Method and system for targeted content placement

• US 8,234,159 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Segmint Inc.
• Original Assignee: Segmint Inc.
• Inventors: Heiser, Russel Robert II, Shahan, Nathan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lastra, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/266,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20090234708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.1
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• 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 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history

Abstract

A system for delivering targeted content to a device includes a database and a processor. The database stores anonymous identifications for a plurality of customers of at least one financial institution. Each anonymous identification is associated with financial information for a respective customer of the at least one financial institution. The processor includes software that is configured to classify consumers, create a targeted list of content viewers, and deliver a targeted advertisement over a network to a device used by a content viewer on the targeted list. The classifications can be based on the financial information associated with each anonymous identification. The target list of content viewers can be based on at least one selected classification. The advertisement can be delivered to a device used by a content viewer on the targeted list after the device has been used to log onto an application offered by the at least one financial institution.

Claims

1. A system for delivering targeted content to a device, the system including:

a database storing anonymous identifications for a plurality of customers of at least one financial institution, each anonymous identification being associated with financial information for a respective customer of the at least one financial institution;

a processor including software configured to;

classify the customers into classifications based on the financial information associated with each anonymous identification;

create a targeted list of content viewers based on at least one selected classification; and

deliver a targeted advertisement over a network to a device used by a content viewer on the targeted list after the device has been used to log onto an application offered by the at least one financial institution, the target advertisement being presented on a website associated with the financial institution; and

deliver a persistent cookie to the device after the device has been used to log into the application offered by the at least one financial institution, wherein the persistent cookie is associated with at least one anonymous identification.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the software is further configured to:

check for a unique identifier stored on or associated with the device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the software is further configured to:

in response to receiving confirmation that the unique identifier is stored on or associated with the device, deliver at least one of (1) a targeted advertisement to the device while the device is being used to view another application over the network or (2) a classification for the content viewer using the device to a content provider that is to display content on the device, wherein the another application is not a secure application associated with the at least one financial institution and the content provider is not associated with the at least one financial institution.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the unique identifier is at least one of a persistent cookie assigned by the system and an IP address for the device, and the anonymous identifications are received from the at least one financial institution.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the anonymous identifications and the unique identifiers are not associated in the database with a name of the respective customer, a bank account number for the respective customer, a street address for the respective customer, an e-mail address for the respective customer, or a phone number for the respective customer.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the software is further configured to associate the unique identifier stored on the device with at least two anonymous identifications from at least two different financial institutions.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the software is further configured to associate at least two different unique identifiers with a respective anonymous identification.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the software is further configured to deliver a targeted advertisement that includes a first portion of content based on a product or service that is being advertised and a second portion of content based on at least one of the classifications for the content viewer using the device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the financial information stored on the database includes demographic information about the respective customer, retail transaction data for the respective customer, bank transaction data for the respective customer, and account type information for the respective customer, and wherein the financial information is not associated with a name, a bank account number, a street address, an e-mail address, or a phone number for the respective customer.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the software is further configured to:

aggregate the received financial information associated with at least one of the anonymous identifications;

determine at least one aggregate assumption based on the aggregated financial information;

determine at least one aggregate assumption classification based on the at least one aggregate assumption; and

based on having determined at least one aggregate assumption classification, update the classification for the respective customer associated with the at least one of the anonymous identifications.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the software is further configured to:

identify at least one consumer trend comprising;

determining at least one future collateral transaction based on the received financial information associated with at least one anonymous identification;

or

determining at least one timed transaction based on the received financial information associated with at least one anonymous identification; and

determine at least one consumer trend classification based on the at least one consumer trend; and

based on having determined at least one consumer trend classification, update the classification for the respective customer associated with the at least one anonymous identification.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the software is further configured to:

record a number of clicks on the delivered targeted advertisement;

rank classifications associated with the targeted advertisement based on the number of clicks recorded and the classifications associated with the customers who have clicked on the targeted advertisement; and

identify underperforming classifications associated with the targeted advertisement based on a predetermined desired click performance;

identify new classifications to associate with the targeted advertisement based on classifications associated with the customers who have clicked on the targeted advertisement; and

update the targeted list of content viewers based on the identified classifications and the identified new classifications.

13. A method for delivering targeted content to a device over a network, the method comprising:

receiving by a targeted content delivery system from at least one financial institution consumer financial information for a plurality of consumers, wherein the consumer financial information is associated with a unique anonymous identification for each of the plurality of consumers;

generating classifications for the plurality of consumers based on the received consumer financial information;

selecting at least one of the classifications for targeted content;

creating a list of targeted consumers selected from the plurality of consumers based on the selected classifications; and

delivering the targeted content over a network to respective devices connected with the network and operated by the targeted consumers on the created list, wherein the targeted content is delivered to each respective device, on a webpage associated with the financial institution, after each respective device has been used to log onto an application offered by the at least one financial institution.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the consumer financial information includes transactions at a plurality of retailers or service providers.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the consumer financial information is associated with a first anonymous identification assigned by the respective financial institution and a second anonymous identification assigned by the targeted content delivery system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a consumer who is viewing content based on an unique identifier stored on or associated with the device used by the consumer to view the content, wherein the unique identifier is associated with the second anonymous identification;

matching the consumer to the targeted content based on matching the identified consumer to the list of targeted consumers; and

delivering the targeted content to the consumer for display on the device used by the consumer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein each unique anonymous identification for each of the plurality of consumers lacks a name of the customer, a bank account number for the customer, a street address for the customer, an e-mail address for the consumer, or a phone number for the customer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying a consumer includes checking for the unique identifier stored on the device and matching any second anonymous identifications associated with the unique identifier with respective first anonymous identifications assigned by the financial institutions.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the unique identifier is a persistent cookie stored on the device or based on an IP address associated with the device.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

aggregating the received financial transaction information for at least one consumer;

determining at least one aggregate assumption based on the aggregated financial transaction information;

determining at least one aggregate assumption classification based on the at least one aggregate assumption; and

based on having determined at least one aggregate assumption classification for at least one of the consumers, updating the generated classifications for the at least one of the consumers.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining at least one taxonomy classification code for each of the consumers based on the received consumer financial information;

determining at least one taxonomy classification based on the at least one taxonomy classification code; and

based on having deter mined at least one taxonomy classification for at least one of the consumers, updating the generated classifications for the at least one of the consumers.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying at least one consumer trend for at least one of the consumers, the identifying at least one consumer trend comprising;

determining at least one future collateral transaction based on the received consumer financial information;

or

determining at least one timed transaction based on the received consumer financial information;

determining at least one consumer trend classification based on the at least one consumer trend; and

based on having determined at least one consumer trend classification for at least one of the consumers, updating the generated classifications for the at least one of the consumers.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

checking for a unique identifier on or associated with the device used by a customer to view the targeted content,

recording a number of clicks on the delivered targeted content and the unique identifier associated with each of the clicks;

ranking classifications associated with the targeted content based on the number of clicks recorded and the classifications associated with the recorded unique identifier; and

identifying underperforming classifications associated with the targeted content based on a predetermined desired click performance;

identifying new classifications to associate with the targeted content based on classifications associated with the recorded unique identifier; and

updating the list of targeted consumers based on the identified underperforming classifications and the identified new classifications.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the targeted content includes a first portion of content based on the classification generated for the consumer receiving the targeted content and a second portion of content is generic to all viewers of the targeted content.

25. The method of claim 13, wherein generating classifications for the plurality of consumers based on the received consumer financial information, each classification represents an analytically deduced classification which includes weighing whether a consumer is to be classified in a classification based on a percentage of trueness.