System and method for assigning pieces of content to time-slots samples for measuring effects of the assigned content

• US 8,392,350 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Brooks, Brian E., Canavan, Michael K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Starks, Wilbert L
• Application Number:
  US12/166,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20090012927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 706/52, 706/45
• US Class Current: 706/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

Systems and methods provide for assigning pieces of content to time-slots samples for measuring effects of the assigned content. Systems and methods provide for receiving pair-wise content relatedness data that identifies each piece of content as experimental content or control content relative to other pieces of content, and algorithmically assigning experimental or control content pieces to time-slot samples using the content relatedness data, wherein additional content pieces assigned to a particular time-slot sample exclude non-identical related experimental content pieces defined relative to an experimental content piece previously assigned to the particular time-slot sample.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for assigning pieces of content to time-slots samples for measuring effects of the assigned content, comprising:

receiving pair-wise content relatedness data that identifies each piece of content as experimental content or control content; and

algorithmically assigning experimental or control content pieces to time-slot samples using the content relatedness data, wherein additional content pieces assigned to a particular time-slot sample exclude non-identical related experimental content pieces defined relative to an experimental content piece previously assigned to the particular time-slot sample.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein algorithmically assigning the experimental or control content pieces comprises randomly assigning the experimental or control content pieces to the time-slot samples.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-slot samples comprise attributes, and algorithmically assigning the experimental or control content pieces comprises randomly assigning the experimental or control content pieces to the time-slot samples based on the attributes of the time-slot samples, the attributes facilitating generation of hypotheses based on any interactions found between the content pieces assigned to the time-slot samples and the attributes of the time-slot samples, the attributes enabling exploratory data analysis.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of the time-slot samples that are assigned to receive the experimental content pieces is determined by a sample size estimate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an equal number of the time-slot samples are assigned the control content and experimental content, and an equal number of the time-slot samples are assigned each version of the experimental content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-identical experimental content pieces correspond to different levels of the same independent variable.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each piece of content defines an individual piece of content or a combination of content pieces.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the time-slot samples is associated with a plurality of factors that influence content effectiveness, and a number of required time-slot samples is determined at least in part by a number of combinations of the time-slot sample factors.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein algorithmically assigning the experimental or control content pieces comprises one or both of blocking by the time-slot sample factors and blocking by noise factors.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving content duration data for each piece of content that is being tested for effectiveness, wherein algorithmically assigning the experimental or control content pieces comprises assigning the experimental or control content pieces to fill the time-slot samples based on the content duration data.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving viewer behavior data or transactional data that is to be measured for each piece of content, wherein algorithmically assigning the experimental or control content pieces is based at least in part on the viewer behavior data or the transactional data.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising algorithmically assigning experimental or control content pieces to the time-slot samples using location relatedness data.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying the content on a display apparatus.

14. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying the content on a plurality of display apparatuses.

15. A system for assigning pieces of content to time-slots samples for measuring effects of the assigned content, comprising:

a memory configured to store pair-wise content relatedness data that identifies each piece of content as experimental content or control content; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute program instructions for assigning experimental or control content pieces to time-slot samples using the content relatedness data, wherein additional content pieces assigned to a particular time-slot sample exclude non-identical related experimental content pieces defined relative to an experimental content piece previously assigned to the particular time-slot sample.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to randomly assign the experimental or control content pieces to the time-slot samples.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to determine a number of the time-slot samples that are assigned to receive the experimental content pieces based on a sample size estimate.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to determine the sample size estimate using blocking factors.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to assign an equal number of the time-slot samples the control content and experimental content, and to assign an equal number of the time-slot samples each version of the experimental content.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the non-identical experimental content pieces correspond to different levels of the same independent variable.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein each piece of content defines an individual piece of content or a combination of content pieces.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the time-slot samples is associated with a plurality of factors that influence content effectiveness, and a number of required time-slot samples is determined by the processor at least in part by a number of combinations of the time-slot sample factors.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to implement one or both of blocking by the time-slot sample factors and blocking by noise factors.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory is configured to store content duration data for each piece of content that is being tested for effectiveness, and the processor is configured to assign the experimental or control content pieces to fill the time-slot samples based on the content duration data.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory is configured to store viewer behavior data or transactional data that is to be measured for each piece of content, and the processor is configured to assign the experimental or control content pieces based at least in part on the viewer behavior data or the transactional data.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein the content relatedness data comprises location relatedness data.

27. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by a processor for performing processes for assigning pieces of content to time-slots samples for measuring effects of the assigned content, comprising:

receiving pair-wise content relatedness data that identifies each piece of content as experimental content or control content; and

algorithmically assigning experimental or control content pieces to time-slot samples using the content relatedness data, wherein additional content pieces assigned to a particular time-slot sample exclude non-identical related experimental content pieces defined relative to an experimental content piece previously assigned to the particular time-slot sample.