ADVERTISING PRODUCTS TO GROUPS WITHIN SOCIAL NETWORKS

• US 20110320250A1
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gemmell, David J., Lee, Min-John, Vergonjeanne, Vincent, Kiciman, Emre M., Chandra, Ashok
• Application Number:
  US12/823,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320250A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Within a social network, users may form social groups based on shared traits, such as experiences and interests. The social network may be able to detect a user interest among the users of a social group in one or more products offered by one or more vendors (e.g., by evaluating conversations within the social group and search queries executed by users of the social group), and to notify the vendors of the detected user interest. The vendors may be willing to extend an offer to the users of the social group regarding the product, and the social network may present the offer to the users of the social group. The social network may also track acceptances of the offer by users of the social group, and may provide an e-commerce infrastructure to allow users to complete purchases of the product and to provide the rewards featured in the offers.

Claims

1. A method of promoting a product to a social group comprising at least two users of a social network on a device having a processor, the method comprising:

executing on the processor instructions configured to;

monitor the users of the social group to detect a user interest of the social group in a product;

upon identifying a user interest of the social group in the product, notify a vendor of the product; and

upon receiving from the vendor an offer regarding the product for the social group, present the offer regarding the product to the social group.

2. The method of claim 1, detecting the user interest comprising:

detecting at least one search query associated with the product and submitted by a user of the social group.

3. The method of claim 1, detecting the user interest comprising:

detecting at least one positive user review of the product submitted by at least one user of the social group.

4. The method of claim 1, detecting the user interest comprising:

receiving from the social group an offer solicitation of an offer from the vendor regarding the product.

5. The method of claim 1:

the offer comprising an action and a reward; and

the instructions configured to, upon detecting an instance of the action by a user, present the reward to the user.

6. The method of claim 1, the offer redeemable upon a purchase of the product by at least two users of the social group.

7. The method of claim 1, the offer redeemable upon a user of the social group influencing a second user of the social group regarding the product.

8. The method of claim 1, the offer limited to the users of the social group.

9. The method of claim 8, the offer extendable by the users of the social group to at least one user outside the social group.

10. The method of claim 1:

at least one user of the social group also included in a second social group; and

the offer redeemable upon a user of the social group influencing another user of the second social group regarding the product.

11. The method of claim 1, the offer comprising:

a first reward presented to the first user upon the first user influencing a second user of the social network regarding the product;

a second reward presented to the first user upon the second user influencing a third user of the social network regarding the product; and

a third reward presented to the second user upon the second user influencing the third user of the social network regarding the product.

12. The method of claim 1, presenting the offer comprising:

presenting the offer associated with an advertisement for the product viewed by a user of the social group.

13. The method of claim 1, presenting the offer comprising:

presenting the offer associated with a product review of the product viewed by a user of the social group.

14. The method of claim 1, presenting the offer comprising:

presenting the offer to a user after a purchase of the product by the user.

15. The method of claim 1, the instructions configured to, upon detecting an offer redemption of the offer by a first user of the social group, notify a second user of the social group of the offer redemption of the offer by the first user.

16. The method of claim 1, the instructions configured to, upon receiving a product offer comparison request from a user to compare at least two offers to the user regarding a product:

among the at least two offers to the user, select a recommended offer, and

present the recommended offer to the user.

17. The method of claim 1, the instructions configured to, upon detecting a user influence of a first user on a second user regarding a product, notify the first user.

18. The method of claim 1, the instructions configured to:

upon detecting a user influence of a first user on a second user regarding a product, record the user influence of the first user on the second user; and

upon receiving a request from the first user to present a user influence profile;

retrieve recorded user influences of the first user on other users, and

present the recorded user influences to the first user.

19. A system configured to promote a product to a social group comprising at least two users of a social network, the system comprising:

a social group monitoring component configured to monitor the users of the social group to detect a user interest of the social group in a product;

a vendor notifying component configured to, upon the social group monitoring component identifying a user interest of the social group in the product, notify a vendor of the product; and

an offer presenting component configured to, upon receiving from the vendor an offer regarding the product for the social group, present the offer regarding the product to the social group.

20. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a processor of a device, promote a product to a social group comprising at least two users of a social network by:

monitoring the users of the social group to detect a user interest of the social group in a product, comprising at least one of;

at least one positive user review of the product submitted by at least one user of the social group;

at least one search query associated with the product and submitted by a user of the social group; and

an offer solicitation received from the group for an offer from the vendor regarding the product;

upon identifying a user interest of the social group in the product, notifying a vendor of the product;

upon receiving from the vendor an offer regarding the product for the social group, the offer comprising an action and a reward, the offer limited to the users of the social group and extendable by the users of the social group to at least one user outside the social group;

presenting the offer associated with an advertisement for the product viewed by a user of the social group;

presenting the offer associated with a product review of the product viewed by a user of the social group;

upon detecting an offer redemption of the offer by a first user of the social group, notifying a second user of the social group of the offer redemption of the offer by the first user;

upon detecting an instance of the action by a user, presenting the reward to the user;

upon receiving a product offer comparison request from a user to compare at least two offers to the user regarding a product;

among the at least two offers to the user, selecting a recommended offer, and

presenting the recommended offer to the user;

upon detecting a user influence of a first user on a second user regarding a product, recording the user influence of the first user on the second user; and

upon receiving a request from the first user to present a user influence profile;

retrieving recorded user influences of the first user on other users, and

presenting the recorded user influences to the first user.