The Nielsen Company has announced the appointment Steve Hasker to fill the newly created position of President, Media Product Leadership and Advertisers Solutions effective November 2009. Hasker will be based out of Nielsen’s New York head office. Hasker is currently a partner at McKinsey & Company’s Global Media, Entertainment and Information practice.
In this new position, Hasker will direct strategy and development of Nielsen’s media products and services, including measurement of television, online, and mobile media as well as the company’s ongoing innovation around cross-media measurement. Hasker will also oversee Advertiser Solutions, a new business unit that delivers on Nielsen’s mission to help advertisers deliver the right messages to the right consumers, and improve marketing effectiveness and return on investment.
“We are extremely pleased to add a leader of Steve Hasker’s calibre to guide our product efforts across media and advertiser services,” said Nielsen’s Chief Executive Officer, David Calhoun. “This appointment, as well as the creation of Advertiser Solutions, is a significant next step in Nielsen’s continued delivery of insights into the ‘connected consumer.’ Our focus remains on adding value for clients looking for their most profitable sources of demand, powered by Nielsen’s unique capabilities and intellectual property.”
“I am delighted to join Nielsen at such an exciting time for the company and a critical time for the media and advertising industries,” said Hasker. “I look forward to working with media companies and advertisers using the breadth of Nielsen’s assets to better plan and measure media across the Internet, TV, and mobile, and to enhance the direct relationships between marketers and consumers that will optimize advertising investments.”
Since joining McKinsey in 1998, Hasker has advised companies in the TV, mobile telecoms, syndicated information, filmed entertainment, sports and online advertising sectors. Prior to this, he spent five years in several financial roles in Melbourne, Australia; Salt Lake City, Utah; and in St. Petersburg, Russia. Hasker is a regular guest lecturer at Columbia University, and his research into the influence of social networks on consumer behavior has been published in the Harvard Business Review. His writings on digital and online business models and marketing have been featured in the McKinsey Quarterly.