Sponsored message network based on community preferences

Abstract

The invention described here is a system and method for efficiently presenting sponsored messages to the user of a participating information site or service, based on the level of interest recently expressed in those messages by other visitors to the same site. Presentation of sponsored messages may also be based on the level of interest expressed by other visitors across the network who are in the individual user's geographic region.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of PPA Application No. 61 / 688,301 filed by the present inventors on May 11, 2012, titled “Social Shopping System”FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH[0002]Not ApplicableSEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM[0003]Not ApplicableBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONPrior Art[0004]This invention relates to the process of efficiently selecting sponsored messages to present to online audiences likely to be interested in a particular product, service or topic.A. Different Basis for Matching Sponsored Messages:[0005]Advertising supported media compete for revenue by bringing sponsored content to potential buyers who are likely to be interested. The present methods for choosing which messages to present to which users are based on several different criteria, but the invention described here is different in each case:1. General Advertising:[0006]Most advertising systems allow the advertiser or the publisher to determine which sponsored mess...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This approach ensures that sponsored messages are dynamically relevant to the current interests of users, providing effective market penetration for small and local advertisers while avoiding the intrusiveness of personal data collection, and offering users diverse and timely content.

Problems solved by technology

Visitors to participating sites are entirely anonymous; their individual behavior is never recorded; and the system provides no way for one user to be in contact with another user of the same site or service.

There are so many information services currently dividing up the market that no one of them can reach enough of the community to give the local advertiser an efficient buy.

But this collecting of personal data is increasingly viewed as intrusive and risky for the user.

The traditional method has a second disadvantage, as well: a potential buyer's past interests do not always indicate future interests.

The desire to know about a product is greatly lessened once the product is purchased, and users complain that when ads for the product continue to be presented—especially as the users move from service to service—it makes them feel they are being “followed”.

Most advertising systems try to anticipate the interest of an audience member by analyzing the member's demographics and personal information, but that does not take into account the fact that interests change based on news, promotion, and the dynamics of group discussion.

This is possible for national sponsors, but very difficult for small and local sponsors.

For them, no single service can reach a sufficient number of households in a single community, so very few small and local advertisers are able to advertise efficiently on the Internet today.

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