SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WORD-OF-MOUTH ADVERTISING

• US 20090182631A1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Joseph, Higgins, Christopher William, Martinez, Ronald, Davis, Marc
• Application Number:
  US12/180,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20090182631A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.260
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A system and method to facilitate word-of-mouth advertising and sales support associated with displayed media objects on distributed networks is described. The system provides one or more advocates to a network user accessing advertising of a brand, product, or service. One or more of the advocates may be socially related to the user. User interactions with the advocates are facilitated through a real-time communication network, follow-on commercial activity is tracked, and the value of word-of-mouth advocacy is captured and distributed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

selecting from a group of advocates a first sub-group of advocates, wherein each member of the first sub-group of advocates meets a set of criteria that defines a marketing concept;

ranking the first sub-group of advocates based on each member'"'"'s social connection with respect to a target user and marketing benefit with respect to the marketing concept;

selecting from the first sub-group of advocates a second sub-group of advocates having the highest rankings; and

presenting the second sub-group of advocates to the target user as advocates for the marketing concept.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

associating with each member of the second sub-group of advocates at least one activatable communication channel; and

presenting each member'"'"'s activatable communication channel to the target user when presenting the second sub-group of advocates to the target user.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of criteria further defines at least one attribute of the target user.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the set of criteria further defines at least one desirable attribute of an advocate for the marketing concept.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the set of criteria further defines a context for the advocates for the market concept.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein ranking the first sub-group of advocates includes:

assigning each member of the first sub-group a social connection score and a marketing benefit score;

calculating for each member of the first sub-group a total score, wherein a member'"'"'s total score equals a product of the member'"'"'s social connection score, the member'"'"'s marketing benefit score, and a constant of proportionality; and

ranking the first sub-group of advocates based on each member'"'"'s total score.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein an advocate'"'"'s social connection with the target user has one or more dimensions.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein an advocate'"'"'s social connection with the target user is at least one selected from the group consisting of ethnicity, age, sex, educational level, educational institutions, economic class, profession, geographic area, expressed user preferences, derived user preferences, and membership in a demographic group.

9. A computer program product having a plurality of programming instructions stored in a computer readable medium, wherein the plurality of programming instructions are operable to cause at least one electronic device to:

select from a group of advocates a first sub-group of advocates, wherein each member of the first sub-group of advocates meets a set of criteria that defines a marketing concept;

rank the first sub-group of advocates based on each member'"'"'s social connection with respect to a target user and marketing benefit with respect to the marketing concept;

select from the first sub-group of advocates a second sub-group of advocates having the highest rankings; and

present the second sub-group of advocates to the target user as advocates for the marketing concept.

10. A computer program product as recited in claim 9, wherein the plurality of programming instructions are further operable to cause the at least one electronic device to:

associate with each member of the second sub-group of advocates at least one activatable communication channel; and

present each member'"'"'s activatable communication channel to the target user when presenting the second sub-group of advocates to the target user.

11. A computer program product as recited in claim 9, wherein the set of criteria further defines at least one attribute of the target user, at least one desirable attribute of an advocate for the marketing concept, and a context for the advocates for the market concept.

12. A computer program product as recited in claim 9, wherein rank the first sub-group of advocates includes:

assign each member of the first sub-group a social connection score and a marketing benefit score;

calculate for each member of the first sub-group a total score, wherein a member'"'"'s total score equals a product of the member'"'"'s social connection score, the member'"'"'s marketing benefit score, and a constant of proportionality; and

rank the first sub-group of advocates based on each member'"'"'s total score.

13. A computer program product as recited in claim 9, wherein an advocate'"'"'s social connection with the target user has one or more dimensions.

14. A computer program product as recited in claim 9, wherein an advocate'"'"'s social connection with the target user is at least one selected from the group consisting of ethnicity, age, sex, educational level, educational institutions, economic class, profession, geographic area, expressed user preferences, derived user preferences, and membership in a demographic group.

15. An electronic message, comprising:

an advertisement; and

at least one augmenting object, each augmenting object representing an advocate associated with a subject matter of the advertisement and including at least one activatable communication channel with the advocate,

wherein activation of each of the at least one augmenting object initiates communication between a receiver of the electronic message and the advocate represented by the augmenting object.

16. A electronic message as recited in claim 15, wherein the advocate represented by each of the at least one augmenting object is socially connected to the receiver of the electronic message.

17. A electronic message as recited in claim 16, wherein a social connection between an advocate and the receiver of the electronic message is one selected from the group consisting of ethnicity, age, sex, educational level, educational institutions, economic class, profession, geographic area, expressed user preferences, derived user preferences, and membership in a demographic group.

18. A electronic message as recited in claim 15, wherein each of the at least one augment object further includes an affiliation between the advocate represented by the augment object and a sponsor of the advertisement.

19. A electronic message as recited in claim 15, wherein selected ones of the at least one augmenting object are embedded in the electronic message.

20. A electronic message as recited in claim 15, wherein selected ones of the at least one augmenting object are attached to the electronic message.