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NEW YORK--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--The Conference Board and Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) today announced the launch of The Demand Institute. Operated jointly by The Conference Board and Nielsen, The Demand Institute is a non-advocacy, non-profit entity focused on illuminating how consumer demand is evolving around the world.

"Executives across industries and geographies have asked us to build a more holistic understanding of where consumer demand is headed in the world, recognizing that this new knowledge will become even more important as our world economy becomes more volatile and unpredictable"

The Demand Institute mission is to strengthen the growth and vitality of the global economy by helping public- and private-sector leaders align strategies and investments to where consumer demand is headed across industries, countries and markets.

aConsumers around the world are estimated to spend over $450 trillion during the next decade on a complete range of goods and services,a said Mark Leiter, executive vice president at Nielsen and chairman of The Demand Institute. aUnderstanding precisely how that demand is likely to unfold, as well as the forces and factors that will shape demand, is essential knowledge for business and government leaders across both developed and developing markets. The Demand Institute will connect this knowledge to leaders who require these insights to guide their organizations.a

As a member-driven organization, The Demand Institute will create and deliver new knowledge to its members across three areas:

• Leadership: Helping CEOs and senior executive teams learn and implement the best practices for leading and managing high-performance, demand-driven enterprises.
• Evolution: Improving the worldas intelligence for how consumer demand is likely to evolve around the world over the next 10 years across countries, industries, and markets.
• Science: Enhancing the technologies, tools, methods and processes for both uncovering and predicting future consumer demand.

aExecutives across industries and geographies have asked us to build a more holistic understanding of where consumer demand is headed in the world, recognizing that this new knowledge will become even more important as our world economy becomes more volatile and unpredictable,a said Jonathan Spector, president and CEO of The Conference Board and vice chairman of The Demand Institute. aWe designed The Demand Institute directly in response to their desires. Board directors, CEOs and heads of state recognize that more accurately aligning businesses and government programs to shifting demand creates new opportunities for prosperity.a

aThe Demand Institute is a new organization with an important mission,a said James M. Kilts, chairman, Nielsen and former chairman and CEO of The Gillette Company. aDuring my experience leading consumer-driven companies Iave always placed an extremely high value on understanding consumer demand. Iam very excited to see The Demand Institute take on the important work of creating new knowledge in this arena.a

"The global economy is not a mathematical abstraction,a said Dipak C. Jain, dean of INSEAD. aItas a living marketplace animated by people and their needs and aspirations. Understanding the dynamics of consumer spending is critical to anticipate future shifts in how people put their money to worka"in both developed and developing economies. The creation of The Demand Institute will provide crucial insights into consumer spending, which is a primary engine for economic prosperity."

The Conference Board and Nielsen collectively serve over 25,000 private and public sector organizations spanning more than 100 countries and representing every major industry. The foundation of The Demand Institute has been built by The Conference Board, which brings an unmatched understanding of economies and markets, and Nielsen, which offers the most complete understanding of consumers in the world.

About The Demand Institute

The Demand Institute illuminates how consumer demand is evolving around the world. We are on a mission to strengthen the growth and vitality of the global economy by helping public- and private-sector leaders align strategies and investments to where consumer demand is headed across industries, countries and markets. The Demand Institute is a non advocacy, non-profit organization and a division of The Conference Board, which holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in the United States. The Demand Institute is jointly operated by The Conference Board and Nielsen. Our headquarters is in New York City, with a presence in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore and Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit[ www.demandinstitute.org ].

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide the worldas leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. For more information, visit [ www.conference-board.org ].

About Nielsen

Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and related properties. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit [ www.nielsen.com ].