Nielsen Vet Joins TiVo Ad Research Unit

Sheryl Hawkins, a 17-year vet of Nielsen, has been named senior vice president of consumer packaged goods sales for TiVo Research and Analytics (TRA), a wholly-owned unit of TiVo that’s focused on helping advertisers, ad agencies and programmers develop targeted marketing campaigns.

To help tie advertisers seek out the right audience for their products, TRA’s patented platform matches tuning data of 2 million households with consumer purchase data. TRA’s clients include Procter and Gamble, CBS, A&E Television Networks, ION Media, and Starcom MediaVest Group.

Harkins will be based in Chicago, where most of TRA’s major CPG customers are located, TRA said. She most recently served as SVP of ad solutions sales and marketing at Nielsen. She previously spent a decade working in media research for The Leo Burnett Company.

“TRA's simple, yet sophisticated, single-source methodology delivers the quality data and insights that CPG advertisers rely on to drive product sales. I'm happy to be part of the team that is delivering this innovative service,” Harkins said, in a statement.

"Sheryl has many years of experience, unmatched expertise and a proven track record for successfully providing advertising solutions for major CPG advertisers,” added TiVo TRA CEO Mark Lieberman, in a statement.