Method and apparatus for developing a package of media advertising spots

• US 6,338,043 B1
• Filed: 12/01/1998
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Media Research, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Inventors: Miller, Laurence Blair
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKERS, GEOFFREY R
• Application Number:
  US09/203,160
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/10, 725/32, 725/38
• US Class Current: 705/14.69
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for automatically developing a package of advertising spots from a plurality of available spots offered by a plurality of media suppliers are disclosed. In one implementation, an apparatus includes a package developer cooperating with the memory to develop a package containing a subset of the representations of the available spots based on at least one of a plurality of guideline variables. The apparatus also includes a validator cooperating with the package developer to validate the package by ensuring that every media supplier associated with the representations in the subset supplies a minimum percentage of the spots in the subset.

Claims

1. For use with a memory for storing a plurality of representations of available advertising spots, an apparatus for automatically developing a package of advertising spots from the plurality of available advertising spots, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of guideline variables stored in the memory;

a daypart selector cooperating with the memory to develop a first set of available spots in a first daypart and a second set of available spots in a second daypart from the plurality of available advertising spots, the second daypart being different than the first daypart;

a spot selector cooperating with the memory and the daypart selector to develop a package of available spots from the first and second sets of available spots based on the guideline variables; and

a tester cooperating with the spot selector for excluding spots from the package based on a first predefined criteria defined by at least one of the guideline variables.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the representations of the available spots each respectively include a cost per point value, and wherein the spot selector develops the package by searching the first set for an available spot based on the cost per point values.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the spot selector develops the package by searching the second set for an available spot based on the cost per point values.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the order in which the spot selector searches the first and second sets is user definable.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the spot selector and the tester complete developing a first selected one of the first and second sets before developing a second selected one of the first and second sets.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein the first selected one and the second selected one of the first and second sets are user definable.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the spot selector continues passing spots meeting the first predefined criteria to the tester until a second predefined criteria defined by at least one of the guideline variables is satisfied.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein the second predefined criteria comprises a threshold sum of gross rating points to be purchased for the first daypart.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein the second predefined criteria comprises a threshold sum of gross rating points to be purchased for a campaign including at least the first and second dayparts.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the guideline variables is user definable.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the first predefined criteria comprises at least one of the group comprising:

a minimum rating value, a cutoff time, a maximum number of spots per program value, a maximum number of spots in a stripped program, a media supplier identification, a maximum number of spots in a daytime rotation, a maximum percentage of gross rating points per media supplier value, a total gross rating points per campaign value, a maximum gross rating points per daypart value, a length of spot variable, a maximum gross rating points per supplier per campaign value, a maximum gross ratings points per supplier per daypart value, a target percentage of gross ratings points per a predefined supplier value, a market variable, and a target gross rating points per a predefined supplier value.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the daypart selector, the spot selector and the testor comprises software executing on a microprocessor.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the daypart selector, the spot selector and the testor comprises a hardware circuit.

14. For use with a memory for storing a plurality of representations of available advertising spots offered by a plurality of media suppliers, an apparatus for automatically developing a package of advertising spots from a plurality of available advertising spots, the apparatus comprising:

a package developer cooperating with the memory to develop a package containing a subset of the representations stored in memory based on at least one of a plurality of guideline variables; and

a validator cooperating with the package developer to validate the package by ensuring that every media supplier associated with the representations in the subset supplies a minimum percentage of the spots in the subset.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein, if the validator determines that a given supplier falls below the minimum percentage, the package developer develops a second package including a second subset of the representations stored in the memory based on the at least one of the plurality of guideline variables and by excluding all spots associated with the given supplier from the second subset.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein at least one of the package developer and the validator comprises software executing on a microprocessor.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein at least one of the package developer and the validator comprises a hardware circuit.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein the package developer comprises:

a daypart selector cooperating with the memory to develop a first set of available spots in a first daypart from the plurality of available advertising spots;

a spot selector cooperating with the memory and the daypart selector to develop the package of available spots from the first set of available spots based on the guideline variables; and

a tester cooperating with the spot selector for excluding spots from the package based on a first predefined criteria defined by at least one of the guideline variables.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein the package developer comprises:

a daypart selector cooperating with the memory to develop a first set of available spots in a first daypart and a second set of available spots in a second daypart from the plurality of available advertising spots, the second daypart being different than the first daypart;

a spot selector cooperating with the memory and the daypart selector to develop the package of available spots from the first and second sets of available spots based on the guideline variables; and

a tester cooperating with the spot selector for excluding spots from the package based on a first predefined criteria defined by at least one of the guideline variables.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein the representations of the available spots each respectively include a cost per point value, and wherein the spot selector develops the package by searching the first set for an available spot having a lower cost per point value than remaining available spots in the first set.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 20 wherein the spot selector develops the package by searching the second set for an available spot having a lower cost per point value than remaining available spots in the second set.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 21 wherein the order in which the spot selector searches the first and second sets is user definable.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein the spot selector and the tester complete developing a first selected one of the first and second sets before developing a second selected one of the first and second sets.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 23 wherein the first selected one and the second selected one of the first and second sets are user definable.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein the spot selector continues passing spots to the tester until a second predefined criteria defined by at least one of the guideline variables is satisfied.

