Age-Targeted Online Marketing Using Inferred Age Range Information

• US 20100082360A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chien, Shu-Yao, Lee, Linda S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,996,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.530
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

Particular embodiments of the invention are directed to generating marketing-based age range products based at least on inferred data regarding the age of various network users. The age range products may be used for age-targeted online marketing.

Claims

1. A method for generating an age range product for online marketing, the method comprising:

accessing age-identifying data identifying an age for each of a first group of network users;

accessing user-activity data for a second group of network users, the user-activity data including data regarding the second group of network users'"'"' actions on the network;

determining inferred age data for each of the second group of network users based at least on the user-activity data for each of the second group of network users; and

generating a marketing-related age range product for a particular age range based at least on (a) the age-identifying data for the first group of network users and (b) the inferred age data for the second group of network users.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

identifying a first sub-group of users having an identified age within the particular age range based at least on the age-identifying data for each of the first group of network users;

identifying a second sub-group of users having a predicted age within the particular age range based at least on the inferred age data for each of the second group of network users; and

generating the marketing-related age range product for the particular age range based at least on the identified first sub-group of network users and the identified second sub-group of network users.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the actual ages of one or more of the first sub-group of users having an identified age within the particular age range do not actually fall within the particular age range; and

the actual ages of one or more of the second sub-group of users having a predicted age within the particular age range do not actually fall within the particular age range.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein identifying a second sub-group of users having a predicted age within the particular age range based at least on the inferred age data for each of the second group of network users comprises, for each of the second group of network users:

determining a confidence level regarding whether that network user falls within the particular age range based at least on the inferred age data for that network user;

comparing the determined confidence level to a threshold confidence level; and

including that network user in the second sub-group of users if the determined confidence level exceeds the threshold confidence level.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein generating the marketing-related age range product for the particular age range includes combining the identified first sub-group of network users having an identified age within the particular age range with the identified second sub-group of network users having a predicted age within the particular age range.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the first sub-group of network users at least partially overlaps with the second sub-group of network users.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first group of network users at least partially overlaps with the second group of network users.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining inferred age data for each of the second group of network users comprises, for each of the second group of network users, determining a probability of whether that network user falls within the particular age range, based at least on the user-activity data for the particular network user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the age-identifying data for at least some of the first group of network users is self-reported by the network users via the network.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the age-identifying data for at least some of the first group of network users during an online user registration process for those network users.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more network interfaces;

a memory; and

computer-executable instructions carried on a computer readable medium, the instructions readable by the one or more processors, the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the one or more processors to;

access age-identifying data identifying an age for each of a first group of network users;

access user-activity data for a second group of network users, the user-activity data including data regarding the second group of network users'"'"' actions on the network;

determine inferred age data for each of the second group of network users based at least on the user-activity data for each of the second group of network users; and

generate a marketing-related age range product for a particular age range based at least on (a) the age-identifying data for the first group of network users and (b) the inferred age data for the second group of network users.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, including computer-executable instructions for:

identifying a first sub-group of users having an identified age within the particular age range based at least on the age-identifying data for each of the first group of network users;

identifying a second sub-group of users having a predicted age within the particular age range based at least on the inferred age data for each of the second group of network users; and

generating the marketing-related age range product for the particular age range based at least on the identified first sub-group of network users and the identified second sub-group of network users.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein generating the marketing-related age range product for the particular age range includes combining the identified first sub-group of network users having an identified age within the particular age range with the identified second sub-group of network users having a predicted age within the particular age range.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first sub-group of network users at least partially overlaps with the second sub-group of network users.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein determining inferred age data for each of the second group of network users comprises, for each of the second group of network users, determining a probability of whether that network user falls within the particular age range, based at least on the user-activity data for the particular network user.

16. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

computer-executable instructions carried on the computer readable medium, the instructions readable by a processor, the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the processor to;

access age-identifying data identifying an age for each of a first group of network users;

access user-activity data for a second group of network users, the user-activity data including data regarding the second group of network users'"'"' actions on the network;

determine inferred age data for each of the second group of network users based at least on the user-activity data for each of the second group of network users; and

generate a marketing-related age range product for a particular age range based at least on (a) the age-identifying data for the first group of network users and (b) the inferred age data for the second group of network users.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, including computer-executable instructions for:

identifying a first sub-group of users having an identified age within the particular age range based at least on the age-identifying data for each of the first group of network users;

identifying a second sub-group of users having a predicted age within the particular age range based at least on the inferred age data for each of the second group of network users; and

generating the marketing-related age range product for the particular age range based at least on the identified first sub-group of network users and the identified second sub-group of network users.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein generating the marketing-related age range product for the particular age range includes combining the identified first sub-group of network users having an identified age within the particular age range with the identified second sub-group of network users having a predicted age within the particular age range.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein the first sub-group of network users at least partially overlaps with the second sub-group of network users.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein determining inferred age data for each of the second group of network users comprises, for each of the second group of network users, determining a probability of whether that network user falls within the particular age range, based at least on the user-activity data for the particular network user.

21. A method for generating an age range product for online marketing, the method comprising:

accessing age-identifying data identifying an age for a network user;

wherein the identified age of the network user falls within a particular age range of a plurality of age ranges;

accessing user-activity data for the network user, the including user-activity data including data regarding the network user'"'"'s actions via the network;

determining inferred age data for the network user based at least on the user-activity data for the network user; and

generating a marketing-related age range product identifying a particular group of users corresponding to the particular age range, including determining whether or not to include the network user in the particular group of users based at least on the inferred age data determined for the network user.

22. The method of claim 21 comprising determining not to include the network user in the particular group of users based at least on the inferred age data determined for the network user.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein determining inferred age data for the network user comprises determining a confidence level regarding whether the network user falls within the particular age range based at least on the user-activity data for the network user.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein determining whether or not to include the network user in the particular group of users based at least on the inferred age data determined for the network user comprises:

comparing the determined confidence level regarding whether the network user falls within the particular age range to a threshold confidence level; and

including that network user in the particular group of users if the determined confidence level exceeds the threshold confidence level.