Information processing device, information processing method, information processing program and notification medium

Abstract

To propose an information processing device capable of performing effective appeal to a user, an information processing method, an information processing program and a notification medium.SOLUTION: According to one embodiment related to this disclosure, an information processing device includes an acquisition part for acquiring information about a user to be a transmission destination of a notification medium, and a generation part for generating a first link expressed in a form of including no character string in the notification medium, and a second link expressed in a form of including a character string in the notification medium and including an information amount less than that in the first link. The first link is connection information that varies on the basis of the information about the user and is connection information with a first content displayed in a form applied to the user as a connection destination, and the second link is connection information displayed in a form that does not depend on the information about the user and having a second content including content for collecting information from the connected user as a connection destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, an information processing program, and a notification medium that can effectively appeal to a user. [Background technology]

[0002] As advertising becomes more diverse, it is becoming common to include two-dimensional codes and URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) on direct mail and other communication media to guide users from paper or other communication media to websites or other sites provided by businesses.

[0003] For example, a technology is known in which a flyer containing information about multiple restaurants displays a two-dimensional code for receiving orders along with information about the food and drink offered by each restaurant, eliminating the need for users to access each restaurant's ordering website (e.g., Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-208355 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to obtain some advertising results from a user, it is expected that the appeal will be greater if information that the user is personally interested in or information that matches the user's personality information such as age, gender, etc. For example, by making the two-dimensional code displayed on the notification medium variable (unique to the user) and leading it to a site or the like with individual, specific content corresponding to the user who is the recipient of the notification medium, it will be possible to introduce content that is more suited to the recipient's needs.

[0006] When such so-called personal URLs are displayed on notification media, they tend to have more digits (number of characters) than general URLs because they need to include user attribute information and identify sites specialized for each user. For this reason, rather than printing the URL as characters, a marking such as the two-dimensional code mentioned above is often used.

[0007] However, there are a certain number of users who do not use terminals that can read two-dimensional codes. For such users, businesses will provide notifications written in characters or symbols such as a URL, and require the user to input characters or other methods. In other words, businesses need to include not only the variable two-dimensional code, but also the URL written in characters or other formats on the notification medium. However, if a URL corresponding to a variable two-dimensional code is written in characters, it may end up being written in more than several hundred characters, making it impractical for users to input characters, and depending on the medium, it may be impossible to write it due to space restrictions.

[0008] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes an information processing device, an information processing method, an information processing program, and a notification medium that can effectively appeal to users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires information about a user to which a notification medium is to be sent, and a generation unit that generates a first link that is displayed in the notification medium in a manner that does not include a character string, and a second link that is displayed in the notification medium in a manner that includes a character string and includes less information than the first link. The first link is connection information that varies based on information about the user and has a first content displayed in a manner applied to the user as a connection destination, and the second link is connection information that is displayed in a manner that does not depend on information about the user and has a second content including a content for collecting information from a connected user as a connection destination. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to one aspect of the embodiment, it is possible to effectively appeal to the user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a notification medium according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first example of information processing according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a second example of information processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a third example of information processing according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of information processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart (1) showing a procedure of information processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart (2) showing the procedure of information processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of information processing according to a modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a database according to a modified example. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0013] (1. EMBODIMENT) (1-1-1. Overview of Information Processing According to the Embodiment) Information processing according to the present disclosure is executed by an information processing device 100 not shown in Fig. 1. The information processing device 100 executes processing related to the generation of the notification medium 10 shown in Fig. 1, and processing for providing content to a user connected via the notification medium 10. For example, the information processing device 100 generates links such as two-dimensional codes and URLs (connection information indicating a connection destination (destination) on a network) to be written on the notification medium 10 such as a postcard, flyer, or direct mail distributed to a user. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the notification medium 10 according to an embodiment.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, the notification medium 10 includes, as links to content appealing to the user, a two-dimensional code 20 which is a first link, and a URL 30 which is a second link. Although not shown in Fig. 1, the notification medium 10 may include the name, address, etc. of the user who is the recipient.

