SAP Media Solution Enhanced: SAP Business Information Warehouse Tailored to Media Needs; Support for Online Advertising, and Extended Functionality for Magazine Publishing
SAP AG, a leading provider of enterprise software solutions, has announced additional functionality for the SAP Media solution. The new functionality includes integration of the SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) as well as enhancements of two industry-specific components, Advertising Management (IS-M/AM) and Media Sales and Distribution (IS-M/SD) including circulation and fulfillment.
The SAP Media solution is a comprehensive IT solution with an open interface with which media companies can fully integrate technical systems into the business process workflow. It is the only solution available that offers process integration of a media company's customer care and back-office activities, and it enables a company to sell and bill for advertising across the various media. The new functionality in SAP Media is scheduled to be available in July 1999.
When combined with the SAP Business Information Warehouse, SAP Media enables customers to access and explore a variety of data, such as ad revenue, production costs and circulation figures, from core SAP R/3 and industry-specific components. It will provide companies with a comprehensive enterprisewide information system that leverages a robust data warehouse incorporating business content, predefined extraction routines, information models and reporting capabilities designed specifically for companies in the media industry. For example, users can run reports on profitability by issue; ad sales revenue with drill-down by type of ad, time period or sales person; costs including production, sales and distribution, and commission payments; and customer relationship management in areas such as the number and types of complaints and readers' letters. This end-to-end solution provides seamless links to planning and execution applications that allow companies to make faster business decisions on information gained through SAP BW analysis.
"By implementing SAP Business Information Warehouse, we have a strategic handle on our business," said Hartmut Wienegge, manager SAP-Center, Gruner + Jahr AG & Co. "The reporting capabilities fulfill our needs, and we have more time to analyze critical data on one common basis, such as controlling data in our newspaper business."
The Advertising Management component offers specific functionality for the management of advertising and marketing campaigns in print media, including newspapers, magazines, inserts, telephone directories and address books, as well as in radio and television. With the Advertising Management component, the SAP Media solution now supports the selling of online advertising as well as print and online cross-selling activities regarding orders, contract management and billing.
The Media Sales and Distribution component provides highly efficient processes for the sale and distribution of media such as newspapers and magazines as well as comprehensive support for circulation planning, logistics of distribution and delivery for any delivery method, billing, and settlement of commission fees. With IS-M/SD, the SAP Media solution supports all subscription-based and single-copy-based business processes for newspapers and magazines, including the following:
The new release adds support for three new language versions -- Italian, Spanish and Portuguese -- to the already supported English, French and German as well as an interface for external tax systems in the United States.
"We want to completely reengineer our financial and business processes to reduce costs, make them easier to use and provide better management information," said Niels R. Andersen, head of Group Financial Systems and Finance Operations and APOLLO campaign director at British Broadcasting Corp. "Using SAP as the platform, we can build a single integrated system that will take the BBC into the 21st century."
The comprehensive SAP Media solution supports business management and customer care processes, and includes SAP R/3 core business process functionality such as SAP Financials, SAP Human Resources and SAP Logistics, in addition to media industry-specific components such as Advertising Management and Media Sales and Distribution. The SAP Media solution is designed to fully integrate technical systems (e.g., prepress or finishing systems) into business processes through standard open interfaces to third-party systems. The SAP Media solution is designed to meet the needs of customers in a broad range of media companies:
More information can be found at http://www.sap.com/media.
SAP, the world's largest enterprise software company, provides companies of all sizes with business solutions that deliver A Better Return on Information. SAP products and services integrate an organization from financials and human resources to manufacturing and sales and distribution. This integration enables companies to optimize supply chains, strengthen customer relationships, and make more accurate management decisions. Founded in 1972, SAP leverages a global network of people, processes and products to assure customer success. SAP is listed on several exchanges including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." The SAP World Wide Web site can be found at http://www.sap.com.