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Nielsen Ad Intel

Advertising Data

Through the center’s relationship with Nielsen, the center provides academic researchers at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and around the world access to Nielsen’s US Ad Intel dataset, which starts in 2010.

These data include individual advertising occurrences across the United States (in around 200 designated marketing areas) for a variety of media types, including national TV, local TV, radio, newspaper, and digital. The dataset includes ad impressions for TV and radio and, most recently, social media advertising data.

Marketing Dataset Overview

Nielsen's Ad Intel Data cover advertising occurrences for a variety of media types across the United States, starting in 2010 and including annual updates. These data can be broken down by Market Code (i.e., ~200 Designated Market Areas (DMAs), which can be matched to DMAs in the Consumer Panel and Retail Scanner datasets).

Specifically, the Ad Intel Dataset includes advertisement occurrences from the following media types:

  • National TV: Network TV, Spanish-Language Network TV, Cable TV, Spanish-Language Cable TV, and Syndicated TV
  • Local TV: Spot TV, Network Clearance Spot TV, Syndicated Clearance Spot TV, and Local/Regional Cable TV
  • Radio: Network Radio, Spot Radio
  • Magazine: National and Local Magazine
  • Newspaper: National Newspaper, National Sunday Supplement, Local Newspaper, Local Sunday Supplement
  • FSI (Free Standing Insert) Coupon
  • Outdoor (e.g., billboards)
  • Internet (information is limited until August 2017, then replaced by new Digital media type data): National Internet, Local Internet
  • Digital (2017 forward): National Digital
  • Cinema: National Cinema, Regional Cinema

The Ad Intel Dataset also includes advertisement impression and universe estimate information for the following media types (so that Gross Rating Points can be calculated):

  • National TV: Network TV, Spanish-Language Network TV, Cable TV, Spanish-Language Cable TV, and Syndicated TV
  • Local TV: Spot TV, Network Clearance Spot TV, Syndicated Clearance Spot TV, and Local/Regional Cable TV
  • Radio: Network Radio, Spot Radio

Advertising impressions are further broken down by age and gender. For National TV, impressions can be broken down by 50 demographic classifications, called Market Breaks. Categories range from types of beverages a family consumes to household income to presence of computers or internet in the home.

A variety of reference data files are also included, such as:

  • Advertisers
  • Brands
  • Product Categories
  • Creative Descriptions
  • TV Programs
  • Distributors (e.g., TV station)
  • Publishers

Review Subscription Pricing, Process, and Policies

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Processes

Accessing the data first requires a subscription contract between a researcher’s institution and Chicago Booth.

Processes

Access or Sign Up for Datasets

New Users

You can request a new subscription here. If your institution has a subscription, you can also register for data access at the following link.

New Users
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Research in Action

See an archive of business-friendly articles that share out findings using data housed at the Kilts Center for an audience of policymakers, business leaders, and the general public.

Research in Action

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