System for leveraging social networks to market products

• US 20090125384A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Waiting To Exhale, LLC
• Original Assignee: 6DGR Incorporated
• Inventors: Weathersby, Chad Dustin
• Application Number:
  US12/286,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125384A1
• 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 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A method for marketing financial instruments, goods or services is provided which comprises (a) providing a financial instrument; (b) providing a network which includes sets of network members M_n, M_n+1 and M_n+2, wherein each member of M_n+1 subscribes to the financial instrument through a member of M_n, and wherein each member of M_n+2 subscribes to the financial instrument through a member of M_n+1; (c) providing a first rebate to a member m_xεM_n for each member m_xyεS_x that subscribes to the financial instrument through member m_x, wherein S_x⊂M_n+1; and (d) providing a second rebate to member m_xy for each member m_xyzεS_xy that subscribes to the financial instrument through member m_xy, wherein S_xy⊂M_n+2.

Claims

1. A method for marketing a product in conjunction with a network, wherein the network includes sets of members M_n, M_n+1 and M_n+2, wherein each member of M_n+1 has subscribed to the product through a member of M_n, and wherein each member of M_n+2 has subscribed to the product through a member of M_n+1, the method comprising:

providing a first rebate to a member m_xε

M_n for each member m_xyε

S_x that has subscribed to the product through member m_x, wherein S_x⊂

M_n+1; and

providing a second rebate to member m_x for each member m_xyzε

S_xy that has subscribed to the product through member m_xy, wherein S_xy⊂

M_n+2.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each member m_x also subscribes to the product, and wherein the rebate is applied as a credit to a financial instrument associated with member m_x.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the first rebate to each member m_xy for each member m_xyzε

S_xy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of credit cards, debit cards, loans, bank accounts and insurance policies.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the rebate is either a one-time rebate associated with subscription to the product, or an ongoing rebate associated with use of the product.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the product is a financial instrument selected from the group consisting of debit cards and credit cards, and wherein the rebate is a periodic rebate which is a function of purchases made with the financial instrument.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial instrument is selected from the group consisting of debit cards, credit cards, and loans, and wherein the rebate is a periodic rebate which is a function of interest charged on the financial instrument.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of M_n, M_n+1 and M_n+2 has at least one member.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a social network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein subscription to the product requires the provision of demographic information by the subscriber.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selling advertising on the network to an advertiser.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a demographic group that the advertiser is interested in exposing to an advertisement;

identifying members of the network which fall into the demographic group; and

exposing the identified members to the advertisement.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring the online status of the members; and

if an identified member is online, rendering the advertisement to the identified member.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein monitoring the online status of the members is accomplished through the use of a login protocol.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the advertisement is rendered each time an identified member attempts to access a given web page associated with the network.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the advertisement is rendered periodically while an identified member is browsing a given web page associated with the network.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the demographic data is authenticated by a third party.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the third party is a financial institution.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the demographic information is selected from the group consisting of email address, gender, age, and physical address information.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the advertising is targeted only to members of the network who have subscribed to the product.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving from the advertiser a description of a targeted demographical group the advertiser wishes to target with an advertisement.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein utilizing the demographic data to target advertising to members of the network includes:

verifying that a user is online; and

using the demographic information provided by the user to determine if the user is in the targeted demographical group.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

displaying the advertisement to the user only if the user is in the targeted demographical group.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising displaying a generic advertisement to the user if the user is not in the targeted demographical group.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the steps of verifying and displaying occur in real time.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the advertisement is a banner advertisement.

27. A method for marketing a product which can be subscribed to, the method comprising:

providing a network which includes first, second and third sets of members, wherein each member of the second set subscribes to the product through a member of the first set, and wherein each member of the third set subscribes to the product through a member of the second set;

providing a first rebate to a member of the first set for each member of the second set that subscribes to the product through that member of the first set; and

providing a second rebate to a member of the second set for each member of the third set that subscribes to the product through that member of the second set.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the second rebate is split between the member of the second set through whom a member of the third set subscribed to the product, and the member of the first set through whom the member of the second set subscribed to the product.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the product is a financial instrument.

30. A method for marketing a product, comprising:

providing a network which includes a member m_x and sets of members M_n+1 and M_n+2, wherein M_n+1 is the set of network members who have subscribed to the product through m_x, and wherein M_n+2 is the set of network members who have subscribed to the product through a member of M_n+1; and

providing a first rebate to m_x for each member of M_n+1, and providing a second rebate to m_x for each member of M₊₂.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein M_n+1 includes a member m_xy, wherein S_n+1 is the set of network members who have subscribed to the product through m_xy, wherein S_n+1⊂

M_n+2, and further comprising;

providing the first rebate to m_xy for each member of S_n+1.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein S_n+2 is the set of network members who have subscribed to the product through a member of S_n+1, and further comprising:

providing the second rebate to m_xy for each member of S_n+2.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the product is a financial instrument.