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

• US 7,996,264 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Slingshot Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Avatizing LLC
• Inventors: Sigler, Sonya Lee, Kusumoto, Laura Lee, Sacerdoti, Earl David, Sigler, Leila Janine
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette; Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US12/267,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 705/14.16
• 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 30/0224 based on user history

Abstract

A user of an interactive medium may select advertising for display on the user'"'"'s avatar, property, or other user-associated environment. The invention presents one or more advertisements to the user and allows the user to select at least one advertisement to display. The user may also choose a location for displaying the selected advertisement. The invention presents the selected advertisement to other users of the interactive medium. The invention tracks these presentations or displays and rewards the original user based on the presentation. The tracking data may also be used to bill the advertiser or optimize the process of selecting and displaying advertisements.

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 to generate a selected advertisement;

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

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;

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

tracking at least one of the selected advertisement, the presenting of the selected advertisement, and the providing of the reward to generate tracking data for at least one of billing purposes, optimizing the selecting an advertisement, optimizing the selecting a location, optimizing the creating a selected advertisement, and optimizing the providing a reward.

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 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.

4. The instructions of claim 2, wherein the interface comprises at least one of a mobile station, a wireless device, user equipment, 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.

5. 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.

6. The instructions of claim 5, 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

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 users 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, user equipment, 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 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. The instructions of claim 20, 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 20, 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.

23. The instructions of claim 20, 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.

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

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

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

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 1, wherein the reward is adjusted to incentivize the first user to choose certain options when at least one of selecting an advertisement, selecting a location, and creating a selected advertisement.

31. The instructions of claim 1, wherein billing purposes is at least one of billing a host of the interactive medium, billing an advertising agency, and billing a company that is advertising at least one of its products.

32. The instructions of claim 1, wherein at least one of optimizing the selecting an advertisement, optimizing the selecting a location, optimizing the creating a selected advertisement, and optimizing the providing a reward is an automated process.

33. The instructions of claim 32, wherein the automated process is performed by at least one of statistical processing, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytical techniques.

34. A method for selected advertising within an interactive medium, 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 to generate a selected advertisement;

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;

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;

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

tracking at least one of the selected advertisement, the presenting of the selected advertisement, and the providing of the reward to generate tracking data for at least one of billing purposes, optimizing the selecting an advertisement, optimizing the selecting a location, optimizing the creating a selected advertisement, and optimizing the providing a reward.

35. A system adapted to select advertising within an interactive medium, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to said memory, said processor adapted to provide an advertisement group to a first user, wherein the advertisement group comprises at least one advertisement;

to receive a selection of at least one advertisement from the advertisement group from the first user, to generates a selected advertisement;

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

to

present 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

to provide a reward to at least the first user, wherein the reward is based on at least the presented selected advertisement; and

to

track at least one of the selected advertisement, the presented selected advertisement, and the provided reward to generate tracking data for at least one of to bill, to optimize the selection of an advertisement, to optimize the selection of a location, to optimize the creation of a selected advertisement, or to optimize the provided reward.