Method and apparatus for analyzing data and advertising optimization
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a CPU;
a memory coupled to the CPU;
an advertising optimization mechanism residing in the memory and being executed by the CPU, the advertising optimization mechanism iteratively modifying and scoring a base advertising schedule in order to achieve an optimal advertising schedule.
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Abstract
The most preferred embodiment of the present invention is a computer-based decision support system that includes three main components: a database mining engine (DME); an advertising optimization mechanism; and a customized user interface that provides access to the various features of the invention. The user interface, in conjunction with the DME, provides a unique and innovative way to store, retrieve and manipulate data from existing databases containing media-related audience access data, which describe the access habits and preferences of the media audience. By using a database with a simplified storage and retrieval protocol, the data contained therein can be effectively manipulated in real time. This means that previously complex and lengthy information retrieval and analysis activities can be accomplished in very short periods of time (typically seconds instead of minutes or even hours). Further, by utilizing the advertising optimization mechanism of the present invention, businesses, networks, and advertising agencies can interactively create, score, rank and compare various proposed or actual advertising strategies in a simple and efficient manner. This allows the decision-makers to more effectively tailor their marketing efforts and successfully reach the desired target market while conserving scarce advertising capital. Finally, the user interface for the system provides access to both the DME and the optimization mechanism in a simple and straightforward manner, significantly reducing training time.
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Citations
82 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a CPU;
a memory coupled to the CPU;
an advertising optimization mechanism residing in the memory and being executed by the CPU, the advertising optimization mechanism iteratively modifying and scoring a base advertising schedule in order to achieve an optimal advertising schedule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer system for optimizing an advertising schedule, the computer system comprising:
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a CPU;
a memory coupled to the CPU;
a database residing in the memory, the database containing a plurality of person-by-person data files, the plurality of person-by-person data;
a database mining engine residing in the memory;
a data conversion mechanism residing in the memory, the data conversion mechanism comprising a mechanism for converting data from a first data format to a second data format; and
a graphical user interface residing in the memory and being executed by the CPU, wherein the graphical user interface provides a plurality of choices for optimizing the advertising schedule according to a plurality of indices. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A program product comprising:
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an advertising optimization mechanism, the advertising optimization mechanism iteratively modifying a base advertising schedule to achieve an optimal advertising schedule; and
signal bearing media bearing the advertising optimization mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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16. The program product of
claim 16 wherein the signal bearing media comprises transmission media.
- 23. A method for advertising optimization, the method comprising the step of iteratively modifying a base advertising schedule according to at least one of a plurality of indices in order to achieve an optimal advertising schedule.
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28. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing an advertising campaign containing a plurality of advertising spots;
(b) identifying one of the plurality of advertising spots as a least valuable advertising spot;
(c) removing the least valuable advertising spot from the advertising campaign;
(d) identifying a plurality of alternative options to add to the advertising campaign;
(e) selecting one of the plurality of alternative options and adding the selected alternative option to the advertising campaign to achieve a modified advertising campaign;
(f) scoring the modified advertising campaign; and
(g) repeating steps b, c, d, e, and f in order to achieve an optimal advertising schedule. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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- 35. A graphical user interface comprising at least one icon which accesses a plurality of person-by-person records contained in a database via a database mining engine and presents at least one advertising optimization choice to a user of the graphical user interface.
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39. A computer system with a graphical user interface comprising:
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a CPU;
a memory coupled to the CPU;
a database residing in the memory, the database comprising a plurality of person-by-person media-related records which describe a series of choices and decisions made by an identified sample audience in relation to a media vehicle;
a database mining engine residing in the memory and being executed by the CPU; and
at least one icon which accesses the plurality of person-by-person records contained in the database via the database mining engine and presents at least one advertising optimization choice to a user of the graphical user interface. - View Dependent Claims (40)
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41. A computer system for analyzing data and optimizing an advertising schedule, the system comprising:
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a CPU;
a memory coupled to the CPU;
a database residing in the memory, the database comprising a plurality of person-by-person records which describe a series of television choices and decisions made by an identified sample audience;
a database mining engine residing in the memory, the database mining engine comprising a plurality of Boolean filters used to screen the plurality of person-by-person records contained in the database; and
a graphical user interface residing in the memory and being executed by the CPU, wherein the user interface accesses the person-by-person records in the database via the database mining engine and iteratively optimizes the advertising schedule using a predetermined method. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method of calculating a ratio, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating a first media-related exposure value;
generating a second media-related exposure value; and
combining the first and second media-related exposure values to create the ratio. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49)
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50. A method of calculating a media analysis ratio, the method comprising the steps of:
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selecting a subset of person-by-person media-related access data from a database thereby generating a first media-related exposure value;
selecting a subset of person-by-person media-related access data from the database thereby generating a second media-related exposure value; and
dividing the first media-related exposure value by the second media-related exposure value to create the media analysis ratio.
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51. A method of scoring an advertisement, the method comprising the steps of:
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scoring each of a plurality of individual exposures to the advertisement to determine a value for each of the plurality of individual exposures; and
combining the values determined for each of the plurality of individual exposures to achieve an overall score for the advertisement. - View Dependent Claims (52)
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53. A computer system with a graphical user interface comprising:
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a CPU;
a memory coupled to the CPU;
a database residing in the memory, the database comprising a plurality of person-by-person media-related records which describe a series of choices and decisions made by an identified sample audience in relation to a media vehicle;
a database mining engine residing in the memory and being executed by the CPU; and
a graphical user interface with at least one icon which accesses the plurality of person-by-person records contained in the database via the database mining engine and presents at least one advertising optimization choice to a user of the graphical user interface. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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- 65. A method for comparatively scoring a plurality of advertising options comprising the step of using a graphical user interface to evaluate a plurality of alternative advertising options.
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76. A method of calculating a score for an advertising spot, the method comprising the steps of:
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determining a separate value for each exposure of each of a plurality of audience members to the advertising spot; and
summing the exposure values for each of the plurality of audience members to calculate the score for the advertising spot. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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Specification