P&G Licenses Consumer Behavior Model and New-product testing Program to VNU's BASES

CINCINNATI - The Procter & Gamble Co. has granted an exclusive license of its proprietary "Gen-3" consumer behavior model and "Virtual Launch" new-product testing method to BASES, a unit of VNU Marketing Information and a global provider of simulated test results.

Under the terms of the agreement, BASES will incorporate P&G's "Gen-3" technology into its forecasting model and leverage its extensive expertise in new-product forecasting to calibrate, validate, and enhance P&G's Virtual Launch system and become the sole supplier of these technologies for P&G's marketing needs. The goal is to make them available to the general marketplace, as well, the companies said.

The Gen-3 system uses state-of-the-art buyer behavior theory to encompass a large diversity of consumer buying patterns, as well as a greater diversity of marketing and environmental influences. When incorporated into the BASES model, the "Gen-3" technology will enhance the ability of BASES to account for the impact of media and retail fragmentation, as well as targeted marketing, in its forecasts.

Virtual Launch uses virtual marketing materials and online "shopping trips" to determine how consumers respond to various attributes of a new product launch. The Virtual Launch methodology overcomes weaknesses inherent in current "simulated shopping" techniques, while better representing the diversity of today's marketing environment.