[0015] In the example shown in Fig. 1, the two-dimensional code 20 is generated as a so-called variable two-dimensional code that includes personal information of the user who is the recipient. The two-dimensional code 20 includes a character string 25 as a link. The character string 25 is, for example, a URL or the like indicating a site where content specialized for the user is provided based on personal attribute information such as the user's name, age, sex, etc.

[0016] That is, a user can read the two-dimensional code 20 using a terminal such as a smartphone to connect the terminal to the link indicated by the character string 25 and enjoy the content displayed on the terminal. Such content is, for example, advertisements and campaign information customized by the content provider to meet the user's interests and needs.

[0017] Character string 25 contains information indicating the user's attributes as described above, a product identification code that identifies a campaign, an application number exclusive to the user, information related to user management, etc., and therefore contains a large number of characters and symbols and is long compared to a general URL. However, since a user normally uses a terminal that has a function of reading two-dimensional code 20 and automatically connecting to the linked destination, the user is not aware of the length of character string 25.

[0018] The notification medium 10 also includes a URL 30, which is a second link. The URL 30 is a relatively short link consisting of, for example, about 30 characters or symbols. Some users may use terminals that cannot read the two-dimensional code 20, so the URL 30 is a link corresponding to the two-dimensional code 20 that is also written in text so that the user can directly input characters into the terminal. In the following description, for the sake of distinction, a URL in which a character string is actually printed on the notification medium 10 may be referred to as a "printed URL."

[0019] As described above, the two-dimensional code 20 includes a link corresponding to the character string 25. If the character string 25 were displayed as is, the notification medium 10 would include a very large number of characters and symbols. As a result, even if a user were to try to access content by inputting characters, it would take a very long time to input the characters, and the user would be more likely to make input errors. Furthermore, since the information display space on the notification medium 10 is limited, it is not realistic to display the character string 25 as is on the notification medium 10.

[0020] However, the business entity that issues the notification medium 10 still desires to provide users with content that is customized and appealing to the individual user. For this reason, a means is desired that can provide content tailored to the individual user, even if it is a short character string.

[0021] Therefore, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment solves the above problem by the above configuration. That is, the information processing device 100 acquires information about a user who is a destination of the notification medium 10, and generates a first link that is displayed in the notification medium 10 in a manner that does not include a character string, and a second link that is displayed in the notification medium in a manner that includes a character string and includes less information than the first link. The first link is connection information (such as a URL) that changes based on information about the user, and the connection destination is content (referred to as "first content") that is displayed in a manner applied to the user. The second link is a connection destination of content (referred to as "second content") that is displayed in a manner that does not depend on information about the user.

[0022] In this way, the information processing device 100 provides content with a high recursive effect to users who access the content based on either link, by using the notification medium 10 that displays a first link such as a variable URL contained in the two-dimensional code 20 and a second link consisting of a character string that is actually printed.

[0023] Specific aspects of the information processing according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 2 to 5. Note that, in the following description, an example is shown in which the information processing device 100 provides the content accessed by the user via the notification medium 10, but the content may be provided from an external server other than the information processing device 100.

[0024] (1-1-2. First configuration example) Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a first example of information processing according to an embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 2, a notification medium 10 includes a two-dimensional code 20 and a URL 31. The two-dimensional code 20 includes a URL for an individual user, which is indicated by a character string 25, as in Fig. 1.

[0025] 1, URL 31 is a URL consisting of a character string of a length that can be displayed on notification medium 10. In other words, URL 31 is a URL in which information for individual users (user attribute information, etc.) is blank, and the length of the character string is accordingly shorter.

[0026] Note that URL 31 contains the same domain ("p.yyyyyy.jp" in the example of FIG. 2) as the domain contained in character string 25. This indicates that the page linked to by two-dimensional code 20 and the page linked to by URL 31 are provided by the same provider (such as a web server linking to the same domain).

