System and method for behaviorally targeting electronic communications

• US 20070288298A1
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Adknowledge
• Original Assignee: Adknowledge
• Inventors: Gutierrez, Chris, Xue, Ning
• Application Number:
  US11/449,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288298A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

Methods and systems for determining the correlation between electronic informational campaigns, for example, two advertising campaigns by a two phase process, based on the behavior of multiple users. In a first phase, probabilities of one campaign, with respect to another campaign, are calculated, and values of expected revenue for each campaign are determined from the probabilities. The campaigns with the greatest expected revenues are then analyzed, to determine the extent of their correlation, in the second phase. In the second phase, the correlation between two campaigns is determined, by determining a correlation value, indicative of the correlation between two campaigns.

Claims

1. A method for determining the correlation between information to be distributed to recipients, comprising:

sending a first electronic communication corresponding to first information to a plurality of recipients, the first electronic communication being configured for being responded thereto;

sending a second electronic communication corresponding to second information to at least substantially all of the plurality of recipients of the first electronic communication, the second electronic communication being configured for being responded thereto;

receiving responses to the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication;

tabulating the received responses to the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication from the plurality of recipients, and non-responses to the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication from the plurality of recipients; and

,

determining a correlation value between the first information and the second information, based on the tabulated responses and non-responses.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information and the second information include advertising campaigns.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication are electronic mail (e-mail).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least substantially all of the plurality of recipients of the first e-mail include all of the plurality of recipients of the first e-mail.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first e-mail and the second e-mail configured for being responded thereto, are configured for responses including opening the e-mail, and clicking on an activatable location in the image of the opened e-mail, to direct the browser associated with the computer of the recipient user to a targeted web site.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, tabulating the responses to the first e-mail and the second e-mail from the plurality of recipients, and non-responses to the first e-mail and the second e-mail from the plurality of recipients, includes assigning values to the non-response, the e-mail being opened, and the opened e-mail being clicked.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining a correlation value between the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication, based on the tabulated responses and non-responses, includes, determining a correlation coefficient and analyzing the correlation coefficient for a value of a lower confidence limit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the correlation coefficient, expressed as r, is determined in accordance with the formula:

9. A method for distributing informational campaigns comprising:

sending a plurality of recipients e-mails for a first informational campaign and a second informational campaign, the e-mails subject to responses from users, from a non-responded to status, to an opened status, to an activated status, where the recipient has opened the e-mail and the browser associated with the recipient has been directed to a target web site associated with the opened e-mail;

monitoring the e-mails for their status;

assigning values to the e-mails for the first informational campaign and the second informational campaign, in accordance with the monitored status of the e-mails; and

determining a correlation value between the first informational campaign and the second informational campaign based on values assigned to the e-mails for the first and second informational campaigns.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the informational campaigns include advertising campaigns.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the value for the non-responded to status is 0, the value for the activated status is 1, and the value for the opened status is between 0 and 1.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining a correlation value between the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication, based on the tabulated responses and non-responses, includes, determining a correlation coefficient and analyzing the correlation coefficient for a value of a lower confidence limit.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the correlation coefficient, expressed as r, is determined in accordance with the formula:

14. The method of claim 10, additionally comprising:

sending an electronic mail to an intended recipient for a second subsequent advertising campaign who has received an electronic mail for a first subsequent advertising campaign, the first subsequent campaign and the second subsequent campaign correlated to have the greatest correlation value.

15. A method for distributing informational campaigns comprising:

providing a plurality of informational campaigns;

determining the expected revenue for each campaign; and

,

for each campaign having an expected revenue above a predetermined monetary value;

designating a first informational campaign and a second informational campaign;

sending a plurality of recipients e-mails for a first informational campaign and a second informational campaign, the e-mails subject to responses from users, from a non-responded to status, to an opened status, to an activated status, where the recipient has opened the e-mail and the browser associated with the recipient has been directed to a target web site associated with the opened e-mail;

monitoring the e-mails for their status;

assigning values to the e-mails for the first informational campaign and the second informational campaign, in accordance with the monitored status of the e-mails; and

,

determining a correlation value between the first informational campaign and the second informational campaign based on values assigned to the e-mails for the first and second informational campaigns.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the informational campaigns include advertising campaigns.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the value for the non-responded to status is 0, the value for the activated status is 1, and the value for the opened status is between 0 and 1.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining a correlation value between the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication, based on the tabulated responses and non-responses, includes, determining a correlation coefficient and analyzing the correlation coefficient for a value of a lower confidence limit.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the correlation coefficient, expressed as r, is determined in accordance with the formula:

