Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) was established in the United States in 1923 by Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr., one of the founders of the modern marketing research industry. Among many innovations in consumer-focused marketing and media research, Nielsen was responsible for creating a unique retail-measurement technique that gave clients the first reliable, objective information about competitive performance and the impact of their marketing and sales programs on revenues and profits. Nielsen information gave practical meaning to the concept of market share and made it one of the critical measures of corporate performance. Nielsen opened its first international office in the UK in 1939 and after World War II, progressively expanded its operations in Western Europe, Australia and Japan. The company increased its presence in Asia Pacific in 1994 by acquiring Survey Research Group and in the Middle East and Africa in the late 1990s through the acquisition of AMER World Research. In 2001, Nielsen became part of VNU, a world leader in marketing information, media measurement and information, business media and directories. In 2006, VNU was acquired and taken private by a consortium of six private equity firms, changing its name to The Nielsen Company in 2007. On January 26, 2011, The Nielsen Company went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NLSN. Specialties Retail Services, Telecommunications, Consumer Panel Services, Rating measures, Advertising Effectiveness