System and method for consumer-selected advertising and branding in interactive media

• US 7,797,168 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slingshot Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Avatizing LLC
• Inventors: Sigler, Sonya Lee, Kusumoto, Laura Lee, Sigler, Leila Janine, Sacerdoti, Earl David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US11/128,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0213 Consumer transaction fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0219 based on funds or budget
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Participants in an interactive environment implemented by computer networks and other media such as interactive television are recruited to advertise products and brands to the other participants and viewers that are users of the media. Each participant may select from a set of available advertisements, which can be displayed in association with the user'"'"'s avatar, virtual space and virtual objects within or embodying the virtual world. Participants are given incentives to do this by the availability of rewards, such as coupons, real or virtual money or other resources, which are provided by the advertising sponsors, based on adoption of the advertising by the participant, as well as on factors such as exposure of the selected advertisements to other users. Allowing the users to exercise advertising choice, as participant or viewer, the invention also facilitates collection of data regarding consumer preferences.

Claims

1. A machine readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform selected advertising within an interactive medium, the instructions comprising:

providing an advertisement group to a first user, wherein the advertisement group comprises at least one advertisement;

receiving a selection of at least one advertisement from the advertisement group from the first user;

when a plurality of locations exists, providing the plurality of locations to the first user to choose to present the at least one advertisement within the interactive medium and receiving a selection of at least one location from the plurality of locations from the first user;

when only one location exists, selecting the one location;

creating a selected advertisement from the selection of the at least one advertisement and the selection of at least one location;

storing the selected advertisement;

presenting the selected advertisement to at least one user within the interactive medium, wherein the at least one user has access to the interactive medium; and

providing a reward to at least the first user, wherein the reward is based on at least the presenting the selected advertisement.

2. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the advertisement and the at least one location are selected using at least one of the interactive medium and an ancillary support environment, wherein the ancillary support environment includes at least one interface for exchanging information and choices.

3. The instructions of claim 1, wherein providing a reward comprises:

tracking at least one interaction with the selected advertisement by the at least one user;

and providing a reward to at least the first user, wherein the reward is based on at least the at least one interaction.

4. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises at least one of coupons, merchandise, credits, goods, services, information about a virtual world, information about real world events, opportunities in a virtual world, virtual money, money, discounted products, discounted services, access to restricted content, contest clues, licensing fees, royalty fees, a benefit in a game, and increased social status.

5. The instructions of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a consumer profile for the first user, wherein the consumer profile comprises at least one of

registration information,

environment continuation information to allow the first user to continue where the first user previously stopped in the interactive medium,

information on at least one selected advertisement of the first user,

information on the selection of the advertisement,

information on the selection of at least one location, and

reward information.

6. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the interactive medium comprises media presented via at least one of mobile devices, streaming video, streaming audio, radio, television, voice portal, web site, web meeting, internet resources, internet enabled devices, gaming systems, and information presentation environment.

7. The instructions of claim 1, wherein storing the selected advertisement comprises writing data to at least one of a nonvolatile memory accessible by a computer, an off-line storage medium, and a portable device.

8. The instructions of claim 2, wherein the ancillary support environment comprises at least one of electronic mail, web browser, online agent, instant messaging, paging, text messaging, internet resources, video messaging, and short message service.

9. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the plurality of locations comprises at least one of a wearable display, a game piece, a game card, a game element, a display controlled or influenced by the first user, a portion of a web page, a portion of a web page for a period of time, a time slot in an audio or video stream, a portion of screen real estate in a video stream, a radio or television broadcast, an on-hold audio message, real world clothing, an electronic billboard, a billboard with a processor-controlled display, a vending machine, programmable paper, a virtual character, a virtual representation of a user, a virtual place, media present in a real-world space, and media projected onto a real-world space.

10. The instructions of claim 3, wherein the at least one interaction comprises at least one of sharing at least one aspect of the interactive medium using the advertisement, tracking click events and click-through events, and transferring aspects of the interactive medium to another medium.

11. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the reward is also provided to at least one of an advertiser and a sponsor.

12. The instructions of claim 1, further comprising:

charging a fee to the first user based on the selected advertisement group.

13. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the presenting occurs at places and times selected by a user or determined by at least sensors that provide information indicating a user'"'"'s actions or a user'"'"'s location.

14. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the interactive medium comprises media displayed on at least one of interactive television, an electronic bumper sticker, an article of clothing with a flexible screen, a billboard with a processor-controlled display, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computer, a mobile station, a gaming system, an augmented reality display, a telepresence system, or a videoconference display.

15. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the interactive medium comprises at least one of a collaborative virtual environment, a multi-user virtual environment, a massively multiplayer online game, a virtual world, an interactive themed environment, or an augmented reality system.

16. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the advertisement group comprises at least one advertisement in at least one category.

17. The instructions of claim 16, wherein the at least one advertisement comprises at least one of an image, an audio clip, an animated image, a multimedia movie, a behavior for an object in the interactive medium, an object that confers a benefit in a game, or a multi-user event in the interactive medium.

18. The instructions of claim 16, wherein the at least one category comprises at least one of a type of product, a brand, a vendor, a company, a specific product, products relevant to a specific activity or interest, and advertisements of a specific advertiser.

19. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the advertisement group comprises an advertisement profile, the advertisement profile comprising a plurality of advertisements selected from at least one category.

20. The instructions of claim 19, wherein the advertisement profile is provided by the first user.

21. The instructions of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of advertisements comprises at least one of an image, an audio clip, an animated image, a multimedia movie, a behavior for an object in the interactive medium, an object that confers a benefit in a game, or a multi-user event in the interactive medium.

22. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the first user is a host of the interactive medium.

23. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the first user is a party commissioned to create the advertisement group.

24. The instructions of claim 19, wherein the at least one category comprises at least one of a type of product, a brand, a vendor, a company, a specific product, products relevant to a specific activity or interest, and advertisements of a specific advertiser.

25. The instructions of claim 16, wherein the at least one advertisement comprises at least one of a logo, a name, a commercial symbol, a virtual object associated with an advertiser, an audio clip, a video clip, or a banner.

26. The instructions of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of advertisements comprises at least one of a logo, a name, a commercial symbol, a virtual object associated with an advertiser, an audio clip, a video clip, or a banner.

27. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the at least one advertisement comprises at least one of an advertisement concept and an advertisement campaign within the interactive medium.

28. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises intangible rewards.

29. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the first user creates at least one advertisement of the advertisement group.

30. The instructions of claim 2, wherein the interface comprises at least one of a mobile station, a wireless device, an internet enabled device, a media player, and a gaming system, and wherein the machine comprises at least one of a processor executing the instructions and a plurality of processors executing the instructions in a distributed manner.

31. A system for selected advertising within an interactive medium, comprising:

first providing means for providing an advertisement group to a first user, wherein the advertisement group comprises at least one advertisement;

first receiving means for receiving a selection of at least one advertisement from the advertisement group from the first user;

when a plurality of locations exists, second providing means for providing the plurality of locations to the first user to choose to present the at least one advertisement within the interactive medium and receiving a selection of at least one location from the plurality of locations from the first user;

when only one location exists, first selecting means to select the one location;

first creating means for creating a selected advertisement from the selection of the at least one advertisement and the selection of at least one location;

first storing means for storing the selected advertisement;

first presenting means for presenting the selected advertisement to at least one user within the interactive medium, wherein the at least one user has access to the interactive medium; and

first reward means for providing a reward to at least the first user, wherein the reward is based on at least the presenting the selected advertisement.