• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 10, 2008

As part of its upfront pitch, Univision plans to use research showing that ads on the network ring the cash register. The results come from melding two separate Nielsen metrics--one tracking TV ratings and the other gauging actual purchase behavior.

It bears some resemblance to other initiatives that offer the ROI Holy Grail about how ad spend leads to consumer spend. One high-profile co-venture between Arbitron and Nielsen, Project Apollo, was abandoned in February. A related effort that looks to provide insight into how in-store promotions lead to purchase decisions has recently been touted by P&G's CEO, who said findings could lead to better optimization of traditional marketing tactics.

Univision's "fusion project" combines data from Nielsen ratings using the local people meter panel and its Homescan product. Results are derived solely from the Los Angeles market, since data is only available there so far. But network executives believe that DMA offers a sufficient microcosm for the Univision audience in order to provide for nationwide extrapolation.

The Nielsen Connect operation, headed by former top media buyer Jon Mandel, has developed the functionality for the research. It tracks which ads reach a particular audience, then matches that up with results from Homescan, which uses a consumer panel where members are called on to scan the barcodes on their purchases when they return home.

The research allows for segmentation, so a cola marketer could get a read on how ads targeting a particular demo--say, 12- to-24-year-old Hispanics--lead to purchasing.

Univision's top sales executive David Lawenda said the network isn't using the data to somehow develop guarantees during the upfront, but as a principal part of its pitch: targeting Hispanic consumers leads to positive results. The network, in turn, believes it has a greater case that those efforts can be more cost-efficient than general market advertising.