Inventory and Revenue Maximization Method and System

• US 20110202410A1
• Filed: 04/28/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Clear Channel Management Services LP (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ginsburg, Allan, Weinberger, Arthur, Murray, David R., Williams, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US13/096,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202410A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.69
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission

Abstract

A method is provided for enterprise management and bundling of inventory to maximize revenue on perishable products. An electronic data-mart collects factors for the probability and price sensitivity of a buyer. The data-mart also collects rules for inventory scaling, available inventory to sell, budget (goal) information, advertiser payment history, and station performance data to feed to a scenario planner. Once three or more variables exist, algorithms create scenario plans to present the most profitable bundle of offerings. The scenarios are typically pre-approved although presented to local business units for an abnormality failsafe. Once processed by local business units, the scenarios are presented to the buyer. Negotiations typically cause the process to restart. The main systems that interact to build scenarios are: an enterprise data-mart, a scenario planner, a performance measurement system, a rate or yield management subsystem, a traffic and accounts receivable system, and a local inventory booking system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by executing program instructions, information indicating selected markets within a geographic demarcation;

setting filters, by executing program instructions, to filter a media within selected markets based on criteria selected from a group consisting of demographics, psycho graphics and media type;

obtaining, by executing program instructions, buyer criteria including at least two of following criteria;

a number of persons expected to be exposed to advertisement units, a frequency of exposure of advertisement units to the number of persons, budget to purchase the advertisement units, demographics, psycho graphics, and desired gross number of times the number of persons will be exposed to the advertisement units;

compiling a scenario by executing program instructions in a computer system, the scenario being composed essentially of a variety of advertisement units selected based on the buyer'"'"'s criteria; and

pricing the advertisement units based on the buyer criteria and a purchasing history of the buyer, by executing program instructions.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

assigning a probability that the buyer will make a purchase of advertisement units; and

pricing the advertisement units based on at least the probability.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising pricing the advertisement units using inventory scaling, available inventory of advertisement units to sell, budgetary goal information, and buyer payment history.

4. The method of claim 1, the buyer'"'"'s criteria including at least one criterion selected from a group consisting of marketplace, population of the marketplace, performance measurement, price, number of available advertisement units, and day parts.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

displaying a geographic map on a screen; and

wherein various markets are selected through a graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, displaying a geographic map including displaying graphics to illustrate progress through a process of compiling a scenario.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying the scenario to the buyer.

8. The method of claim 7, displaying including displaying a schedule of advertisement slots and a price for the scenario.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising permitting the buyer to edit the selected markets after the compiled scenario is displayed.

10. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of computer executable instructions, the program of instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to receive, by executing program instructions, information indicating selected markets within a geographic demarcation;

at least one instruction to set filters, by executing program instructions, to filter a media within selected markets based on criteria selected from a group consisting of demographics, psycho graphics and media type;

at least one instruction to obtain, by executing program instructions, buyer criteria including at least two of following criteria;

a number of persons expected to be exposed to advertisement units, a frequency of exposure of advertisement units to the number of persons, budget to purchase the advertisement units, demographics, psycho graphics, and desired gross number of times the number of persons will be exposed to the advertisement units;

at least one instruction to compile a scenario by executing program instructions in a computer system, the scenario being composed essentially of a variety of advertisement units selected based on the buyer'"'"'s criteria; and

at least one instruction to price the advertisement units based on the buyer criteria and a purchasing history of the buyer, by executing program instructions.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the program of instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to assign a probability that the buyer will make a purchase of advertisement units; and

at least one instruction to price the advertisement units based on at least the probability.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the program of instructions further comprising at least one instruction to price the advertisement units includes using inventory scaling, available inventory of advertisement units to sell, budgetary goal information, and buyer payment history.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the buyer'"'"'s criteria including at least one criterion selected from a group consisting of marketplace, population of the marketplace, performance measurement, price, number of available advertisement units, and day parts.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the program of instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to display a geographic map on a screen; and

wherein various markets are selected through a graphical user interface.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, displaying a geographic map including displaying graphics to illustrate progress through a process of compiling a scenario.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the program of instructions comprising at least one instruction to display the scenario to the buyer.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, displaying including displaying a schedule of advertisement slots and a price for the scenario.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the program of instructions comprising at least one instruction to permit the buyer to edit the selected markets after the compiled scenario is displayed.

19. An advertisement inventory management system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, the processor configured to;

receive, by executing program instructions, information indicating selected markets within a geographic demarcation;

set filters, by executing program instructions, to filter a media within selected markets based on criteria selected from a group consisting of demographics, psycho graphics and media type;

obtain, by executing program instructions, buyer criteria including at least two of following criteria;

a number of persons expected to be exposed to advertisement units, a frequency of exposure of advertisement units to the number of persons, budget to purchase the advertisement units, demographics, psycho graphics, and desired gross number of times the number of persons will be exposed to the advertisement units;

compile a scenario by executing program instructions in a computer system, the scenario being composed essentially of a variety of advertisement units selected based on the buyer'"'"'s criteria; and

price the advertisement units based on the buyer criteria and a purchasing history of the buyer, by executing program instructions.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, the device configured to:

display the scenario to the buyer, wherein a display includes a schedule of advertisement slots and a price for the scenario, and

receive commands to edit the selected markets after the scenario is displayed.