Marketing optimization system

• US 20040093296A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Hackney, Michael L.J., Skrzypczak, Michael P., Peo, Carol R., Wells, John C., Pedersen, Ellen, Phelan, William L., Reagen, Jeffrey Q.
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0216 Investment accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

A marketing optimization module automatically obtaining multi-dimensional marketing data from a market client. The marketing optimization module automatically organizes at least a part of the multi-dimensional marketing data into one or more marketing categories. The marketing optimization module then analyzes all of or a part of the multi-dimensional marketing data to facilitate the optimization of a marketing investment.

Claims

1. A computerized method of optimizing a marketing investment comprising:

(a) automatically obtaining multi-dimensional marketing data from a market client;

(b) automatically organizing at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data into at least one marketing category; and

(c) analyzing the multi-dimensional data to facilitate optimization of a marketing investment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises apportioning the multidimensional marketing data into at least one marketing category.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises assigning the multi-dimensional marketing data into at least one marketing category.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises aligning the multi-dimensional marketing data with preexisting data in at least one marketing category.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises integrating the multi-dimensional marketing data with preexisting data in at least one marketing category.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the marketing category further comprises at least one of marketing goals, financial plans, and technical plans.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein step (b) further comprises linking together at least two of marketing goals, financial plans, and technical plans.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the marketing category further comprises at least one of a plans and programs classification, a business results classification, a market factors classification, and an audience and segment classification.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) further comprises analyzing effectiveness of a marketing strategy.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) further comprises at least one of:

(c-a) analyzing return on investment;

(c-b) forecasting business results;

(c-c) tracking brand performance;

(c-d) analyzing brand performance;

(c-e) reviewing efficiency of an investment;

(c-f) measuring a variance of the at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein step (c-b) further comprises at least one of demand forecasting and supply forecasting.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein step (c-f) further comprises alerting the market client of the variance.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring a marketing metric of the multidimensional marketing data within the marketing category.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising reporting the marketing metric to the market client.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) further comprises at least one of:

(c-a) simulating a response to a marketing strategy to optimize the marketing investment;

(c-b) modeling a market to forecast results of a marketing strategy to optimize the marketing investment;

(c-c) creating an analysis path through the multi-dimensional marketing data;

(c-d) optimizing consumer promotions; and

(c-e) annotating results of the analysis.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein step (c-b) further comprises adjusting the marketing model to forecast results of a different marketing strategy to optimize the marketing investment.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling a trained user to analyze data in the marketing category to optimize a marketing investment.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising automatically obtaining the trained user'"'"'s analysis.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising enabling a business user to analyze data in the marketing category to optimize a marketing investment.

20. A market server comprising:

(a) a user interface communicating with a market client to automatically obtain multidimensional marketing data;

(b) an input subsystem in communication with the user interface to organize at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data into at least one marketing category; and

(c) a marketing optimization module in communication with the input subsystem to automatically analyze the multi-dimensional marketing data to facilitate optimization of a marketing investment.

21. The market server of claim 20 wherein the marketing optimization module further comprises at least one of:

(c-a) a marketing performance monitor to monitor a marketing metric of the multidimensional marketing data within at least one marketing category;

(c-b) a marketing planner to manage marketing plan information; and

(c-c) a marketing simulator to simulate a response to a marketing strategy.

22. The market server of claim 21 wherein the marketing performance monitor reports the marketing metric.

23. The market server of claim 21 wherein the metric further comprises at least one of profits, losses, revenue, leads, new customers, time, sales, number of prospects, number of new accounts, contribution of one or more marketing factors, and advertising metrics.

24. The market server of claim 21 wherein the marketing performance monitor further comprises at least one of:

(c-a-a) a marketing mix modeling analysis module;

(c-a-b) a key performance indicator module;

(c-a-c) a price elasticity analysis module; and

(c-a-d) a trade promotion analysis module.

25. The market server of claim 21 wherein the marketing planner consolidates the multidimensional marketing data with preexisting data in the marketing category.

26. The market server of claim 21 wherein the marketing planner determines an investment amount for the market client to invest to optimize the marketing investment.

27. The market server of claim 21 wherein the marketing planner organizes the at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data into at least one of marketing goals, financial plans, and technical plans.

28. The market server of claim 27 wherein the marketing planner links at least two of the marketing goals, the financial plans, and the technical plans.

29. The market server of claim 21 wherein the marketing planner further comprises at least one of:

(c-b-a) an operational planner that performs at least one of execution functions, tracking functions, and resource management for the market client;

(c-b-b) a financial planner that plans at least one of budgets, estimates, and actuals for the market client; and

(c-b-c) a strategic planner that plans at least one of goals, objectives, and processes for the market client.

30. The market server of claim 21 wherein the marketing simulator focuses on a selected market characteristic.

31. The market server of claim 30 wherein the selected market characteristic further comprises at least one of a forecasted demand and a forecasted supply of a product.

32. The market server of claim 20 further comprising a brand metrics output module that tracks brand tracking data.

33. The market server of claim 20 wherein the marketing optimization module further comprises an analytics engine that analyzes the marketing data using a marketing model.