20. The method of claim 16, additionally comprising:

sending an electronic mail to an intended recipient for a second subsequent advertising campaign who has received an electronic mail for a first subsequent advertising campaign, the first subsequent campaign and the second subsequent campaign correlated to have the greatest correlation value.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the expected revenue for each campaign includes:

designating one campaign of the plurality of campaigns a target campaign and another campaign of the plurality of campaigns a predictor campaign;

determining the probability that a recipient who responds to a predictor campaign will respond to a target campaign; and

,

multiply the determined probability by a monetary value assigned to the target campaign.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the probability that a recipient who responds to a predictor campaign will respond to a target campaign is determined from the set of recipients (SR) who responded to an e-mail for the predictor campaign by opening (O) or opening the e-mail for the predictor campaign and activating (C) the opened e-mail for the predictor campaign, so that their browser is directed to a target web site, in accordance with the formula:

P(T|P)=RT_C/RP_O+RP_C

where,

P (T|P) is the probability that a recipient who responds to a predictor campaign (P) will respond to a target campaign (T);

RT_C is the number of recipients who have activated an opened e-mail of the target campaign from the set SR, by clicking on a location in the image of the opened e-mail such that their browser has been redirected to a target web site;

RP_O is the number of recipients who have opened an e-mail of the predictor campaign from the set SR; and

,

RP_C is the number of recipients who have activated an opened e-mail of the predictor campaign from the set SR, by clicking on a location in the image of the opened e-mail such that their browser has been redirected to a target web site;

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the monetary value assigned to the target campaign is a pay per click amount.

24. A system for determining the correlation between informational campaigns, to be sent to recipients, comprising:

a first component configured for sending a first electronic communication corresponding to a first informational campaign to a plurality of recipients, the first electronic communication being configured for being responded thereto, and for sending a second electronic communication corresponding to a second informational campaign to at least substantially all of the plurality of recipients of the first electronic communication, the second electronic communication being configured for being responded thereto;

a second component for receiving responses to the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication from the first component;

a third component for tabulating the received responses to the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication from the plurality of recipients, and non-responses to the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication from the plurality of recipients, from the second component; and

,

a fourth component for determining a correlation value between the first informational campaign and the second informational campaign, based on the tabulated responses and non-responses, from the third component.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first informational campaign and the second informational campaign include advertising campaigns.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the first component is configured for sending the first and second electronic communications as electronic mail (e-mail).

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the first component is configured to create the first e-mail and the second e-mail for being responded to, by responses including opening the e-mail, and clicking on an activatable location in the image of the opened e-mail, to direct the browser associated with the computer of the recipient user to a targeted web site.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein, the third component is configured for assigning values to non-responses to each e-mail, each e-mail being opened, and the each opened e-mail being clicked.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the fourth component for determining a correlation value between the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication, based on the tabulated responses and non-responses, is configured for, determining a correlation coefficient and analyzing the correlation coefficient for a value of a lower confidence limit.

30. A computer-usable storage medium having a computer program embodied thereon for causing a suitably programmed system to determine the correlation between two informational campaigns, by performing the following steps when such program is executed on the system:

sending a first electronic communication corresponding to a first informational campaign to a plurality of recipients, the first electronic communication being configured for being responded thereto,

sending a second electronic communication corresponding to a second informational campaign to at least substantially all of the plurality of recipients of the first electronic communication, the second electronic communication being configured for being responded thereto;

receiving responses to the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication;

tabulating the received responses to the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication from the plurality of recipients, and non-responses to the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication from the plurality of recipients, and,

determining a correlation value between the first informational campaign and the second informational campaign, based on the tabulated responses and non-responses.

31. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the first informational campaign and the second informational campaign include advertising campaigns.

32. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 30, additionally comprising the step of:

sending the first and second electronic communications as electronic mail (e-mail).

33. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 32, wherein receiving responses includes, providing for the opening the e-mails and directing the browser associated with the computer of the recipient user to a targeted web site, when the user activates an activatable location in the image of the opened e-mail.

34. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the step of tabulating the responses to the first and second e-mails includes assigning values to non-responses to each e-mail, each e-mail being opened, and the each opened e-mail being clicked.

35. The computer-usable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the step of determining a correlation value, includes the step of determining a correlation coefficient and analyzing the correlation coefficient for a value of a lower confidence limit.