[0027] In the example of Fig. 2, a user who receives the notification medium 10 and uses a terminal capable of reading the two-dimensional code 20 accesses the link indicated in the two-dimensional code 20. In other words, the user accesses the link generated according to the attributes and environment of each individual user.

[0028] In this case, the information processing device 100 provides the user with the content 40, which is content optimized for each individual user. Specifically, the information processing device 100 provides the content 40 including the user's name and advertising content suitable for the user's age and sex. For example, the information processing device 100 generates user-specific content in real time, in which information based on the user's name, age, and the like is embedded in a certain content that is a generation source, based on the user information included in a two-dimensional code, and provides the generated content to the user. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 100 can provide the content 40, which is an advertisement addressed to the individual name of the user and includes offers for products suitable for the user's attribute information.

[0029] If the user accepts the offer shown in content 40 or desires to know more detailed information, the user can press a button or the like included in content 40 to access content 46 containing further information.

[0030] On the other hand, in the example of Figure 2, if a user who receives notification medium 10 needs to manually enter URL 31 for some reason, such as owning a terminal that cannot read two-dimensional code 20, the user can access the content by directly entering URL 31 into the terminal.

[0031] In this case, the information processing device 100 provides the user with the content 42, which is content describing general-purpose information. Specifically, the information processing device 100 provides the content 42, which does not include the name of an individual user and is intended to advertise a product for everyone, etc.

[0032] Here, when the user shows an interest in the content 42 (for example, when the user presses a "Next" button included in the content 42), the information processing device 100 further provides the content 44, which is content for obtaining additional information from the user.

[0033] 2, the content 44 includes a plurality of buttons and the like for the user to input his / her own attribute information, etc. The user provides user information to the information processing device 100 by inputting his / her own gender, age, etc. in the content 44.

[0034] When the information processing device 100 acquires the user information, the information processing device 100 further provides the user with content corresponding to the user information. For example, the information processing device 100 provides the user with content 46, which is content describing information on products corresponding to the user's gender, age, and the like.

[0035] In this way, the information processing device 100 provides the content 42 and the content 46, which are contents optimized for each individual user, to a user who is accessed by the two-dimensional code 20 including a variable link tailored to the individual user. Also, the information processing device 100 provides the content 46, which is content suitable for a user, to a user who is accessed by a general-purpose URL 31 by performing conditional branching with content for requesting input of user information, etc.

[0036] As a result, the information processing device 100 can ultimately provide content that can appeal to an individual user, regardless of whether the access is made through the two-dimensional code 20 or the URL 31.

[0037] 2, the two-dimensional code 20 and the URL 31 share a common domain. That is, the information processing device 100 can generate the two-dimensional code 20 and the URL 31 and prepare or generate content corresponding to each link destination, only through processing on the content provider side (the information processing device 100 in this example), without causing the advertiser any trouble.

[0038] (1-1-3. Second configuration example) Next, a second configuration example will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a second example of information processing according to an embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the notification medium 10 includes a two-dimensional code 20 and a URL 32. The two-dimensional code 20 includes a URL for an individual user, which is indicated by a character string 25, as in Fig. 1.

[0039] Like URL 31 shown in Fig. 2, URL 32 is a URL consisting of a character string of a length that can be displayed on notification medium 10. Also, unlike the example in Fig. 2, URL 32 includes a domain indicating the advertiser of the advertisement displayed in the content ("xxxxxx.co.jp" in the example in Fig. 3). This indicates that the page linked to by URL 32 is content provided by the advertiser (for example, a website operated by the advertiser).

[0040] In the example of Fig. 3, a user who receives the notification medium 10 and uses a terminal capable of reading the two-dimensional code 20 accesses the link indicated in the two-dimensional code 20, similar to Fig. 2. In this case, the information processing device 100 provides the user with the content 40, similar to Fig. 2.

