Influence based rewards for word-of-mouth advertising ecosystems

• US 7,664,726 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ward, Brad, Sacheti, Arun K., Jain, Kamal, Russell, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Darno; Patrick A
• Application Number:
  US11/768,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20080320004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems

Abstract

Systems and/or methods are presented that facilitate determining the contextual influence of a user in referrals of products or services, and determining an amount of compensation for successful referrals based on the contextual influence of the user. A central service component can track activity and receive data associated with referrals, including data related to the number and type of referrals, and the number of successful referrals. An evaluation component can analyze referral data associated with the user and can determine a conversion ratio as the number of successful referrals compared to the total number of referrals. The evaluation component can utilize the conversion ratio to facilitate determining an amount of compensation that can be awarded and distributed to the user based on the influence of the user within the context of the product or service referred by the user.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates determination of an incentive, comprising:

a central service component that receives information associated with at least one referral related to at least one of a product or service, or combination thereof, and determines at last one of an amount of incentive or a type of incentive, or a combination thereof, to distribute to at least one user based in part on a ratio of a number of successful referrals as compared to a total number of referrals, related to the at least one product or service, or a combination thereof, and associated with the at least one user, wherein the central service component operates to effect steps comprising;

storing, in a memory communicatively coupled to a microprocessor, computer-executable instructions for facilitating determination of the incentive;

executing the instructions on the microprocessor;

according to the instructions being executed;

using the microprocessor to distinguish between successful referrals, unsuccessful referrals and referrals which have not achieved success but have not expired, wherein referrals that have not expired are not used in calculations of the amount of the incentive, and wherein referrals are considered to have expired if they are not successful within a predetermined period of time;

calculating, using the microprocessor, the amount of the incentive based on a formula comprising I=(c'"'"'SR1)+(d×

SR2)+(e×

1/UR), wherein I is a total incentive paid, c is an incentive paid for a first type of successful referral, SR1 is a number of successful referrals of the first type, d is a payment made for a second type of successful referral, SR2 is a number of successful referrals of the second type;

e is an incentive payment for referrals generally, and UR is a number of unsuccessful referrals happening in a period of time wherein successful referrals resulted;

wherein the first type of successful referrals SR1 involve product purchases, the second type of successful referrals SR2 involve customer trials, and wherein the total incentive I is calculated based in part on unsuccessful referral data UR that is based on historical data including a same product as the total incentive payment I is paid and products different from the same product as that for which the total incentive I is calculated;

wherein expiration of a referral is based on passage of the predetermined time, and wherein the predetermined time is measured from when an email message or SMS message is sent or when an advertisement on a website or blog is clicked; and

wherein a different weight is applied to referrals made through a website or a blog than referrals made through emails or instant messages, and wherein the different weight results in different values of the values c and d.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an evaluation component that is associated with the central service component and receives information associated with the at least one referral, analyzes the received information, and compares the received information to a subset of incentive criteria.

3. The system of claim 2, the subset of incentive criteria is based on at least one of a type of referral, a conversion ratio, a total number of referrals, a number of successful referrals, a type of desired action, a time the at least one referral occurred, a time at least one successful referral occurred, or a combination thereof, related to the at least one of a product or service, or combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the evaluation component determines at least one of the type of incentive or the amount of incentive, or a combination thereof, based on the subset of incentive criteria.

5. The system of claim 1, the at least one of an amount of incentive or a type of incentive comprising a primary incentive based on one or more successful referrals and at least one other incentive based on a conversion ratio determined as a function of a number of successful referrals as compared to the total number of referrals made by the at least one user.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a distribution component that can facilitate distribution of the incentive to the at least one user, the type of incentive is comprised of at least one of money, points, coupons, awards, products, or services, or a combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, the central service component provides the at least one user with a predetermined number of referral opportunities, and provides the at least one user a predetermined number of additional referral opportunities based on each successful referral.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data store that can store data associated with at least one referral related to at least one product or service, or a combination thereof, and associated with the at least one user.

9. The system of claim 1, the at least one referral is a successful referral when at least one desired action is performed by a recipient of the at least one referral, the at least one desired action comprising at least one of a purchase of a product or a service, a free trial of the product or the service, a download of software related to the product or the service, a registration for the product or the service, a completion of a form related to the product or the service, an appointment with regard to the product or service, or a review or comments related to the product or the service, or a syndication of an advertising package related to the product or the service, or a combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a community network that is associated with the central service component, the community network provides information to the central service component.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an intelligent component that makes an inference as to the at least one of an amount, a type of incentive, or whether a referral is a successful referral, or a combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 1, the at least one referral is contained in at least one of a web site, a web page, a webfeed, a blog, an e-mail, an instant message, a short message service, a multimedia messaging service, an enhanced messaging service, or a combination thereof.

