Techniques for promotion management

• US 20080033809A1
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2006
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Yuchun, Cheung, David F., Martin, Patrick, Kennedy, Ruby, Black, Andre B.
• Application Number:
  US11/492,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033809A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement

Abstract

A method for promotion management is described. The method includes producing a promotion instance from a promotion template, setting one or more attribute fields of the promotion instance, assigning the promotion instance to a group of contact entities, and executing on a computer a marketing campaign based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the promotion instance.

Claims

1. A method for promotion management comprising:

producing a promotion instance from a promotion template;

setting one or more attribute fields of the promotion instance;

assigning the promotion instance to a group of contact entities; and

executing on a computer a marketing campaign based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the promotion instance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the group is a target group and the method further comprises:

assigning a control group to the target group.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more attribute fields are one or more parameterized attributes fields.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the one or more attribute fields comprises:

populating the one or more attribute fields with data obtained or calculated from at least one of a database or a list that stores the data in one or more data fields corresponding to the one or more parameterized attribute fields of the promotion instance.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the marketing campaign comprises, at runtime:

producing a promotion version based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the promotion instance;

producing a treatment instance based on the promotion version, the group, and a time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assigning a treatment code to the treatment instance.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the time and date are a first time and date, the treatment instance is a first treatment instance, and the treatment code is a first treatment code, and the method further comprises:

producing a second treatment instance based on the promotion version, the group, and a second time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assigning a second treatment code to the second treatment instance.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the group is a first group, the treatment instance is a first treatment instance, and the treatment code is a first treatment code, and the method further comprises:

defining a second group of contact entities;

assigning the promotion instance to the second group;

producing a second treatment instance based on the promotion version, the second group, and the time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assigning a second treatment code to the second treatment instance.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the promotion version is a first promotion version, the treatment instance is a first treatment instance, the treatment code is a first treatment code, and the promotion instance is a first promotion instance, and the method further comprises:

producing a second promotion instance from the promotion template;

assigning the second promotion instance to the group;

setting one or more attribute values of the second promotion instance;

executing on the computer the marketing campaign based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the first and second promotion instance;

producing a second promotion version based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the second promotion instance;

producing a second treatment instance based on the second promotion version, the group, and the time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assigning a second treatment code to the second treatment instance.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the one or more attribute values are one or more first attribute values, the promotion version is a first promotion version, the treatment instance is a first treatment instance, and the treatment code is a first treatment code, and the method further comprises:

setting one or more second attribute values of the promotion instance;

executing on the computer the marketing campaign based on the setting of the one or more first and second attribute values to the promotion instance;

producing a second promotion version based on the setting of the one or more second attribute values to the promotion instance;

producing a second treatment instance based on the second promotion version, the group, and the time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assigning a second treatment code to the second treatment instance.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein producing the group comprises:

using a target group spreadsheet.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the one or more attribute fields comprises:

setting the one or more parameterized attribute fields with data-driven personalization.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the group is a target group and the method further comprises:

assigning a test group to the target group.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more attribute fields are one or more custom attributes fields.

14. The method of claim 5 wherein the treatment code uniquely identifies the treatment instance.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

using optimization rules to determine when reusing the promotion version is appropriate.

16. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for promotion management, comprises instructions for causing a computer to:

produce a promotion instance from a promotion template;

set one or more attribute fields of the promotion instance;

assign the promotion instance to a group of contact entities; and

execute a marketing campaign based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the promotion instance.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the group is a target group and the further comprises instructions for causing a computer to:

assign a control group to the target group.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the one or more attribute fields are one or more parameterized attributes fields.

19. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein instructions that set the one or more attribute fields further comprise instructions for causing a computer to:

populate the one or more attribute fields with data obtained or calculated from at least one of a database or a list that stores the data in one or more data fields corresponding to the one or more parameterized attribute fields of the promotion instance.

20. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein instructions that execute the marketing campaign further comprise instruction for causing a computer to, at runtime:

produce a promotion version based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the promotion instance;

produce a treatment instance based on the promotion version, the group, and a time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assign a treatment code to the treatment instance.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the time and date are a first time and date, the treatment instance is a first treatment instance, and the treatment code is a first treatment code, and further comprises instructions for causing a computer to:

produce a second treatment instance based on the promotion version, the group, and a second time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assign a second treatment code to the second treatment instance.

22. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the group is a first group, the treatment instance is a first treatment instance, and the treatment code is a first treatment code, and further comprises instructions for causing a computer to:

define a second group of contact entities;

assign the promotion instance to the second group;

produce a second treatment instance based on the promotion version, the second group, and the time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assign a second treatment code to the second treatment instance.

23. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the promotion version is a first promotion version, the treatment instance is a first treatment instance, the treatment code is a first treatment code, and the promotion instance is a first promotion instance, and further comprises instructions for causing a computer to:

produce a second promotion instance from the promotion template;

assign the second promotion instance to the group;

set one or more attribute values of the second promotion instance;

execute the marketing campaign based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the first and second promotion instance;

produce a second promotion version based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the second promotion instance;

produce a second treatment instance based on the second promotion version, the group, and the time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assign a second treatment code to the second treatment instance.

24. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the one or more attribute values are one or more first attribute values, the promotion version is a first promotion version, the treatment instance is a first treatment instance, and the treatment code is a first treatment code, and further comprises instructions for causing a computer to:

set one or more second attribute values of the promotion instance;

execute the marketing campaign based on the setting of the one or more first and second attribute values to the promotion instance;

produce a second promotion version based on the setting of the one or more second attribute values to the promotion instance;

produce a second treatment instance based on the second promotion version, the group, and the time and date at which the marketing campaign is executed; and

assign a second treatment code to the second treatment instance.

25. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein instructions that produce the group further comprise instructions that cause the computer to:

use a target group spreadsheet.

26. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein instructions that set the one or more attribute fields further comprise instructions that cause a computer to:

set the one or more parameterized attribute fields with data-driven personalization.

27. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the group is a target group and further comprises instructions that cause a computer to:

assign a test group to the target group.

28. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the one or more attribute fields are one or more custom attributes fields.

29. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the treatment code uniquely identifies the treatment instance.

30. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprises instructions that cause a computer to:

use optimization rules to determine when reusing the promotion version is appropriate.

31. An apparatus comprises:

a processor;

memory executing a computer program product for promotion management, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing the processor to;

produce a promotion instance from a promotion template;

set one or more attribute fields of the promotion instance;

assign the promotion instance to a group of contact entities; and

execute a marketing campaign based on the setting of the one or more attribute values to the promotion instance.