Latest news with #CaraPratt
Business Upturn
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Upturn
Circana Completes Acquisition of NCSolutions
Chicago and New York, June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Circana, LLC has announced the successful completion of its acquisition of NCSolutions (NCS), the joint venture between Nielsen and Catalina that improves advertising effectiveness. With this acquisition, Circana significantly expands its media measurement capabilities. Circana announced its intent to acquire NCS last year. 'We are thrilled to welcome the talented NCS team to Circana and meaningfully enhance our media capabilities,' said Stuart Aitken, president and chief executive officer of Circana. 'Allocating finite marketing resources is one of the most critical and challenging decisions organizations face today – and there is no substitute for comprehensive, real-time data and actionable insights to optimize outcomes. Bringing together Circana and NCS data, technology assets, and industry-leading expertise will deliver more value for our clients as we work with them to maximize every media and marketing dollar they spend.' Clients of both organizations will gain broader access to audience targeting, media measurement, in-flight optimization, and clean room solutions. This combination will also increase efficiency and offer improved products and services to fuel clients' growth through more targeted and impactful advertising. NCS will join Circana's Media team, which works with advertisers and their agencies to plan, target, activate, measure, and optimize media spend. Its solutions portfolio is built on a robust enterprise technology platform, actionable CPG and general merchandise shopper, sales, and causal data sets, and advanced analytics. The Circana Media team is led by Cara Pratt, president of Global Retail & Media for Circana. 'NCS has built a stellar reputation in advertising effectiveness,' said Aitken. 'We are excited to work alongside their team to bring even better services and solutions to our clients and help them unlock new growth.' Circana continues to work towards closing its previously announced acquisition of Nielsen's Marketing Mix Modeling business. About Circana Circana is a leader in providing technology, AI, and data to fast-moving consumer packaged goods companies, durables manufacturers, and retailers seeking to optimize their businesses. Circana's predictive analytics and technology empower clients to measure their market share, understand the underlying consumer behavior driving it, and accelerate their growth. Circana's Liquid Data® technology platform is powered by an expansive, high-quality data set, and intelligent algorithms trained on six decades of domain expertise. With Circana, clients can take immediate action to future-proof and evolve their growth strategies amid an increasingly complex, fast-paced, and ever-changing economy. Learn more at About NCS NCSolutions (NCS) makes advertising work better. With scientific rigor and leading-edge technology, NCS empowers the CPG ecosystem to create and deliver more effective advertising. With NCS's proven approach, brands are achieving continuous optimization everywhere ads appear, through purchase-based audience targeting and sales measurement solutions. About Catalina Catalina is a leader in shopper intelligence and precisely targeted in-store, TV and digital media that personalizes the shopper journey. Powered by an unrivaled real-time shopper database and AI-optimized data science, Catalina helps retailers, CPG brands and agencies optimize every stage of media planning, execution and measurement to deliver more than $6 billion in consumer value annually. With operations in the US, Costa Rica and Europe, Catalina has no higher priority than ensuring the privacy and security of the data entrusted to the company and maintaining consumer trust. About Nielsen Nielsen shapes the world's media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences—now and into the future. Nielsen operates around the world in more than 45 countries. Learn more at and connect with us on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram). Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Circana Completes Acquisition of NCSolutions
Chicago and New York, June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Circana, LLC has announced the successful completion of its acquisition of NCSolutions (NCS), the joint venture between Nielsen and Catalina that improves advertising effectiveness. With this acquisition, Circana significantly expands its media measurement capabilities. Circana announced its intent to acquire NCS last year. 'We are thrilled to welcome the talented NCS team to Circana and meaningfully enhance our media capabilities,' said Stuart Aitken, president and chief executive officer of Circana. 