TRIGGERING IMMERSIVE ADVERTISEMENTS IN A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE

• US 20100036735A1
• Filed: 08/11/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Sand, Anne R., Walker, Keith R., HAMILTON, Rick A. II
• Application Number:
  US12/189,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036735A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.550
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for advertising, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for triggering immersive advertising in a virtual universe. In an embodiment, a method includes: obtaining tolerance data about a user who triggers a virtual universe advertisement (VU-ad) in a virtual universe (VU); and presenting a variation of the VU-ad to the user based upon the tolerance data.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

obtaining tolerance data about a user who triggers a virtual universe advertisement (VU-ad) in a virtual universe (VU); and

presenting a variation of the VU-ad to the user based upon the tolerance data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tolerance data is stored in a profile associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tolerance data is obtained from the user after the VU-ad is triggered.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein tolerance data includes at least one of:

a measure of the user'"'"'s tolerance for advertising;

a preferred type of advertisement; and

an indication of willingness to modify the tolerance for advertising in exchange for an incentive.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an incentive to the user based upon the presenting the variation of the VU-ad to the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing an incentive comprises at least one of:

transferring virtual money to an account of the user;

providing a promotional code to the user;

adding an object to an inventory of the user;

emailing a coupon to the user; and

mailing a coupon to the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the obtaining and the presenting is provided by a service provider under a subscription and/or fee agreement and/or based on advertising content to one or more third parties.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports a computer infrastructure that performs at least one of the obtaining and the presenting.

9. A computer implemented method for providing customized advertising in a virtual universe, comprising:

providing a program that defines a virtual universe advertisement (VU-ad);

presenting a first variation of the VU-ad to a first user based upon first tolerance data associated with the first user; and

presenting a second variation of the VU-ad to a second user based upon second tolerance data associated with the second user,

wherein the second variation is different from the first variation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second tolerance data each includes at least one of:

a measure of tolerance for advertising;

a preferred type of advertisement;

an indication of willingness to modify the tolerance for advertising in exchange for an incentive;

a measure of a level of interest in a subject; and

information regarding group behavior.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing an incentive to at least one of the first user and the second user.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising:

providing a first incentive to the first user; and

providing a second incentive, different from the first incentive, to the second user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the first incentive is based upon a first level of disruption acceptable to the first user,

the second incentive is based upon a second level of disruption acceptable to the second user, and

the first level of disruption is relatively higher than the second level of disruption.

14. A method for advertising in a virtual universe, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure structured and arranged to;

access a profile of a user upon the user triggering a virtual universe advertisement (VU-ad) in a virtual universe (VU);

determine from the profile a tolerance level for advertising; and

present a variation of the VU-ad to the user based upon the tolerance level.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the computer infrastructure is further arranged to determine a preferred type of advertisement from the profile.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the variation of the VU-ad is based upon the tolerance level and the preferred type of advertisement.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the computer infrastructure is further arranged to determine, from the profile, an indication of willingness to change the tolerance level in exchange for an incentive.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the variation of the VU-ad is based upon the tolerance level and the indication of willingness to change the tolerance level.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports the computer infrastructure.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program embodied in the medium, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computing device is operable to cause the computing device to:

present a variation of a virtual universe advertisement (VU-ad) to a user upon triggering of the VU-ad by the user,

wherein the variation is customized based upon a tolerance level of the user.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the variation is further based upon at least one of:

a preferred type of advertisement, and

an indication of willingness to change the tolerance level in exchange for an incentive.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the tolerance level is a default tolerance level assigned to the user.

23. A system, comprising:

computing hardware and software structured and arranged to;

obtain tolerance data about a user who triggers a virtual universe advertisement (VU-ad) in a virtual universe (VU); and

present a variation of the VU-ad to the user based upon the tolerance data,

wherein the tolerance data is stored in a profile associated with the user, and

the tolerance data is obtained from the user after the VU-ad is triggered.