[0041] On the other hand, in the example of Figure 3, a user who receives notification medium 10 but is unable to read two-dimensional code 20 or who wishes to enter URL 32 directly enters URL 32 into a terminal to access the content.

[0042] In this case, the user accesses content 50, which is a website or the like provided by an advertiser. Then, the information processing device 100 provides the user with content 42 that is displayed in a form embedded in the content 50 (called inline or the like). In this case, the user can provide user information to the information processing device 100 by accessing content 44 via content 42, as in FIG. 2, and further inputting his / her own gender, age, and the like in the content 44.

[0043] As in FIG. 2, when the information processing device 100 acquires user information, it further provides the user with content 46 that is in accordance with the user information.

[0044] In this way, the information processing device 100 can provide the content 42 in a manner such that the content 42 is embedded in the content 50, with the content 50 being an external site, such as an example of a website provided by an advertiser, as the destination of the URL 32.

[0045] In the example shown in FIG. 3, the information processing device 100 can execute the processing according to the embodiment by utilizing pages of existing advertisers, etc., and can therefore provide appealing content while meeting the demands of advertisers who wish to attract users to their existing pages.

[0046] (1-1-4. Third configuration example) Next, a third configuration example will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a third example of information processing according to an embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the notification medium 10 includes a two-dimensional code 20 and a URL 33. The two-dimensional code 20 includes a URL for an individual user, which is indicated by a character string 25, as in Fig. 1.

[0047] Like URL 31 shown in Fig. 3, URL 33 is a URL consisting of a character string of a length that can be displayed on notification medium 10 and including a domain indicating an advertiser. In the example of Fig. 4, a user who directly inputs URL 33 accesses content 60, which is a website or the like provided by the advertiser, like in Fig. 3. For example, content 60 is an LP (Landing Page) that is displayed first as a link destination of the website provided by the advertiser.

[0048] The content 60 includes a display 62 for accessing a link destination designated when the content 60 is selected. Specifically, the information processing device 100 embeds the display 62 in the content 60 after including a link for accessing the content 42 in the display 62.

[0049] When the user shows an interest in the display 62, the user selects (e.g., clicks) the display 62. Then, the information processing device 100 provides the linked content 42 to the user. In this case, the user can provide user information to the information processing device 100 by accessing the content 44 via the content 42 as in FIG. 3 and further inputting the user's gender, age, and the like in the content 44. As in FIG. 3, when the information processing device 100 acquires the user information, it further provides the user with the content 46 that corresponds to the user information.

[0050] In this manner, the information processing device 100 may embed a link for accessing the content 42 in the content 60, with the content 60 being an external site exemplified as an advertiser's LP, as the destination of the URL 33.

[0051] In the example shown in Fig. 4, the information processing device 100 can first guide the user to the advertiser's LP, and then after adding supplementary explanations and the like on the LP, the user can be guided to the linked content 42. This allows the information processing device 100 to provide the user with a page related to advertising such as the content 42 after giving the user a sense of security, thereby further increasing the appeal.

[0052] (1-1-5. Fourth configuration example) Next, a third configuration example will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a fourth example of information processing according to an embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the notification medium 10 includes a two-dimensional code 20 and a URL 34. The two-dimensional code 20 includes a URL for an individual user, which is indicated by a character string 25, as in Fig. 1.

[0053] 2, URL 34 is a URL consisting of a character string of a length that can be displayed on notification medium 10 and including a domain indicating an advertiser. In the example of FIG. 5, URL 34 is set to access server 70.

[0054] It is assumed that a redirect setting is made for server 70, which is the access destination of URL 34. That is, server 70 transfers the accessed user to the link destination of content 42. As in FIG. 4, the user can provide user information to information processing device 100 by accessing content 44 via content 42 and further inputting his / her gender, age, etc. in content 44. As in FIG. 4, when information processing device 100 acquires user information, it further provides content 46 corresponding to the user information to the user.

[0055] In this manner, the information processing device 100 may generate a URL 34 that designates a page or the like for which a redirect setting has been made as the access destination.

