• by Gavin O'Malley , July 30, 2010

Media monetization firm RSG Media Systems on Friday unveiled a new analytics tool for digital publishers to maximize yield from ad sales. The new Zoox suite of products use analytics and predictive algorithms to advise managers when to charge more and when to make a deal, in an effort to predict a narrow band within which market prices will fall.

"Often sales reps just want to close a deal and accept a price that is too low," says Sriram Subramanian, head of RSG Media's Analytics & Optimization group. "There's not only the direct cost of lower prices; there's also the opportunity cost."

By calculating a price floor -- based on 28 market conditions and inventory indicators -- Zoox Analytics seeks to help managers maintain pricing discipline. In testing, RSG reports a 4-5% lift opportunity with unnamed digital publishers.

The new Zoox Analytics system attempts to help pricing and inventory terms to answer questions such as: 'How much inventory do I have for a DMA?,' 'How much targeted to adult males?', and 'Do I make more money selling individual units or packages?'

"Our solutions based on rigorous mathematical models help provide decision support in critical areas of estimating available inventory to sell," added Subramanian. "Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all, we start any engagement with an understanding of specific business requirements."

The company's existing products include Rights Logic, a rights and royalty management tool; Planit, an ad sales proposal management system; and AdVant for optimizing ad sales revenue software.

First established in 1985, RSG Media Systems also designs strategies and implements custom technology solutions for clients.

According to RSG, clients include Discovery Communications, Major League Baseball, Bertelsmann, Lifetime Networks, National Basketball Association, CBS Radio Network, and National Geographic Channel, among others.