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News The Oklahoma Publishing Company Reports Success with Cognos BURLINGTON, Mass., August 7, 2002 – The Oklahoma Publishing Company (OPUBCO), one of the largest newspaper publishers in the Midwest, has turned to Cognos to help them more effectively manage corporate performance. By offering a solution that analyzes and organizes data from disparate business units, Cognos, the world leader in business intelligence (BI), enables OPUBCO to accurately plan and forecast advertising revenues, enhance financial reporting, and provide the senior management with an executive dashboard to monitor pre-defined key performance indicators (KPIs). Because newspaper publishers generate revenue two ways - selling papers and selling advertising space - they need to be precise with their financial reporting, ensuring the most accurate information is available to make the strategic decisions that guide the business. OPUBCO has deployed Cognos’ Web-based reporting and analysis solution in combination with Cognos Finance to support three key profit centers: circulation, advertising, and a new database marketing service. OPUBCO is now able to gain immediate insight into marketplace trends by looking at advertising revenue and circulation rates as well as revenue forecasts. The solution was designed and implemented by Dallas-based Stonebridge Technologies, a Cognos Pinnacle Partner. “We have seen impressive returns since implementing Cognos, including financial reporting and in our analytical capabilities,” said Dan Barth, chief information officer, OPUBCO. “With Cognos we are able to track profitability across several dimensions as well as gain detailed insight into our customer base. Cognos business intelligence enables us to run the business more efficiently and use our data more effectively, thereby driving improved business performance.” OPUBCO is one of the first newspaper publishers in the country to expand its traditional print advertising services through database marketing built upon the company’s existing circulation and advertising data. OPUBCO now offers direct-mail marketing services, including market segmentation, predictive modeling, and campaign management to regional businesses. James Ivy, Stonebridge Technologies’ CEO and founder, said, “The OPUBCO project epitomizes how we help our customers gain a measurable ROI from their information technology, and our Cognos partnership played a significant role in the project’s ultimate success. Business intelligence - that is, gaining access to data, and giving knowledge workers the specific data and the technologies they needed to be more productive and efficient - enables businesses to get a greater return from their existing IT investments and information assets.” Cognos’ industry-leading analysis solution provides OPUBCO’s direct marketing group with a high-level view of consumer data with the ability to drill through to additional detail. Users can perform precise segmentation and predictive modeling, uncovering insights that are crucial to creating effective direct marketing campaigns for both consumers and advertising clients. “The breadth and depth of the Cognos business intelligence framework provides companies with a single vendor solution that meets all of their business intelligence needs,” said Dave Laverty, senior vice president, global marketing, Cognos. “The strength of our analytical applications and industry-leading reporting and analysis solutions are helping companies like OPUBCO reduce costs, stay competitive and run the business successfully despite tough economic conditions.” About OPUBCO In addition to The Daily and Sunday Oklahoman, The Oklahoma Publishing Company owns NewsOK.com, a news and information Web site for The Daily Oklahoman and KWTV/NEWS9 in Oklahoma City; the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. Co.; Gaillardia Golf & Country Club, a premier residential community in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and other properties. Corporate offices and The Oklahoman's production plant are located in Oklahoma City. About Stonebridge Technologies Stonebridge Technologies is a provider of business solutions and technology integration services serving organizations throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. The company helps its customers achieve a higher level of operational excellence through more effective integration of data, technology and business processes. Stonebridge’s solutions are focused on business intelligence, knowledge management, enterprise application integration (EAI) and high-end server and storage networks, and are built on the company’s proven experience in technology consulting, systems integration, custom application development and packaged-solutions implementation and upgrades. More information about Stonebridge is available at www.sbti.com and by telephone at 800-776-9755. About Cognos Cognos serves more than 20,000 customers in over 135 countries. Cognos enterprise business intelligence solutions and services are also available from more than 3,000 worldwide partners and resellers. For more information, visit the Cognos Web site at http://www.cognos.com. |