[0056] In the example shown in Fig. 5, the information processing device 100 guides the user to the content 42 by redirection, and therefore can generate any domain or character string as the URL 34, enabling flexible processing. Note that in the example shown in Fig. 5, the domain of the URL 34, which is the print URL, does not need to be related to the advertiser or the information processing device 100.

[0057] 2 to 5, the information processing device 100 can execute the process according to the embodiment in various ways. As a result, the information processing device 100 can provide content optimized for each user, even for a URL with a relatively short character string, similar to a variable URL included in a two-dimensional code, thereby increasing the appeal to users.

[0058] (1-2. Configuration of the information processing device according to the embodiment) Next, a configuration of the information processing device 100 that executes information processing according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0059] 6, the information processing device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130. The information processing device 100 may also include an input unit (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, etc.) that receives various operations from an administrator who manages the information processing device 100, and a display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display, etc.) that displays various information.

[0060] The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC) or a network interface controller. The communication unit 110 is connected to a network N (for example, the Internet) by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from the notification medium 10, the basic unit database 200, and the like via the network N. For example, the communication unit 110 may transmit and receive information using any communication standard or communication technology, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth, a subscriber identity module (SIM), or low power wide area (LPWA).

[0061] The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

[0062] The information stored in the storage unit 120 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the information stored in the storage unit 120 may be conceptually shown as "D01", but each piece of information described later is actually stored in the storage unit 120.

[0063] The content storage unit 121 stores information about content that is the connection destination of a variable URL corresponding to the two-dimensional code 20 or the like, or a printed URL corresponding to the URL 30 or the like. Specifically, the content storage unit 121 stores information about advertisers who wish to provide content to users, setting information set by the advertisers regarding the content, data that actually constitutes the content, and the like.

[0064] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the content storage unit 121 according to the embodiment. In the example illustrated in Fig. 7, the content storage unit 121 has items such as "content ID", "provider", "content data", "provider page domain", "owner user information", and "branching method".

[0065] "Content ID" refers to identification information that identifies the content. "Provider" refers to a business entity that requests to advertise the information contained in the content to users, such as the advertiser of the content. "Content data" refers to a group of digital data that actually forms the content.

[0066] The "business page domain" is a domain indicating a site provided by a server or the like different from the server (the information processing device 100 in the embodiment) that provides the content, and corresponds to a site or the like provided by a content provider. For example, the business page domain is a domain corresponding to a business's website or the like that is made available to general users by the business.

[0067] The "owned user information" refers to information on users who are customers of the provider that is owned by the provider. For example, the owned user information is identification information such as the user's name, attribute information such as age and gender, and behavioral information such as purchase history and interest information. The "branching method" is information that specifies how a destination page (content 42 in the embodiment) of the URL 30 issued as a print URL, among the examples shown in Figs. 2 to 5, branches to reach a destination page (content 46 in the embodiment) of a variable URL. For example, the provider, which is an advertiser, selects one of the branching methods shown in Figs. 2 to 5 after considering whether or not to provide the content via its own website. The information processing device 100 generates a print URL according to the set branching method, thereby making it possible to create a notification medium 10 on which a print URL connected to the branching method desired by the advertiser is written.

[0068] Returning to Fig. 6, the description will be continued. The control unit 130 is realized by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or the like executing a program stored inside the information processing device 100 using a RAM or the like as a working area. The control unit 130 is also a controller, and is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0069] As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 130 includes an acquisition unit 131, a generation unit 132, a reception unit 133, and a provision unit 134.

[0070] The acquisition unit 131 acquires various information used in the information processing according to the embodiment. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires information about a user to which the notification medium 10 is to be sent from an advertiser or the like. The information about the user is used, for example, to generate a URL for providing content to the user, generate content incorporating user information, and the like. The acquisition unit 131 also acquires information about a content branching method and the like from the advertiser. In addition, when images and advertising information constituting the content are created by the advertiser, the acquisition unit 131 may acquire the content from the advertiser. In addition, when content that accepts input from the user, such as the content 44, is provided to the user, the acquisition unit 131 acquires additional information (such as attribute information) input by the user on the page.

