APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING MARKETING

• US 20110109648A1
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: KING, ROBERT ARTHUR, SCHULTZ, NATASHA BARRETT, ROBERTS, LINDA, CHANG, E-LEE, SUNG, JA-YOUNG
• Granted Patent: US 8,760,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0243 Comparative campaigns
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/503 Blending, e.g. for anti-aliasing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/237 Communication with additional data server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords

Abstract

A method that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, the steps of transmitting media content to a group of set top boxes for presentation with an overlay superimposed onto the media content, receiving a first comment from a first set top box of the group of set top boxes where the first comment is presentable with the overlay and the media content by the group of set top boxes, determining a first advertisement based on the first comment, and transmitting the first advertisement to the first set top box for presentation with the overlay and the media content. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A server, comprising a controller to:

transmit media programming to a group of set top boxes for presentation with an overlay superimposed onto the media programming;

receive a first comment generated at a first set top box of the group of set top boxes during presentation of the media programming;

receive a second comment generated at a second set top box of the group of set top boxes during presentation of the media programming, the first and second comments being associated with the media programming and being presentable in the overlay during presentation of the media programming;

analyze the first comment to determine a first marketing parameter;

transmit a first advertisement to the first set top box for presentation with the overlay, the first advertisement being determined based on the first marketing parameter;

analyze the second comment to determine a second marketing parameter;

transmit a second advertisement to the second set top box for presentation with the overlay, the second advertisement being determined based on the second marketing parameter, wherein the first and second advertisements are different from each other and shown in temporal proximity to each other by the corresponding first and second set top boxes during presentation of the media programming.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to select one or more remote media servers based on the first and second marketing parameters and query the media servers to obtain the first and second advertisements.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the first marketing parameter is associated with a product that is shown in a background of the media programming.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the first advertisement is a plurality of advertisements that are shown in a carousel graphical user interface with the overlay.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the first advertisement is determined based in part on monitored viewing behavior at the first set top box.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the monitored viewing behavior comprises viewing of a genre of media programming, wherein the controller is adapted to determine a product preference among a group of products based on the genre and determine the first advertisement based in part on the determined product preference.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the overlay comprises a time line corresponding to the presentation of the media programming and wherein a first advertisement icon is displayed along the time line corresponding to a time of presentation of the first advertisement during the media program.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the first advertisement is a plurality of advertisements that are shown in a carousel graphical user interface with the overlay and wherein the advertisement icon corresponds to one of the advertisements of the plurality of advertisements that was viewed for the longest period of time.

9. A method, comprising:

transmitting media content to a group of set top boxes for presentation with an overlay superimposed onto the media content;

receiving a first comment from a first set top box of the group of set top boxes, wherein the first comment is presentable with the overlay and the media content by the group of set top boxes;

determining a first advertisement based on the first comment; and

transmitting the first advertisement to the first set top box for presentation with the overlay and the media content.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first advertisement is different from a second advertisement that is to be presented in temporal proximity by a second set top box of the group of set top boxes.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising:

receiving a second comment from a second set top box of the group of set top boxes, wherein the second comment was presented with the overlay and the media content by the group of set top boxes; and

determining the second advertisement based on the second comment.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising:

analyzing the first comment to determine a marketing parameter;

selecting a remote media server based on the marketing parameter; and

querying the media server to obtain the first advertisement using the marketing parameter.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first advertisement is determined based in part on monitored viewing behavior at the first set top box.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the monitored viewing behavior comprises viewing of a genre of media programming, wherein the controller is adapted to determine a product preference among a group of products based on the genre and determine the first advertisement based in part on the determined product preference.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the overlay comprises a time line corresponding to the presentation of the media content and wherein a first advertisement icon is displayed along the time line corresponding to a time of presentation of the first advertisement during the media content.

16. A computer-readable storage medium operating in a first set top box of a group of set top boxes, the storage medium being embedded with computer instructions to:

present media content;

present at the first set top box an overlay superimposed onto the media content, wherein the overlay is presentable by a second set top box of the group of set top boxes;

receive an input of a first comment at the first set top box, wherein the first comment is presentable by the overlay by the second set top box;

receive a first advertisement, wherein the first advertisement is selected based on an analysis of the first comment; and

present the first advertisement with the overlay and the media content.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the first advertisement is different from a second advertisement that is presented in temporal proximity by the second set top box.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions to present the first advertisement with one or more other advertisements in a carousel graphical user interface.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, comprising computer instructions for presenting a second comment in the overlay, wherein the second comment is generated at the second set top box, and wherein the second advertisement is based on an analysis of the second comment.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the overlay comprises a time line corresponding to the presentation of the media content and wherein a first advertisement icon is displayed along the time line corresponding to a time of presentation of the first advertisement during the media content.