Advertising and incentives over a social network

• US 20070121843A1
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swaayed, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bees and Pollen, Ltd.
• Inventors: Atazky, Ron, Barone, Ehud
• Granted Patent: US 8,560,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.130
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP

Abstract

A method whereby advertisers wish to deliver at least one of offerings and advertising messages relative to at least one of a product and a service to a target audience of users selected by a system operator during an advertising campaign. The method includes defining the users within the context of a social network, selecting the users from among the users of the social network, storing the information relevant to the defined users and utilizing the information stored/defined within the social network to deliver the messages to the users in an optimal manner.

Claims

1. A method whereby marketers and advertisers wish to deliver at least one of offerings and marketing and advertising messages relative to at least one of a product and a service to a target audience of users selected by a system operator during a marketing and advertising campaign, said method comprising:

defining the users within the context of a social network;

selecting the users from among the users of said social network;

storing the information relevant to said defined users; and

utilizing the information stored/defined within said social network to deliver said messages to the users in an optimal manner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system operator optionally charges said marketers and markers and advertisers for his services.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking of the users, wherein the selection of users from within the target audience is limited to said selected group of the users of highest ranking opinion leaders within the social network, within the relevant context of the offering/advertising message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said ranking may be according to trust by which the social network members deem the user to be of higher influence than others as defined in said network at the time of said selection.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said ranking may be according to popularity by which the social network members deem the user to be of higher influence than others as defined in said network at the time of said selection.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said ranking may be according to reputation by which the social network members deem the user to be of higher influence than others as defined in said network at the time of said selection.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising the offering of incentives by the advertisers to said opinion leaders to perform an action relevant to the marketers'"'"' and advertisers'"'"' offering/message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said action is to review the marketers'"'"' and advertisers'"'"' offering/message.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said action is to comment on the marketers'"'"' and advertisers'"'"' offering/message.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said action is to consume the advertisers'"'"' offering.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said action is to endorse the marketers'"'"' and advertisers'"'"' offering/message.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising calculating the optimal distribution of a given package of said incentives among said opinion-makers of all ranks to produce the maximum predicted effect where the systems operator knows said opinion-makers ranking in a certain context of marketing and advertising, and knows said opinion-makers'"'"' response to various forms of incentives and knows said users response to said opinion-maker'"'"'s action on the marketers'"'"' and advertisers'"'"' messages and incentives.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising the giving of said incentives to the user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the user performing at least one of the following:

fulfilling specified requirements from among at least the following;

using the product;

writing a review;

sending a message to a specified number of people before said giving step;

promoting the products/services;

adding links to coupons;

generating word of mouth; and

creating a market buzz.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein more than one group of said opinion leaders are defined, wherein the parameters of said incentive offerings are dependent upon said groups.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the more valuable of said opinion leaders are offered more valuable of said incentives relative to those lower-ranked among said opinion leaders.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein said opinion leaders are given a limited time frame in which to comment on said advertisers'"'"' message.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein after a given limited time-frame said incentive changes/decreases.

19. The method of claim 7, further comprising dividing said incentives among said opinion leaders and the system operator offering the more effective/valuable of said incentives to those higher-ranked among said opinion leaders.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising offering said incentives unused by those among said higher-ranked opinion leaders to those lower-ranked among said opinion leaders.

21. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the social-network'"'"'s ranking system to reflect users'"'"' said action subsequent to viewing/receiving/responding to said opinion leaders'"'"' action on the marketers'"'"' and advertiser'"'"'s offering.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein users'"'"' said action is a vote of trust on said opinion leaders'"'"' action relative to the marketers'"'"' and advertiser'"'"'s offering, thereby increasing this specific relations inter-trust, and thereby promoting said “

opinion leaders”

rating.

23. The method of claim 7, further comprising adjusting a user'"'"'s ranking for the purposes of the marketing and advertising campaign to reflect said user'"'"'s general willingness to participate in marketing and advertising campaigns.

24. The method of claim 7, further comprising adjusting a user'"'"'s ranking for the purposes of the marketing and advertising campaign to reflect said user'"'"'s general willingness to make use of said incentives offered.

25. The method of claim 7, further comprising validating a user'"'"'s ranking by offering him/her one of said incentives normally reserved to said higher-ranked opinion leaders, and thereby testing for the visibility of said user'"'"'s action on the advertisement.

26. The method of claim 7, further comprising the system operator suggesting to the marketer and advertiser at least the type and scope an incentive package to produce the maximum effect at the minimum price.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the system operator pricing his marketing and advertising services based at least in part on said expected effect.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the system operator pricing his marketing and advertising services based at least in part on the specificity of said opinion-marker'"'"'s context match to the marketers'"'"' and advertiser'"'"'s target audience.

29. The method of claim 7, wherein said incentive is in the form of a discount to purchase the product offered by the marketer and advertiser.

