Systems and Methods of Marketing to Defined Consumer Groups

• US 20090222300A1
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
• Original Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
• Inventors: Guith, Joseph T., Kolls, H. Brock, Antao, Leonard F., Insolia, Gerard E., Phillips, Anthony J.
• Application Number:
  US12/041,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222300A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A method includes implementing a loyalty program in a defined environment. The defined environment is associated with a defined group of consumers. The loyalty program is associated with a product. The method also includes providing a loyalty reward to a consumer of the defined group of consumers in response to the consumer interacting with a product in the defined environment. The method further includes determining a loyalty reward redemption opportunity based on at least one common attribute associated with the defined group of consumers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

implementing a loyalty program in a defined environment, the defined environment being associated with a defined group of consumers, the loyalty program being associated with a loyalty program product;

providing a loyalty reward to a consumer of the defined group of consumers in response to the consumer interacting with the loyalty program product in the defined environment; and

determining a loyalty reward redemption opportunity based on one or more common attributes associated with the defined group of consumers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the defined environment comprises one of the following;

a business, a hospital, and a school; and

the defined group of consumers comprises at least one of the following;

an employee associated with the business, an employee associated with the hospital, a student associated with the school, and a faculty member associated with the school.

3. The method if claim 1, wherein:

implementing a loyalty program in a defined environment comprises associating an interaction terminal with a device located in the defined environment, the device being operable to provide or facilitate purchase of the loyalty program product; and

providing a loyalty reward to a consumer comprises providing a loyalty reward to a personal terminal of the consumer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the device comprises at least one of the following:

a vending machine, a product dispenser, a fountain machine, a cooler, a cash register, a credit card machine, a debit card machine, a cash acceptance device, a cash transaction device, a cashless transaction device, an automatic teller machine, a point-of-sale terminal, a computer system, a website, and a property management system.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the personal terminal comprises at least one of the following;

a badge, a card, a fob, and a key; and

the personal terminal is provided to the consumer for one or more of the following;

security purposes, identification purposes, access purposes, tracking purposes, and reward purposes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one competitive product is restricted from the defined environment.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising permitting the consumer to redeem the loyalty reward in an unrestricted environment, wherein the at least one competitive product is available in the unrestricted environment.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the one or more common attributes by analyzing at least one of the following:

the defined group of consumers and the defined environment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one of the one or more common attributes by monitoring usage data associated with at least one of the following:

a personal terminal associated with the consumer and an interaction terminal associated with a device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein monitoring usage data comprises receiving a communication via at least one network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing the loyalty program in an additional environment based at least in part on at least one of the one or more common attributes.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the loyalty reward based at least in part on at least one of the one or more common attributes.

13. A method comprising:

implementing a loyalty program in a defined environment, the loyalty program being associated with a loyalty program product, the defined environment being associated with a defined group of consumers, at least one competitive product being unavailable in the defined environment;

providing a loyalty reward to a consumer of the defined group of consumers in response to the consumer interacting with the product in the defined environment;

implementing the loyalty program in an unrestricted environment, the competitive product being available in the unrestricted environment; and

permitting the consumer to redeem the loyalty reward in the unrestricted environment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the defined environment comprises one of the following;

a business, a hospital, and a school; and

the defined group of consumers comprises at least one of the following;

an employee associated with the business, an employee associated with the hospital, a student associated with the school, and a faculty member associated with the school.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein:

implementing a loyalty program in the defined environment comprises associating an interaction terminal with a device located in the defined environment, the device being operable to provide or facilitate purchase of the loyalty program product; and

providing a loyalty reward to a consumer comprises providing a loyalty reward to a personal terminal of the consumer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the device comprises at least one of the following:

a vending machine, a product dispenser, a fountain machine, a cooler, a cash register, a credit card machine, a debit card machine, a cash acceptance device, a cash transaction device, a cashless transaction device, an automatic teller machine, a point-of-sale terminal, a computer system, a website, and a property management system.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the personal terminal comprises at least one of the following;

a badge, a card, a fob, and a key; and

the personal terminal is provided to the consumer for one or more of the following;

security purposes, identification purposes, access purposes, tracking purposes, and reward purposes.

18. The method if claim 13, wherein:

implementing a loyalty program in the unrestricted environment comprises associating an interaction terminal with a device located in the unrestricted environment, the device being operable to provide or facilitate purchase of the loyalty program product; and

receiving a request to redeem the loyalty reward in the unrestricted environment comprises receiving a communication from a personal terminal of the consumer via the interaction terminal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the device comprises at least one of the following:

a vending machine, a product dispenser, a fountain machine, a cooler, a cash register, a credit card machine, a debit card machine, a cash acceptance device, a cash transaction device, a cashless transaction device, an automatic teller machine, a point-of-sale terminal, a computer system, a website, and a property management system.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the personal terminal comprises one or more of the following;

a badge, a card, a fob, and a key; and

the personal terminal is provided to the consumer for one or more of the following purposes;

security purposes, identification purposes, access purposes, tracking purposes, and reward purposes.