Community Based Marketing System and Method

• US 20070112636A1
• Filed: 08/24/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: William Lucker
• Original Assignee: William Lucker
• Inventors: Lucker, William
• Application Number:
  US11/467,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112636A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating incentive delivery from vendors to communities is provided through a networked system. Members of a community, which is a group of consumers having a common association characteristic, access the networked system by entering a unique community identifier in a member interface portal. Upon accessing the system, the members may view incentives, such as coupons, promotional materials, and advertisements, which have been targeted to their community by a vendor. Vendors may access a networked vendor portal to select target communities, create incentives, and manage incentives. With the system, a vendor may create a unique incentive targeted to one or more communities.

Claims

1. A method for delivering an incentive from a vendor to a plurality of consumers, the method comprising the steps of:

a. establishing a plurality of communities, wherein each community within the plurality of communities has associated therewith as members a plurality of consumers having at least one common association characteristic;

b. presenting the plurality of communities to at least one vendor;

c. receiving a vendor incentive from the at least one vendor and at least one target community corresponding to the vendor incentive; and

d. making the vendor incentive accessible only to the at least one target community.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of associating the vendor incentive with at least one community corresponding to the at least one target community, and delivering the vendor incentive by way of a networked interface portal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vendor incentive is expiratory, further comprising the step of organizing the vendor incentive in a chronological display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one common association characteristic comprises affiliation with an organization having communication capabilities with constituents of the organization.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the incentive is selected from the group consisting of economic incentives, marketing information, advertising information, discount information, coupon information, and promotional information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a. assigning a unique community identifier to the each community; and

b. providing a networked member interface portal, accessible by the members upon entry of the unique community identifier;

wherein upon accessing the networked member interface portal, the members may access the vendor incentive.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of providing a calendar interface display, accessible by the members, the calendar interface display comprising the vendor incentive.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of providing a geographical member interface display, accessible by the members, the geographical member interface display comprising a map having geographical indicia of the at least one vendor.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of providing a categorical interface display, accessible by the members, wherein the at least one vendor is displayed according to a corresponding business category.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a. receiving a community event notice from a member of one community of the plurality of communities; and

b. delivering the community event notice to the at least one vendor.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of receiving from the at least one vendor a community event incentive corresponding to the community event notice, and presenting the community event incentive only to the one community of the plurality of communities.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of receiving a vendor request for a requested vendor from a requesting member associated with one community of the plurality of communities, and delivering an invitation to the requested vendor for a community incentive associated with the one community of the plurality of communities.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a member data interface display comprising a tabular list of the at least one vendor, with at least one vendor characteristic displayed therewith.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a. assigning a unique vendor identifier to the at least one vendor; and

b. providing a networked vendor interface portal, accessible by the at least one vendor upon entry of the unique vendor identifier.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of providing an incentive creation portal, accessible by the at least one vendor, the incentive creation portal comprising a community selector with which the at least one vendor may select the at least one target community.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of receiving at least an incentive start date and an incentive stop date from the at least one vendor via the incentive creation portal.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of providing a geographical vendor interface display, accessible by the at least one vendor, the geographical vendor interface display comprising a map having geographical indicia corresponding to the plurality of communities.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of providing an event interface, accessible by the at least one vendor, the event interface comprising at least one community event notice from at least one community of the plurality of communities.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising a vendor data interface display comprising a tabular list of the plurality of communities, each of the plurality of communities having at least one community characteristic displayed therewith.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one community characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a community description, a community distance, and a community population.

21. A system for delivering an incentive to a predetermined group of consumers, the system comprising:

a. a server configured to deliver a browser readable content to a client terminal having a browser in communication with a network;

b. a community database operable with the server, the community database having stored therein a plurality of communities, each community having associated therewith as members a plurality of consumers having at least one common association characteristic;

c. a vendor database operable with the server, the vendor database having stored therein a plurality of approved vendors;

d. a vendor management module operable with the server to receive a vendor incentive from at least one vendor of the plurality of approved vendors, wherein the vendor incentive corresponds to at least one target community selected from the plurality of communities; and

e. a delivery module operable with the server to deliver the vendor incentive only upon receipt of a unique community identifier corresponding to the at least one target community.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the vendor management module is configured to retrieve the plurality of communities from the community database and to present the plurality of communities to the at least one vendor.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the client terminal is selected from the group consisting of computers, portable computers, mobile telephones, personal digital assistants, and kiosks.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising a vendor incentive database operable with the server, the vendor incentive database having stored therein a plurality of vendor incentives, each of the plurality of vendor incentives being associated with the at least one target community.

25. The system of claim 21, further comprising a member referral module operable with the server and configured to facilitate a referral of the vendor incentive from a first community of the plurality of communities to a second community of the plurality of communities.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising a messaging module operable with the server and configured to facilitate transmission of a vendor incentive notification from a first member of a community of the plurality of communities to a second member of the community of the plurality of communities.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the vendor incentive is expiratory.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the vendor incentive comprises a coupon.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the browser readable content comprises a member interface, accessible by a member of the at least one target community upon entry of the unique community identifier.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the browser readable content further comprises a categorical view of a plurality of vendor incentives, each of the plurality of vendor incentives being grouped by a vendor business type.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the browser readable content further comprises a chronological view of a plurality of vendor incentives, each of the plurality of vendor incentives being grouped temporally.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the chronological view comprises a calendar.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the browser readable content comprises a geographical view of vendors.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the geographical view comprises a map having vendors presented spatially with respect to a community.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein the browser readable content comprises a tabular list of the plurality of approved vendors, wherein each of the plurality of approved vendors is displayed with at least one vendor characteristic.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the at least one vendor characteristic comprises one of a vendor type or a vendor distance from a querying community.

37. The system of claim 29, further comprising an event management module operable with the server to receive an event notice from an event hosting member of a community selected from the plurality of communities, wherein the event management module is configured to deliver the event notice to the plurality of approved vendors.

38. The system of claim 29, further comprising a vendor request module operable with the server to receive a vendor request from a requesting member of a community selected from the plurality of communities.

39. The system of claim 29, wherein the browser readable content comprises a vendor interface, accessible by a vendor selected from the plurality of vendors upon entry of a vendor identifier.

40. The system of claim 39, further comprising an incentive creation module, the incentive creation module comprising at least an incentive title portal, an incentive description portal, a community selection portal, and an incentive duration portal.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the browser readable content comprises a geographic view of at least a subset of the plurality of communities.

42. The system of claim 21, further comprising a vendor incentive management module operable with the server and configured to present the web browser readable content in a chronological view comprising a calendar of active vendor incentives sponsored by the at least one vendor.