Individualized marketing to improve capacity utilization

• US 20060155598A1
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kayak Software Corporation (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kayak Software Corporation (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Inventors: English, Paul, Giza, Jim, Patterson, Andrew, Spurr, Charles L., Hafner, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 7,917,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.710
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0223 based on inventory
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions

Abstract

Suppliers of goods and/or services subject to shifts in capacity utilization design and implement marketing campaigns around utilization forecasts, targeting marketing expenditures on periods of excess capacity rather than periods without excess capacity, and in some embodiments also to alter variables such as pricing, consumer targeting, or even the intensity of the campaign itself on a dynamic basis in response to changing market conditions.

Claims

1. A method of defining and executing a marketing campaign in connection with a site facilitating interactive searches for items characterized by fixed capacity and deferred consumption, by means of which a site visitor submits preference information relating to consumption and thereby obtains information concerning availability of the items, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from each of a plurality of suppliers of the items, (i) a marketing campaign comprising a promotion and execution criteria and (ii) a bid for presentation of the marketing campaign to visitors to the site;

assessing the preference information obtained from at least some visitors to the site for conformance to the execution criteria; and

upon detection of a match between a visitor'"'"'s preference information and the execution criteria of more than one marketing campaign, offering to the visitor, via the site, at least one promotion based at least in part on the bids.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one offered promotion is selected based on a combination of a click-through bid and a past click-through rate.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the execution criteria specify parameters corresponding to a capacity forecast.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the execution criteria vary dynamically with an actual and an updated forecast capacity.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the execution criteria specify particular individuals.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the execution criteria specify behavior or consumption patterns.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of billing the supplier a placement fee associated with the offered promotion.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of billing the supplier a click-through fee if the visitor selects the offered promotion.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the bid is defined as a maximum click-through fee.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the maximum click-through fee associated with a supplier changes according to predetermined criteria specified by the supplier.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of billing the supplier only if the visitor purchases the offered promotion.

12. A system for defining and executing a marketing campaign in connection with a site facilitating interactive searches for items characterized by fixed capacity and deferred consumption, by means of which a site visitor submits preference information relating to consumption and thereby obtains information concerning availability of the items, the system comprising:

a database for (i) storing entries characterizing marketing campaigns each comprising a promotion and execution criteria, (ii) relating each marketing campaign to a supplier of the items, and (iii) associating with each supplier a bid for presentation of the corresponding marketing campaign to visitors to the site; and

an execution module for (i) assessing the preference information obtained from at least some visitors to the site for conformance to the execution criteria, and (ii) upon detection of a match between a visitor'"'"'s preference information and the execution criteria of more than one marketing campaign, offering to the visitor, via the site, at least one promotion based at least in part on the bids.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the execution module is configured to select the at least one offered promotion based on a combination of a click-through bid and a past click-through rate.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the execution criteria specify parameters corresponding to a capacity forecast.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the execution criteria vary dynamically with an actual and an updated forecast capacity.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the execution criteria specify particular individuals.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the execution criteria specify behavior or consumption patterns.

18. The system of claim 12 further comprising means for billing the supplier a placement fee associated with the offered promotion.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the billing means is configured to bill the supplier a click-through fee if the visitor selects the offered promotion.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the bid is defined as a maximum click-through fee.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the execution module is responsive to predetermined criteria specified by the supplier, the maximum click-through fee associated with a supplier changing according to the predetermined criteria.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the billing means is configured to bill the supplier only if the visitor purchases the offered promotion.

23. A computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for defining and executing a marketing campaign in connection with a site facilitating interactive searches for items characterized by fixed capacity and deferred consumption, by means of which a site visitor submits preference information relating to consumption and thereby obtains information concerning availability of the items, the medium comprising instructions for:

causing storage of entries characterizing marketing campaigns each comprising a promotion and execution criteria;

causing each marketing campaign to be related a supplier of the items;

associating with each supplier a bid for presentation of the corresponding marketing campaign to visitors to the site;

causing the preference information obtained from at least some visitors to the site to be assessed for conformance to the execution criteria; and

upon detection of a match between a visitor'"'"'s preference information and the execution criteria of more than one marketing campaign, causing the visitor to be offered, via the site, at least one promotion based at least in part on the bids.

24. A method of defining and executing a marketing campaign in connection with a site facilitating interactive searches for items characterized by fixed capacity and deferred consumption, by means of which a site visitor submits preference information relating to consumption and thereby obtains information concerning availability of the items, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from each of a plurality of suppliers of the items, a marketing campaign comprising a promotion and execution criteria;

dynamically updating the execution criteria based on parameters corresponding to a capacity forecast;

assessing the preference information obtained from at least some visitors to the site for conformance to the updated execution criteria; and

upon detection of a match between a visitor'"'"'s preference information and the execution criteria of more than one marketing campaign, offering to the visitor, via the site, at least one promotion.

25. A system for defining and executing a marketing campaign in connection with a site facilitating interactive searches for items characterized by fixed capacity and deferred consumption, by means of which a site visitor submits preference information relating to consumption and thereby obtains information concerning availability of the items, the system comprising:

a database for (i) storing entries characterizing marketing campaigns each comprising a promotion and execution criteria and (ii) relating each marketing campaign to a supplier of the items; and

an execution module for (i) dynamically updating the execution criteria based on parameters corresponding to a capacity forecast, (ii) assessing the preference information obtained from at least some visitors to the site for conformance to the updated execution criteria, and (iii) upon detection of a match between a visitor'"'"'s preference information and the execution criteria of more than one marketing campaign, offering to the visitor, via the site, at least one promotion.