When it comes to media research, she’s considered by many as one of the most important champions of transparent, accountable measurement. A mentor to many, she even testified on Capitol Hill on behalf of minorities, speaking on measurement.
Today, Ceril Shagrin is being remembered as a longtime consumer media research pioneer at both Nielsen and Univision Communications, as the highly respected audience measurement patent holder has passed away at the age of 89.
Shagrin is widely known across both the broadcast media and advertising and marketing industries for her longstanding efforts in pushing standards of excellence within the Media Rating Council and Council for Research Excellence, among other forums.
From June 1972 through March 1999, she was a stalwart within Nielsen, exiting as SVP of Market Development. Two months later, she became the head of research at Univision.
Under Shagrin, Univision became the first U.S. Hispanic television network to become Nielsen-rated, in early 2006. Advertisers and agencies crafting media plans or divvying up budgets had until then been unable to look at the Univision data unless they subscribed to Nielsen’s National Hispanic Television Index (NHTI), Shagrin, then-Sr. VP of Corporate Research at Univision Communications, explained.
Just two years earlier, the relationship between Univision and Nielsen was hardly as amicable. Fueled by Shagrin, Univision in 2004 filed suit against Nielsen over its future Local People Meter plans in Los Angeles, claiming that the same size inaccurately reflected minority broadcast media consumption. The lawsuit was dropped in November 2004. But, a new wrinkle emerged in June 2009, when Univision declined to encode its radio stations in such markets as Miami, Phoenix and San Diego for the then-Arbitron Portable People Meter, which differed from Nielsen’s LPM at the time.
Now an EVP of Corporate Research at Univision, Shagrin declared, “We had to take a stand and do what we believe in. It’s impacting our revenue as well as Arbitrons.”
This commitment to accuracy, and to the U.S. Hispanic market, was recognized by Univision’s current EVP of Research, Insights and Analytics, Robert Ruiz.
“Ceril was a mentor, a friend, and as many have noted a towering professional in the field of media research,” he shared via LinkedIn late Tuesday (7/5). “At Nielsen she broke the glass ceiling and rose through the ranks, while holding patents and designing breakthrough solutions. At Univision she pioneered and led Hispanic media measurement and without her and her efforts, the Hispanic media and advertising industry would not be where it is today. She was also a powerful force for better measurement, receiving a top-award from the MRC. Interestingly, with the rise of alternative currencies, Ceril’s drive to always think of minority representation in measurement is again at the forefront.”
Ruiz added that he was honored to work alongside Shagrin for more than a decade “and to get to know her on a professional and personal level.” He continued, “Her integrity, thoroughness, intelligence, and work ethic are an example to follow.”
Today, Univision’s research portal bears her name.
Shagrin retired in 2016.
Borja Perez, SVP of Revenue Strategy and Innovation at NBCU, thanked Ruiz for sharing the news. “I couldn’t agree with you more,” he commented. “She was an amazing friend, colleague and an extraordinary professional that helped build solid pillars to the wonderful and growing industry that we work for.”
Ana Ceppi, a senior advisor on the U.S. Hispanic market at Edelman presently featured in a RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast distributed July 5, added, “She was such a trailblazer. It was an honor to have worked with her.”
Jack Myers, the noted media ecologist and ad revenue forecaster, chimed in, too. “Ceril was a visionary in a field in need of them. Her work will continue to be remembered, as will she.”
A who’s who of multicultural marketing and media industry professionals also offered their thoughts and condolences on Ruiz’s LinkedIn post.
A funeral service will be held on Sunday, July 10 at 10am at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens, located at 1750 Curlew Road, Palm Harbor, Fla., 34683. The locale, fittingly, is just 7 miles to the west of the Nielsen facility in Oldsmar, Fla. It is also a 30-minute ride from Tampa International Airport.