'Allocating finite marketing resources is one of the most critical and challenging decisions organizations face today – and there is no substitute for comprehensive, real-time data and actionable insights to optimize outcomes. Bringing together Circana and NCS data, technology assets, and industry-leading expertise will deliver more value for our clients as we work with them to maximize every media and marketing dollar they spend.' Clients of both organizations will gain broader access to audience targeting, media measurement, in-flight optimization, and clean room solutions. This combination will also increase efficiency and offer improved products and services to fuel clients' growth through more targeted and impactful will join Circana's Media team, which works with advertisers and their agencies to plan, target, activate, measure, and optimize media spend. Its solutions portfolio is built on a robust enterprise technology platform, actionable CPG and general merchandise shopper, sales, and causal data sets, and advanced analytics. The Circana Media team is led by Cara Pratt, president of Global Retail & Media for Circana. 'NCS has built a stellar reputation in advertising effectiveness,' said Aitken. 'We are excited to work alongside their team to bring even better services and solutions to our clients and help them unlock new growth.' Circana continues to work towards closing its previously announced acquisition of Nielsen's Marketing Mix Modeling CircanaCircana is a leader in providing technology, AI, and data to fast-moving consumer packaged goods companies, durables manufacturers, and retailers seeking to optimize their businesses. Circana's predictive analytics and technology empower clients to measure their market share, understand the underlying consumer behavior driving it, and accelerate their growth. Circana's Liquid Data® technology platform is powered by an expansive, high-quality data set, and intelligent algorithms trained on six decades of domain expertise. With Circana, clients can take immediate action to future-proof and evolve their growth strategies amid an increasingly complex, fast-paced, and ever-changing economy. Learn more at About NCSNCSolutions (NCS) makes advertising work better. With scientific rigor and leading-edge technology, NCS empowers the CPG ecosystem to create and deliver more effective advertising. With NCS's proven approach, brands are achieving continuous optimization everywhere ads appear, through purchase-based audience targeting and sales measurement CatalinaCatalina is a leader in shopper intelligence and precisely targeted in-store, TV and digital media that personalizes the shopper journey. Powered by an unrivaled real-time shopper database and AI-optimized data science, Catalina helps retailers, CPG brands and agencies optimize every stage of media planning, execution and measurement to deliver more than $6 billion in consumer value annually. With operations in the US, Costa Rica and Europe, Catalina has no higher priority than ensuring the privacy and security of the data entrusted to the company and maintaining consumer trust. About NielsenNielsen shapes the world's media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences—now and into the future. Nielsen operates around the world in more than 45 countries. Learn more at and connect with us on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram). CONTACT: Shelley Hughes Circana +1 312-731-1782 in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Circana taps another Kroger executive
This story was originally published on Grocery Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Grocery Dive newsletter. Circana announced Thursday the appointment of Cara Pratt as president of global retail and media, a newly created role, effective May 27. Pratt joins the technology and analytics company from Kroger's data arm 84.51°, where she most recently served as senior vice president of media, insights and loyalty, per the press release. This announcement follows 84.51°'s recent layoffs and the exit of its chief data and technology officer. In this new role on Circana's executive leadership team, Pratt will lead the company's retail and media strategies, including growing the firm's role as a strategic growth partner for retailers, strengthening retail media network partnerships and improving advertising effectiveness, according to the announcement. Pratt has over two decades of experience, Circana said. During her eight years with Kroger's data arm, she served as vice president of customer communications, product strategy and innovation as well as vice president of commercial and product strategy before taking on the SVP role, according to her LinkedIn profile. 'Cara brings proven innovation and expertise, and we're excited to partner with her and our clients to improve their business outcomes,' Circana President and CEO Stuart Aitken said in a statement. Aitken joined Circana at the start of the year after serving as chief merchandising and marketing officer of Kroger since 2020. Pratt's earlier career included stints at IRI prior to its merger with The NPD Group in 2022 to create Circana, and Nielsen, per her LinkedIn. She also spent a dozen years at Dunnhumby in multiple leadership roles. In March, Kroger confirmed it laid off an unspecified number of workers at 84.51° so the company could 'focus on the key priorities that power our go-to-market strategy,' a spokesperson said in a statement. That same month, Todd James, the retail analytics subsidiary's chief data and technology officer, announced his departure on LinkedIn to serve as founder and CEO of Aurora Insights. Recommended Reading Why Kroger's former chief data officer is starting an AI-focused firm Sign in to access your portfolio