13. At least one computer that comprises the central service component of claim 1.

14. A method that facilitates determining an amount of incentive, comprising:

storing, in a memory communicatively coupled to a microprocessor, computer-executable instructions for facilitating determination of the incentive;

executing the instructions on the microprocessor;

according to the instructions being executed;

evaluating, using the microprocessor, a subset of information associated with at least one referral related to at least one of a product or service, or a combination thereof, and associated with at least one user; and

using the microprocessor to determine the amount of incentive to award the at least one user based on a subset of incentive criteria comprising at least a ratio of a number of successful referrals compared to a total number of referrals associated with the at least one user, a successful referral is a referral that resulted in a recipient of the referral performing a desired action associated with the referral, wherein determining the amount of incentive to award comprises steps comprising;

using the microprocessor to distinguish between successful referrals, unsuccessful referrals and referrals which have not achieved success but have not expired, wherein referrals that have not expired are not used in calculations of the amount of the incentive, and wherein referrals are considered to have expired if they are not successful within a predetermined period of time;

calculating, using the microprocessor, the amount of the inventive based on a formula comprising I=(c×

SR1)+(d×

SR2)+(e×

1/UR), wherein I is a total incentive paid, c is an incentive paid for a first type of successful referral, SR1 is a number of successful referrals of the first type, d is a payment made for a second type of successful referral, SR2 is a number of successful referrals of the second type;

e is an incentive payment for referrals generally, and UR is a number of unsuccessful referrals happening in a period of time wherein successful referrals resulted;

wherein the first type of successful referrals SR1 involve product purchases, the second type of successful referrals SR2 involve customer trials, and wherein the total incentive I is calculated based in part on unsuccessful referral data UR that is based on historical data including a same product as the total incentive payment I is paid and products different from the same product as that for which the total incentive I is calculated;

wherein expiration of a referral is based on passage of the predetermined time, and wherein the predetermined time is measured from when an email message or SMS message is sent or when an advertisement on a website or blog is clicked; and

wherein a different weight is applied to referrals made through a website or a blog than referrals made through emails or instant messages, and wherein the different weight results in different values of c and d.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

comparing the number of successful referrals made by the at least one user with the total number of referrals made by the at least one user;

distributing an incentive based on a subset of incentive criteria if the user has at least one successful referral.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving information associated with at least one of a referral, a successful referral, an advertisement, a type of advertisement, a product, a service, an origination of a referral, a destination of a referral, a time a referral was made, a time a desired action is performed, meta data associated with a referral or an advertisement, user activity, or the at least one user, or a combination thereof, associated with the at least one user.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving information associated with the subset of incentive criteria, the information associated with at least one of a user account, the at least one user, a product, a service, a conversion ratio, referrals, a total number of referrals, a total number of successful referrals, a type of referral, or a type of desired action, or a combination thereof; and

determining at least one of a type of incentive or an amount of incentive, or a combination thereof, based in part on the subset of incentive criteria, the type of incentive is at least one of monetary, points, coupons, awards, products, or services, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

accessing a user account associated with the at least one user;

registering a referral made by the at least one user in the user account; and

registering a successful referral made by the at least one user in the user account.

19. A system for determining an incentive, comprising:

means for analyzing data associated with at least one referral of at least one of a product or service, or a combination thereof; and

means for determining at least one of an amount of the incentive or a type of the incentive, or a combination thereof, to be awarded to at least one user based on an incentive criteria comprising comparing a number of successful referrals to the total number of referrals, related to the at least one of a product or service, or a combination thereof, and associated with the at least one user, wherein the means for determining operates to effect steps comprising;

storing, in a memory communicatively coupled to a microprocessor, computer-executable instructions for determining the incentive;

executing the instructions on the microprocessor;

according to the instructions being executed;

using the microprocessor to distinguish between successful referrals, unsuccessful referrals and referrals which have not achieved success but have not expired, wherein referrals that have not expired are not used in calculations of the amount of the incentive, and wherein referrals are considered to have expired if they are not successful within a predetermined period of time;

calculating, using the microprocessor, the amount of the incentive based on a formula comprising I=(c×

SR1)+(d×

SR2)+(e×

1/UR), wherein I is a total incentive paid, c is an incentive paid for a first type of successful referral;

SR1 is a number of successful referrals of the first type, d is a payment made for a second type of successful referral, SR2 is a number of successful referrals of the second type;

e is an incentive payment for referrals generally, and UR is a number of unsuccessful referrals happening in a period of time wherein successful referrals resulted;

wherein the first type of successful referrals SR1 involve product purchases, the second type of successful referrals SR2 involve customer trials, and wherein the total incentive I is calculated based in part on unsuccessful referral data UR that is based on historical data including a same product as the total inventive payment I is paid and products different from the same product as that for which the total incentive I is calculated;

wherein expiration of a referral is based on passage of the predetermined time, and wherein the predetermined time is measured from when an email message or SMS message is sent or when an advertisement on a website or blog is clicked; and

wherein a different weight is applied to referrals made through a website or a blog than referrals made through emails or instant messages, and wherein the different weight results in different values of the values c and d.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

means for monitoring data associated with at least one referral related to the at least one of a product or service, or a combination thereof, and associated with the at least one user

means for receiving the data;

means for storing the data;

means for comparing the data with a subset of incentive criteria means for determining an incentive to provide the at least one user based on the subset of incentive criteria; and

means for providing the incentive to an account associated with the at least one user.