34. The market server of claim 33 wherein the analytics engine adjusts the marketing model.

35. The market server of claim 20 wherein the marketing category further comprises at least one of a plans and programs classification, a business results classification, a market factors classification, and an audiences and segments classification.

36. The market server of claim 20 wherein the multi-dimensional marketing data further comprises at least one of marketing plans, marketing data, business results, market factors, research data, product data, price data, promotion data, customer data, audience data, competitive data, marketing buys, operational data, and external data.

37. A computerized method of analyzing marketing data comprising:

(a) automatically obtaining multi-dimensional marketing data from a market client;

(b) performing statistical analysis on at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data;

(c) reporting factual information on the at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data; and

(d) analyzing the marketing data using the statistical analysis and the factual information to produce a marketing result.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein step (d) further comprises at least one of:

(d-a) modeling a market to generate the marketing result;

(d-b) determining a return on the at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data; and

(d-c) creating an analysis path through the marketing data.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein step (d-a) further comprises factual information comprising a budget of a market client having an unspent portion and a spent portion.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the modeling further comprises using only an unspent portion of the budget.

41. The method of claim 37 wherein the at least a portion of the marketing data further comprises data relating to at least one of a business product, a business, geography, organization of the business, a customer, a channel, and a brand.

42. A computerized method of integrating marketing data comprising:

(a) automatically obtaining multi-dimensional marketing data from a market client; and

(b) guiding a user of the market client in the integration of at least one dimension of the multi-dimensional marketing data with preexisting data within a marketing category.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein step (b) further comprises analyzing the integrated data.

44. The method of claim 43 further comprising analyzing the integrated data across a plurality of dimensions of the multi-dimensional marketing data.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the plurality of dimensions of the multi-dimensional marketing data further comprises data for a plurality of products.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the marketing category further comprises television advertisement spending for a product in the plurality of products.

47. The method of claim 43 wherein the analyzing of the integrated data further comprises determining the return on the marketing investment category.

48. The method of claim 43 wherein step (b) further comprises organizing the multi-dimensional marketing data into the marketing category.

49. A computerized method of optimizing a marketing budget comprising:

(a) automatically obtaining marketing data from a market client, the marketing data comprising a marketing budget and marketing activity data; and

(b) automatically linking the marketing budget to the marketing activity data to optimize the marketing budget,

wherein the linking further comprises performing statistical analysis on the marketing budget.

50. A computerized method of monitoring performance of a marketing investment comprising:

(a) automatically obtaining multi-dimensional marketing data from a market client;

(b) automatically organizing the multi-dimensional marketing data into at least one marketing category; and

(c) forecasting a business result from the multi-dimensional marketing data to facilitate monitoring performance of a marketing investment.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein step (a) further comprises obtaining market input from the market client.

52. The method of claim 50 wherein step (c) further comprises at least one of:

(c-a) analyzing effectiveness of the marketing investment;

(c-b) analyzing performance against competition;

(c-c) forecasting a business result for a plan of record;

(c-d) analyzing brand performance during the forecast; and

(c-e) reviewing efficiency of the marketing investment during the forecast.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein step (c-e) further comprises reviewing efficiency of at least one of a marketing strategy of a customer, investments, and a variable transmitted in the marketing data.

54. A computer-based system of optimizing a marketing investment comprising:

(a) a user interface communicating with a market client to automatically obtain multidimensional marketing data from a market client;

(b) an input subsystem in communication with the user interface to organize at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data into a marketing category; and

(c) a performance monitor forecasting a business result from the multi-dimensional marketing data to facilitate monitoring performance of a marketing investment.

55. The system of claim 54 wherein the performance monitor reports the business result.

56. The system of claim 55 wherein the business result further comprises at least one of profits, losses, revenue, leads, new customers, time, sales, number of prospects, number of new accounts, contribution of one or more marketing factors, and advertising metrics.

57. The system of claim 54 wherein the performance monitor further comprises at least one of a marketing mix modeling analysis module, a key performance indicator module, a price elasticity analysis module, and a trade promotion analysis module.

58. A method of planning a marketing strategy to facilitate optimization of a marketing investment comprising:

(a) automatically obtaining multi-dimensional marketing data from a market client;

(b) automatically organizing at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data into at least one marketing category; and

(c) planning a marketing strategy from the multi-dimensional marketing data in at least one of the marketing categories to facilitate optimization of a marketing investment.

59. The method of claim 58 further comprising at least one of:

(d) designating a plan of record;

(e) managing actuals; and

(f) revising event milestones.

60. A computer-based system for planning a marketing strategy to facilitate optimization of a marketing investment comprising:

(a) a user interface communicating with a market client to automatically obtain multidimensional marketing data from a market client;

(b) an input subsystem in communication with the user interface to organize at least a portion of the multi-dimensional marketing data into at least one marketing category; and

(c) a marketing planner generating a marketing plan from the multi-dimensional marketing data in at least one of the marketing categories to facilitate optimizing of a marketing investment.