics offerings. With the agreement, EA and Nielsen will work together in providing an expanded range of data-driven services to meet client needs.

For more than a decade, Nielsen’s Spectra service has helped clients identify consumer targets for marketing and retail channel development. Its segmentation platform uses demographic, consumption and media data to identify and profile consumer target groups. In addition, Spectra services help clients evaluate store shoppers and identify stores with the greatest growth potential for categories and products.

Spectra’s offerings will join EA’s suite of proprietary data, purpose-built software and industry-focused analytics that provide expertise in segmentation, site modelling and custom analytics. EA already produces the most comprehensive set of marketing-related data available in Canada, with more than 18,000 variables for every postal code in the country. Its PRIZM5 segmentation system classifies Canadians into 68 lifestyle types to help marketers develop their target marketing and messaging campaigns. And ENVISION5, EA’s micromarketing and business intelligence platform, provides users with extensive data, mapping and analytics for customer insights, trade area analysis and media planning.

“We’re delighted to add Spectra’s consumer products and services to our core offerings,” says Jan Kestle, president and founder of EA. “In particular, the agreement enhances our consumer insight and targeting services for the consumer packaged goods and grocery retail industries. And we are especially excited by the opportunity to introduce additional innovative methodologies and other extensive marketing and media databases to the Spectra users to further aid them in connecting with their customers.”

“Nielsen is embarking on this agreement with Environics Analytics so that our clients can leverage EA’s deep and broad view of the consumer along with its strong expertise in micromarketing,” says Jeanne Danubio, Managing Director, Nielsen Canada. “With a client-first approach, we recognize that our clients’ needs are sometimes met better by others who can provide more specific expertise in certain areas. In this case, we believe that EA is better positioned to serve our clients in this space.”

The purchase of assets to deliver Nielsen’s Spectra products and services in Canada marks EA’s third significant acquisition in the last year. The company earlier acquired SMR and Pivotal Contact as it broadens its data, analytics and consulting offerings while solidifying its reputation, brand and industry leadership.

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About Environics Analytics

The premier marketing and analytical services company in Canada, Environics Analytics helps customers turn data and analytics into insight, strategy and engagement. EA offers the full range of analytical services—from data supplier to strategic consultancy—and provides over-the-counter reports, purpose-built software-as-a-service and a wide variety of modelling approaches. Its team of quantitative marketers, modellers and geographers are expert at helping organizations identify their business challenges, develop data-driven solutions and achieve success along every phase of their analytics journey. EA is a member of the Environics group, a unique alliance of companies dedicated to providing intelligent research, analytics and communications. To learn more about Environics Analytics, please visit environicsanalytics.ca.

About Nielsen

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers watch and buy. Nielsen's Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services for all devices on which content—video, audio and text—is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry's only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen also provides its clients with analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90% of the world’s population. For more information, visit  www.nielsen.com.