[0071] The generating unit 132 generates a plurality of pieces of connection information to be displayed on the notification medium 10. That is, the generating unit 132 generates a first link that is displayed on the notification medium 10 in a manner that does not include a character string, and a second link that is displayed on the notification medium 10 in a manner that includes a character string and that includes a smaller amount of information (such as a shorter character string) than the first link.

[0072] Specifically, the generating unit 132 generates a variable URL indicating a connection destination connected to content corresponding to each user as the first link. More specifically, the generating unit 132 generates a two-dimensional code 20 including information of the variable URL as the variable URL.

[0073] For example, the generating unit 132 generates a variable URL including a character string indicating the gender and age of the user, identification information of the advertised product or campaign, information applied to the user (name, individual service information such as insurance premium set for each user), etc. The variable URL may also include a character string indicating unique information such as information indicating an application number unique to the user in the content, or management information used by the advertiser to manage the user.

[0074] Furthermore, the generating unit 132 generates, as the second link, connection information for connecting to content related to the same advertiser as the variable URL and providing common information to the connected users. Specifically, the generating unit 132 generates, as the connection information, a character string corresponding to the print URL.

[0075] Also, the content connected from the print URL includes content for collecting information from the connected user. In the example of FIG. 2, the content 42 connected from the URL 31 includes content 44 for collecting attribute information from the user at a lower level or at a connection destination. In this way, the information processing device 100 is a content that does not depend on personal information of the connected user, but by providing a means for acquiring personal information in the content, additional information can be obtained from the user. The form of the content for collecting information from the user (a page including a selection button for attribute information, etc.) may be included in the content displayed immediately after the connection from the print URL, may be a lower level or a connection destination, or may be another content displayed in a pop-up format, etc.

[0076] Thereafter, the generating unit 132 creates the notification medium 10 including the variable connection information which is the first link and the fixed connection information which is the second link. For example, the information processing device 100 transmits print data for the notification medium 10 including the first link and the second link to a predetermined printing device (such as a printer) and causes the printing device to print to create the notification medium 10.

[0077] The reception unit 133 receives various requests. Specifically, the reception unit 133 receives a user's access (i.e., a content acquisition request) via a variable connection destination or a fixed connection destination indicated on the notification medium 10.

[0078] In response to the request accepted by the accepting unit 133, the providing unit 134 provides the content to the request source.

[0079] For example, when the providing unit 134 receives an access based on the first link, the providing unit 134 provides a first content in which user information is embedded. When the providing unit 134 receives an access based on the second link, the providing unit 134 provides a second content including a content that does not depend on user information. Specifically, the providing unit 134 provides, as the first content and the second content, content provided by the same advertiser and related to advertising and publicity for a common product or service.

[0080] When a request is accepted via the variable connection destination (two-dimensional code 20) indicated on the notification medium 10, the providing unit 134 provides the user with content 40, which is content reflecting individual user information.

[0081] In addition, when a request is accepted via a print URL (such as URL 30), the provision unit 134 provides the user with content 42, which is content that includes common information that is not dependent on the user's information and is linked to a page for accepting input of additional information.

[0082] Furthermore, when the providing unit 134 accepts input of additional information in the content 44, it provides the third content 46 reflecting the additional information at a lower level of the content 42 and the content 44, i.e., at a further connection destination. The third content is common to the content further provided to the user to whom the first content 44 is provided. That is, when sufficient additional information is obtained from the user, the providing unit 134 can merge the branches resulting from the access from the two-dimensional code 20 and the print URL and provide the user with the common content. This allows the providing unit 134 to provide content with a high recursion effect even to users who access from the print URL.

