METHODS AND APPARATUS TO PERFORM CONSUMER SURVEYS

• US 20090150217A1
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Luff, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US12/263,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150217A1
• 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 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to conduct surveys are disclosed. An example method includes receiving from a portable device activity data indicative of an activity of a person and counting a first number of exposures a person has to at least one of a first advertisement, a first product or a first location based on the received data. The example methods also include automatically offering at least one survey question related to the first advertisement, the first product or the first location to the person via the portable device substantially while the person is exposed to the first advertisement, the first product or the first location and after a plurality of exposures to at least one of the first advertisement, the first product or the first location. The survey question is communicated through the portable device. Finally, the example method includes storing a response received from the person.

Claims

1. A method to automatically conduct surveys, comprising:

receiving from a portable device activity data indicative of an activity of a person;

counting a first number of exposures the person has to at least one of a first advertisement, a first product or a first location based on the received data;

after a plurality of exposures to at least one of the first advertisement, the first product or the first location, automatically offering at least one survey question related to the first advertisement, the first product or the first location to the person via the portable device substantially while the person is exposed to at least one of the first advertisement, the first product or the first location; and

storing a response received from the person.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising counting a second number of exposures a person has to at least one of a second advertisement, a second product or a second location based on the received data, wherein the survey question is only communicated to the person after the plurality of exposures to that at least one of the first advertisement, the first product or the first location, and a predetermined number of exposures to at least one of the second advertisement, the second product or the second location.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein at least one of the second advertisement, the second product or the second location is associated with a competitor of an entity associated with the at least one of the first advertisement, the first product or an advertisement or a product associated with the first location.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the person is audibly alerted when the survey question is received by the portable device.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending a reminder to the person via the portable device when a response to the survey question is not received within a time period.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the activity of the person is detected or the activity of the person is determined without input by the person.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising providing an incentive to the person to provide the response.

8. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising combining the received activity data and/or the response with second activity data and/or a second response received from a second person to compile a group survey result.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising generating a matrix of the activities and/or the responses for the person.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the activity data includes one or more of a location, a date, a time, a movement, a direction of movement or a use of an appliance.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the survey question is presented to the person based on a predicted activity of the person.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the survey question presented to the person includes a response provided by another person.

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

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16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. A system to conduct surveys, comprising:

a portable device to detect an activity of a person;

a respondent activity database to store the activity of the person;

a criteria database to store rules controlling selection of survey questions;

an activity analyzer to compare data from the activity database indicative of a number of exposures the person had to at least one of a first advertisement, a first product or a first location based on the received data to a first rule from the criteria database and to identify a survey question when the first rule is met;

a survey question retriever to retrieve the survey question identified by the activity analyzer;

a communication interface to communicate the survey question to the portable device substantially while the person is exposed to at least one of the first advertisement, the first product or the first location, the communication identifier to receive a response to the survey questions from the portable device; and

a survey response database to store the response.

24. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the first rule comprises the first person being exposed to the first advertisement, the first product or the first location more than a threshold number of times and the person being exposed to at least one of a second advertisement, a second product, or a second location a second threshold number of times.

25. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the second advertisement, the second product or the second location is associated with a competitor of an entity associated with the at least one of the first advertisement, the first product or the first location.

26. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the portable device comprises an alarm to audibly alert the person when the survey question is received by the portable device.

27. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the communication interface sends a reminder to the person via the portable device when a response to the survey question is not received within a predetermined time period.

28. A system as defined in claim 23 further comprising sensors to detect the activity of the person without input by the person.

29. A system as defined in claim 28, wherein the sensors detect one or more of a location, a date, a time, a movement, a media signature, a code, a direction, or a use of an appliance.

30. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the communication interface sends an incentive to the person via the portable device to encourage the person to provide the response.

31. A system as defined in claim 23 further comprising a processor to use the activity and/or the response with one or more additional activities and/or responses received from one or more additional people to compile a group survey result.

32. A system as defined in claim 23 further comprising a processor to generate a matrix of the activity and/or the response for one or more persons.

33. A method to conduct surveys, comprising:

receiving from a portable device activity data indicative of an activity of a person;

determining if the person was exposed to at least one of an advertisement, a product or a location based on the received data;

determining if the person is moving faster than a threshold speed;

if the person is not moving faster than a threshold speed, automatically offering at least one survey question related to the advertisement, the product or the location to the person via the portable device; and

is the person is moving faster than a threshold speed, suppressing the at least one survey question until the person is not moving faster than the threshold speed.

34. A method as defined in claim 33, wherein the threshold speed is indicative of motorized movement.

35. (canceled)

36. (canceled)