All media buyers can receive electronic proposals from any seller

A consortium of industry vendors has developed Proposal XML, an open-standard spec for sending and receiving electronic avails that advances eBusiness for the entire industry.

The consortium includes DDS, DDS MediaOcean, eMediaTRADE, Harris RepLine, Marketron, NCC and OneDomain. Additional vendors are participating since the release of the spec.

Proposal XML adds functionality and enhances efficiencies

Using Proposal XML, proposals are generated in the seller's system and are available for the agency to electronically import into their buying system, reducing manual re-keying. All trading partners save time and gain efficiencies by electronically transacting business.

Aspects of proposals incorporated into the spec include multiple rates per proposal line (also known as tiered rates) and the ability to send spots. Proposal XML offers the capability of including additional sales information, such as reach and frequency and additional books for historical trending. The seller can also send revised proposals using the new Proposal XML spec.

Otto Bischoff, regional broadcast manager, senior partner at GroupM Dallas, states that Proposal XML has improved his workflow. "The tiered rate functionality has really helped us negotiate on a week to week basis with the sellers, which ultimately benefits our clients," explains Bischoff.

NCC is among the vendors that have successfully sent Proposal XML files to several agencies, which have processed the proposals through their media buying systems. "With Proposal XML, buyers will spend less time manually entering and maintaining buys and more time meeting their clients' objectives. We're looking forward to working with agencies on taking advantage of this capability, as this new format will give them greater access to quality programming and audiences available through local cable," says Nick Garramone, senior vice president, eBusiness Operations and Research at NCC.

The extensive, open XML spec enables each vendor to work with its clients to develop the best applications possible and enhance the capabilities of its system.

Schema available to all vendors

The schema is posted on the Proposal XML website. It includes business rules and sample test files, so any vendor can program the schema for its broadcast and local cable clients. Vendors can contact anyone in the consortium for questions on the schema, testing scenarios, etc.

For more information on Proposal XML, visit www.proposalxml.com.