IRIC Information Resources (MM)

Information Resources, Inc. Announces New Approach for Optimizing Marketing Spending Across Brands CPG Manufacturers Can Convert 2% or More of Their Total Marketing Expenditures To Incremental Profits Simply by Re-Allocating Marketing Dollars Among Competing Brands CHICAGO, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Information Resources, Inc. , a leading provider of consumer behavior insights to the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and healthcare industries has launched a new analytic service called Mix Drivers/Portfolio(TM). Designed for CPG manufacturers who market multiple competing brands within the same product category, this service reveals opportunities to increase profits by re- allocating marketing spending across entire brand portfolios. While many CPG manufacturers market multiple brands within the same product category to achieve economies of scale in production and marketing, as a category matures and becomes saturated with products, sources of incremental sales are increasingly hard to find. It becomes progressively more difficult to determine where to invest marketing dollars for the best return, and inefficiencies in the marketing plan inevitably arise. Whereas traditional marketing mix models evaluate the impact of marketing activities on the sales of a single brand, Mix Drivers/Portfolio evaluates multiple brands at once. Mix Drivers/Portfolio quantifies the impact of each brand's marketing activities on its own sales and on the sales of each other brand in the portfolio. Mix Drivers/Portfolio captures both negative "cannibalization" and positive "halo" effects across brands to determine the net impact on total portfolio sales of each brand's advertising, couponing, and retail promotion activity. "CPG manufacturers are turning from brand management to portfolio management. They're scrutinizing the impact of each brand's marketing activities not just on that brand's own sales, but also on the sales of other brands in the company's portfolio," said Neil Canter, Division President of IRI's Analytic Insights Group. "The Mix Drivers/Portfolio service addresses this emerging need." Several leading CPG manufacturers have already realized the benefits of the Mix Drivers/Portfolio service, identifying incremental profit opportunities of up to $5 million or 2% or greater of total portfolio marketing expenditures. "Anyone who manages multiple competing brands should take a closer look at how they're allocating marketing dollars across brands," added Canter. "There's probably room for improvement, and Mix Drivers/Portfolio provides an efficient, objective way to measure and increase total portfolio ROI." Mix Drivers/Portfolio is available now. For more information, visit http://www.infores.com/public/us/prodserv/us_prd_driver.htm . About Information Resources, Inc. Information Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:IRIC) is a leading provider of UPC scanner- and panel-based business solutions to the consumer packaged goods and healthcare industries, offering services in the U.S., Europe and other international markets. The Company supplies CPG and pharmaceutical manufacturers, retailers, and brokers with information and analysis critical to their sales, marketing, and supply chain operations. IRI provides services designed to deliver value through an enhanced understanding of the consumer to a majority of the Fortune 500 companies in the CPG industry. More information is available at http://www.infores.com/ . CONTACT: John McIndoe Information Resources, Inc. (312) 474-3862 DATASOURCE: Information Resources, Inc. CONTACT: John McIndoe of Information Resources, Inc., +1-312-474-3862, Web site: http://www.infores.com/

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