26. For use with a memory for storing a plurality of representations of available advertising spots, an apparatus for automatically developing a package of advertising spots from the plurality of available advertising spots, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of guideline variables stored in the memory, the guideline variables including supplier percentage variables defining a percentage of gross rating points to be purchased from each media supplier in a set of media suppliers;

a daypart selector cooperating with the memory to develop a first set of available spots in a first daypart from the plurality of available advertising spots;

a spot selector cooperating with the memory and the daypart selector to develop a package of available spots from the first set of available spots based on the guideline variables; and

a tester cooperating with the spot selector for excluding spots from the package based on a first predefined criteria defined by at least one of the guideline variables and based upon the supplier percentage variables such that, upon completion of the package, the package contains spots from the media suppliers in the set of media suppliers apportioned in the percentages defined by the supplier percentage variables.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 26 wherein the supplier percentage variables are user definable.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 26 wherein the set of media suppliers is user definable.

29. A method for automatically developing a package of advertising spots from a plurality of available advertising spots, the method comprising the steps of:

developing a first set of available spots in a first daypart from a plurality of available advertising spots;

developing a second set of available spots in a second daypart from a plurality of available advertising spots, the second daypart being different than the first daypart;

developing a package of available spots from the first and second sets of available spots based on guideline variables; and

excluding spots from the package based on a first predefined criteria defined by at least one of the guideline variables.

30. A method as defined in claim 29 wherein each of the available spots respectively includes a cost per point value, and wherein the step of developing a package further comprises:

searching the first set for an available spot having a lower cost per point value than remaining available spots in the first set.

31. A method as defined in claim 30 wherein the step of developing a package further comprises:

searching the second set for an available spot having a lower cost per point value than remaining available spots in the second set.

32. A method as defined in claim 31 further comprising the step of selecting the order in which the first and second sets are searched.

33. A method as defined in claim 30 wherein the step of searching the first set is repeated until a second predefined criteria defined by the guideline variables is satisfied.

34. A method as defined in claim 33 wherein the second predefined criteria comprises a threshold sum of gross rating points to be purchased for the first daypart.

35. A method as defined in claim 33 wherein the second predefined criteria comprises a threshold sum of gross rating points to be purchased for a campaign including at least the first and second dayparts.

36. A method as defined in claim 29 wherein at least one of the guideline variables is user definable.

37. A method as defined in claim 29 wherein the first predefined criteria comprises at least one of the group comprising:

a minimum rating value, a cutoff time, a maximum number of spots per program value, a maximum number of spots in a stripped program, a media supplier identification, a maximum number of spots in a daytime rotation, a maximum percentage of gross rating points per media supplier value, a total gross rating points per campaign value, a maximum gross rating points per daypart value, a length of spot variable, a maximum gross rating points per supplier per campaign value, a maximum gross ratings points per supplier per daypart value, a target percentage of gross ratings points per a predefined supplier value, a market variable, and a target gross rating points per a predefined supplier value.

38. A method for automatically developing a package of advertising spots from a plurality of available advertising spots offered by a plurality of media suppliers, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of representations of available advertising spots offered by a plurality of media suppliers;

developing a package containing a subset of the representations based on guideline variables; and

validating the package by ensuring that every media supplier associated with the representations in the subset supplies a minimum percentage of the spots in the subset.

39. A method as defined in claim 38 further comprising the step of:

if a given supplier falls below the minimum percentage, developing a second package including a second subset of the representations stored in the memory based on the guideline variables and by excluding all spots associated with the given supplier from the second subset.

40. A method as defined in claim 38 wherein the step of developing a package further comprises the steps of:

developing a first set of available spots in a first daypart from the plurality of available advertising spots;

developing a second set of available spots in a second daypart from the plurality of available advertising spots, the second daypart being different than the first daypart;

developing the package of available spots from the first and second sets of available spots based on the guideline variables; and

excluding spots from the package based on a first predefined criteria defined by at least one of the guideline variables.

41. A method for automatically developing a package of advertising spots from a plurality of available advertising spots, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of guideline variables including supplier percentage variables defining a percentage of gross rating points to be purchased from each media supplier in a set of media suppliers;

developing a first set of available spots in a first daypart from the plurality of available advertising spots;

developing a package of available spots from the first set of available spots based on the guideline variables; and

excluding spots from the package based on a first predefined criteria defined by at least one of the guideline variables and based upon the supplier percentage variables such that, upon completion of the package, the package contains spots from the user defined media suppliers apportioned in the percentages defined by the supplier percentage variables.

42. A method as defined in claim 41 wherein the supplier percentage variables are user definable.

43. A method as defined in claim 41 wherein the set of media suppliers is user definable.