Press Release

adBlocks Automates Receiving Inventory from Eclipse

KENNEBUNK, Maine, March 30, 2003 — adBlocks announces that a long-time ambition of the Cable Advertising Sales community has become a reality: up-to-date inventory levels are seamlessly available to sales people and rates are automatically changed as spots are sold. Kevin Bowe, a member of the Steering Committee of the Cable Advertising Bureau says, “The industry has wanted this sort of functionality for a long, long time because it is the key to maximizing yield. Well, it’s no longer a pipe dream.” This solution comes from a company in Kennebunkport, Maine that has been determined to satisfy its customers. John Safford, COO of adBlocks and a principal in this automation project, explains how they did it:

“Over the last three years our clients have complained about serious inventory management issues, repeatedly over-sold inventory, and too many make-good schedules as a result of these inventory constraints. Many of these problems can be resolved by more efficient communication with the sales force. Three years ago, at the Denver CAB show, we introduced a color-coded system that would communicate inventory sell-out levels to the AE as he produced order lines. This was the first step of many to reduce the communication gap between traffic, managers, and AEs.

“A few months ago, we finalized a method to automatically convert inventory reports produced from the Eclipse system, which allowed us to update our inventory table nightly. This advancement gives the AE and managers the available inventory at the end of the previous business day. Invaluable! We continue to enhance other aspects of the interface by utilizing new features: increasing spot rates as the inventory becomes tighter, stopping AEs from submitting schedules that contain sold-out inventory, and giving managers a single point of inventory review before approving client orders. The future holds many new improvements that we shall introduce as the dynamic of the industry changes.”

President Michael Phelps says that for ten years he has heard the request for a pricing system like the ones used by the airlines, which are based upon current inventory and demand. “Now we have given our customers exactly what they want.”

adBlocks is the premier developer of workflow automation solutions for the advertising sales industry. Founded in 1994 in Kennebunkport, Maine, it numbers some of the largest media companies in the world among its client base.