Purchase information from outside research firms and vendors. Well-known data suppliers
include firms such as the A.C. Nielsen Company and Information Resources Inc. They collect
information about product sales in a variety of categories and consumer exposure to various
media. They also gather consumer-panel data much more cheaply than marketers manage on
their own. Biz360 and its online content partners, for example, provide real-time coverage and
analysis of news media and consumer opinion information from over 70,000 traditional and
social media sources (print, broadcast,Web sites, blogs, and message boards).