Chicago Tribune
04-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston buildings may have to be powered by renewable electricity; Council postpones vote
Action was again postponed on an Evanston City Council measure that, if adopted, would require certain Evanston buildings to convert from natural gas to renewable electricity over the next 25 years. The Evanston City Council on Feb. 24 voted 7-1 to table action on the Healthy Buildings Ordinance until its next meeting on March 10 so aldermen could finalize the language in a series of newly proposed amendments and review them. Twelve previous amendments were approved during a Feb. 10 meeting and final action on the ordinance was also tabled. The ordinance had been introduced in January. If approved, the HBO, as it is known, would create a process for buildings over 20,000 square feet—and municipal buildings over 10,000 square feet—to be powered by renewable electricity and create zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Nearly 500 apartment and commercial buildings in Evanston measure more than 20,000 square feet and are already required to track and report annual energy and water usage, according to information from the city. Condominiums under 50,000 square feet and co-op buildings would be excluded from the requirements of the HBO, under the current language. The HBO is an outgrowth of Evanston's 2018 Climate Action and Resilience Plan, which established community goals of carbon neutrality, zero waste and 100% renewable electricity. Other benefits of the HBO, city officials say, include improved air quality, reduced utility costs, and improved heating, cooling and ventilation systems that use less energy. According to the city, the biggest challenges of rolling out the ordinance are 'equity, technical and financial hurdles.' 'Staff recognizes that building electrification is costly and plans to devote significant time … to helping buildings acquire funding for decarbonization,' a city memo on the HBO says. This funding may be in the form of grants from regional, state, and other entities. 'It is not the intent of this ordinance to force businesses out of business, to force tenants out of their apartments, to force major institutions into financial distress,' 4th Ward Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma said. The HBO does not outline the standards that building owners would need to meet and the particular rules they would need to follow. These details will be established during a rule-making process that will involve a newly formed Healthy Buildings Accountability Board and a Healthy Buildings Technical Committee, city officials said. Members, who will be approved by the City Council, will work with city staff and must have specific expertise related to the decisions they will be making, indicated Cara Pratt, sustainability and resilience manager for the city of Evanston. Prioritizing buildings for city financial aid, establishing fine structures for building owners who do not comply, and exploring 'synergistic policies like rent protection,' will also be among the boards' tasks, according to the ordinance. Some speakers who addressed the City Council on Feb. 24 urged aldermen to hold off on adopting the HBO until these details could be determined. 'The potential negative impact on land owners, renters and commercial-owned retail tenants is too significant to not take the time needed to fully develop the details of this ordinance (before it is adopted),' said speaker Mike Purcell. Sixth Ward Ald. Thomas Suffredin agreed that rules should be created first. 'As much as I support the objectives here, I don't understand the sequencing of doing rule-making after passing the ordinance,' he said. Fifth Ward Ald. Bobby Burns said the HBO will impact building owners and called for them to have a say during the rule-making process. 'They have to have a meaningful seat at the table,' he said. 'I will not vote on this if they don't.' Speaker Bill Schermerhorn, a property manager, expressed concerns about the financial impacts of the HBO. 'We can build bridges, but this is a bridge too far,' he said. 'We need certainty and we have way too much uncertainty. We're going to get hit in the pocketbook and it's going to hit the tenants the most.' But a number of speakers urged adoption of the HBO that night. 'This is the first step in planning the inevitable transition away from gas over the next few decades,' said Mardi Klevs, a volunteer with the Citizens Utility Board. 'We really need to move the needle with real action,' added Jack Jordan, speaking on behalf of Climate Action Evanston. 'Tonight you can take a very important first step.' Building owners could apply for an 'alternative compliance pathway plan' if they believe their property cannot meet the established standards, the HBO says.
