Methods and apparatus to analyze and adjust demographic information

• US 9,092,797 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Perez, Albert R., Gaunt, Josh
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US13/209,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 707/790, 707/810
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to analyze and adjust demographic information of audience members are disclosed. An example method involves generating a first model based on reference demographic data corresponding to panelists and based on second demographic data and behavioral data from a database proprietor. The second demographic data and the behavioral data correspond to ones of the panelists having user accounts with the database proprietor. The method also involves using the first model to partition the second demographic data into a plurality of nodes, each node representing a respective subset of the second demographic data. The method also involves redistributing at least some of the second demographic data between at least some of the nodes to generate a second model.

Claims

1. A method to adjust demographic data, comprising:

generating a first model based on reference demographic data corresponding to panelists, and based on second demographic data and behavioral data from a database proprietor that is separate from a first entity, the reference demographic data collected from the panelists by the first entity and stored by the first entity, and the second demographic data and the behavioral data corresponding to ones of the panelists having user accounts with the database proprietor;

using the first model to partition the second demographic data into a plurality of nodes, each node representing a respective subset of the second demographic data;

redistributing at least some of the second demographic data between at least some of the nodes to generate a second model;

applying the second model to third demographic data of the database proprietor; and

based on an output of the second model, determining whether to adjust at least some of the third demographic data.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the third demographic data corresponds to registered users of the database proprietor.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the registered users include non-panelists.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the third demographic data corresponds to users for which impressions to advertisements are logged when the advertisements are rendered on computers of the users.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the database proprietor provides a social networking service to registered users including non-panelists and the ones of the panelists having the user accounts with the database proprietor.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the behavioral data includes at least one of a quantity of user connections, a quantity of mobile webpage views, an indicated year of school graduation, a median year of school graduation for persons corresponding to the user connections, and a percent of friends that are female.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second demographic data is collected by the database proprietor from the ones of the panelists having the user accounts with the database proprietor, and the second demographic data is stored by the database proprietor.

8. A system to adjust demographic data, comprising:

a modeler to generate a first model based on reference demographic data corresponding to panelists, and based on second demographic data and behavioral data from a database proprietor that is separate from a first entity, the reference demographic data collected from the panelists by the first entity and stored by the first entity, and the second demographic data and the behavioral data corresponding to ones of the panelists having user accounts with the database proprietor;

an analyzer to analyze an output of the first model comprising the second demographic data partitioned into a plurality of nodes, each node representing a respective subset of the second demographic data;

an adjuster to redistribute at least some of the second demographic data between at least some of the nodes to generate a second model; and

a processor to;

apply the second model to third demographic data of the database proprietor, and

based on an output of the second model, determine whether to adjust at least some of the third demographic data.

9. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the third demographic data corresponds to registered users of the database proprietor.

10. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the registered users include non-panelists.

11. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the third demographic data corresponds to users for which impressions to advertisements are logged when the advertisements are rendered on computers of the users.

12. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the database proprietor provides a social networking service to registered users including non-panelists and the ones of the panelists having the user accounts with the database proprietor.

13. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the behavioral data includes at least one of a quantity of user connections, a quantity of mobile webpage views, an indicated year of school graduation, a median year of school graduation for persons corresponding to the user connections, and a percent of friends that are female.

14. A system as defined in claim 8, wherein the second demographic data is collected by the database proprietor from the ones of the panelists having the user accounts with the database proprietor, and the second demographic data is stored by the database proprietor.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

generate a first model based on reference demographic data corresponding to panelists, and based on second demographic data and behavioral data from a database proprietor that is separate from the first entity, the reference demographic data collected from the panelists by the first entity and stored by the first entity, and the second demographic data and the behavioral data corresponding to ones of the panelists having user accounts with the database proprietor;

use the first model to partition the second demographic data into a plurality of nodes, each node representing a respective subset of the second demographic data;

redistribute at least some of the second demographic data between at least some of the nodes to generate a second model;

apply the second model to third demographic data of the database proprietor; and

based on an output of the second model, determine whether to adjust at least some of the third demographic data.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the third demographic data corresponds to registered users of the database proprietor.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the registered users include non-panelists.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the third demographic data corresponds to users for which impressions to advertisements are logged when the advertisements are rendered on computers of the users.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the database proprietor provides a social networking service to registered users including non-panelists and the ones of the panelists having the user accounts with the database proprietor.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the behavioral data includes at least one of a quantity of user connections, a quantity of mobile webpage views, an indicated year of school graduation, a median year of school graduation for persons corresponding to the user connections, and a percent of friends that are female.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the second demographic data is collected by the database proprietor from the ones of the panelists having the user accounts with the database proprietor, and the second demographic data is stored by the database proprietor.