30. The method of claim 7, wherein said incentive is in the form of a discount to purchase the service offered by the marketer and advertiser.

31. The method of claim 7, wherein said incentive is in the form of a cash rebate to buy the product.

32. The method of claim 7, wherein said incentive is in the form of a cash rebate to use the service.

33. The method of claim 8, wherein said incentive is in the form of a cash fee for reviewing the advertiser'"'"'s message.

34. The method of claim 7, wherein said incentive is in the form of a giveaway of the service.

35. The method of claim 7, wherein said incentive is in the form of a giveaway of the product.

36. The method of claim 7, wherein said incentive is in the form of privileged access to the product.

37. The method of claim 7, wherein said incentive is in the form of privileged access to the service.

38. The method of claim 7, wherein the system operator of the marketing/advertising/incentive program is other than the operator of the social network.

39. The method of claim 7, wherein the system operator of the marketing/advertising/incentive program is offering his products/services over several social networks.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising optimizing offering of incentives between said several social networks for best impact by the system operator of the marketing/advertising/incentive program.

41. The method of claim 14, wherein said incentives are preferably reserved by the user prior to fulfilling the at least one requirement.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said incentive is offered for a limited period of time.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein once the user has reserved said incentive, he receives said incentive if taken within said time limit.

44. The method of claim 7, further comprising reallocating of said incentive by the system operator to another user, if unused by a user to whom it has been previously offered.

45. The method of claim 14, further comprising penalizing a user for at least one of reserving and using said incentive prior fulfilling said at least one requirement.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said penalizing comprises at least one of a financial penalty and lowering of ranking of the user within the social network.

47. The method of claim 1, wherein the target audience is defined by at least one of following parameters of the users:

demographic data on the users;

users'"'"' at least one area of interest and data items specified explicitly by the users;

information entered by the users into the social network;

behavioral information of the users within the system, comprising at least their track-record in responding to advertisements and incentives;

behavioral information of the users within the social network, comprising at least their ranking within a specified context;

information obtained from 3^rd party resources; and

cross-checking of information between the above parameters.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said 3^rd party resources provide data-mining information available on the net for each user.

49. The method of claim 7, further comprising distributing said offered incentives among said users.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein said pricing of services to marketers and advertisers is dependent on at least one of the parameters of:

users who have been offered said incentive;

users who have reserved said incentive; and

users who successfully completed the requirement and received said incentive.

51. The method of claim 7, further comprising bidding by marketers and advertisers on pricing of services so as to have at least one of:

said message delivered;

said incentive offered to users of higher rank in the social network; and

have a better match to said target audience who are more likely to make use of said incentive.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein said distributing and offering of said incentives is according to at least one of the following parameters:

demographic data on the users;

users'"'"' area of interest and data items specified explicitly by the users information entered by the users into the social network.

behavioral information of the users within the system, comprising at least their track-record in responding to advertisements and incentives;

behavioral information of the users within the social network, comprising at least their ranking within a specified context;

information obtained from 3^rd party resources; and

cross-checking of information between the above parameters.

53. The method of claim 7, wherein the users preferably consent to certain terms to receive said incentive.

54. The method of claim 7, wherein said messages and incentives are integrated into at least one of:

e-commerce retails sites;

user aware search engines;

social network sites;

e-mail server featuring targeted advertisements;

search engines featuring targeted advertisements;

comparison shopping sites; and

retailers catalog distributed by email.

55. The method of claim 7, wherein said “

opinion leader”

action upon said incentive is disseminated among his social network members.

56. The method of claim 7, wherein said opinion leaders'"'"' actions are accounted into a reputation mechanism, promoting at least one said service and product advertised.

57. The method of claim 7, further comprising said system operator charging the user for at least one of reserving and using said incentive.

58. The method of claim 7, wherein said incentives are coupons promoting a product/service of the advertiser and given by the advertisers to said opinion leaders.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein said coupons have a clickable hyperlink.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising clicking by an interested user on said hyperlink and printing the coupon.

61. The method of claim 21, further comprising clicking by said opinion leader on said hyperlink related to a promotional online resource.

62. The method of claim 58, further comprising publishing by said opinion leaders of said coupons in at least one of emails, forums, personal blogs, social network user pages and groups.

63. The method of claim 3, further comprising blocking of users for at least one of misbehavior and false identity.

64. The method of claim 7, wherein said action is a result of a personal message.

65. The method of claim 40, wherein said optimizing further comprises targeting of said opinion leaders who are unrelated to the advertiser, thus enhancing the reliability of said opinion leaders value with respect to word-of-mouth.

66. The method of claim 3, wherein said ranking may be according to historical data of the users.

67. The method of claim 7, wherein said action is to promote the marketers'"'"' and advertisers'"'"' offering/message.