[0083] An example of the second content is content 42, which includes content advertised by the same advertiser as the first content, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 5, or content 50 or 60, which is a website provided by the same advertiser as the first content, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

[0084] (1-3. Information Processing Procedure According to the Embodiment) The procedure of the information processing according to the embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. Fig. 8 is a flowchart (1) showing the procedure of the information processing according to the embodiment. Fig. 8 shows the procedure of the process up to when the information processing device 100 creates the notification medium 10.

[0085] 8, when the information processing device 100 receives a request from an advertiser to create a notification medium 10, the information processing device 100 acquires information related to the content from the advertiser (step S101). Specifically, the information processing device 100 acquires various setting information such as a branching method when providing the content (step S102). In addition, the information processing device 100 acquires information on users to whom the content is to be provided from the advertiser (step S103).

[0086] Based on the acquired information, the information processing device 100 generates a two-dimensional code including a variable URL for connecting to content including information unique to the user, and a print URL consisting of a character string of a printable length (step S104).

[0087] Next, the information processing device 100 creates a notification medium 10 including the generated two-dimensional code and print URL (step S105).

[0088] Next, a process procedure when the information processing device 100 provides content to a user will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart (2) showing the information processing procedure according to the embodiment.

[0089] 9, the information processing device 100 determines whether or not access has been received from a user (step S201). If access has not been received from a user (step S201; No), the information processing device 100 waits until access is received.

[0090] On the other hand, when an access is received from a user (step S201; Yes), the information processing device 100 judges whether the access is based on a URL in which the user's personal settings are embedded (step S202). If the access is based on a URL in which the user's personal settings are embedded (i.e., a variable URL) (step S202; Yes), the information processing device 100 provides content (content for the user) in which the user's information is embedded or which is customized to advertising information suitable for the user (step S203).

[0091] On the other hand, if the access is not based on the embedded URL (step S202; No), that is, if the access is based on the print URL, the information processing device 100 provides the user with generic content that describes common information (step S204). After that, the information processing device 100 accepts additional information about the user that is input by the user on the page following the generic content (step S205).

[0092] When individual information of the user is obtained by accepting the additional information, the information processing device 100 provides the same content common to the user to whom the content for the user was provided in step S203 and the user who accepted the additional information (step S206).

[0093] (2. Modifications of the embodiment) (2-1. Modifications to the description of notification media) In the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the notification medium 10 includes a two-dimensional code and a general-purpose URL. Here, the notification medium 10 may further include information that allows a user via the URL to efficiently input personal information. This point will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of information processing according to a modified example.

[0094] In the example shown in FIG. 10, the notification medium 10 has a DM (Direct Mail) number 21 printed thereon in addition to the two-dimensional code 20 and the URL 35. The DM number 21 is a number issued corresponding to the attributes (age group, gender, etc.) of the user to whom the notification is to be sent, for example. In the example of FIG. 10, the DM number 21 is not information that identifies an individual user, but is information that indicates the attributes of the user, such as age and gender. Similarly to the URL 31 shown in FIG. 2, the URL 35 is a URL that consists of a character string of a length that can be displayed on the notification medium 10 and includes a domain that indicates the advertiser.

[0095] As in the example of Figure 2, etc., if a user who receives notification medium 10 needs to manually enter URL 35 for some reason, such as owning a terminal that cannot read two-dimensional code 20, the user can access content 42 by directly entering URL 35 into the terminal.

[0096] 2 and the like, the content 42 is content that does not include information that depends on the user, such as the name of each user. When the user presses a "Next" button included in the content 42, the information processing device 100 further provides the content 45, which is content for acquiring additional information from the user.

[0097] As shown in Fig. 10, the content 45 includes a field for inputting a DM number. For example, when the DM number 21 is input by a user, the content 45 acquires information linked to the DM number 21 from the database 71. For example, the information processing device 100 operates a script (program) embedded in the content 45, which acquires user attribute information and the like based on the DM number 21, to acquire the user attribute information. That is, like the content 44 shown in Fig. 2 and the like, the content 45 is displayed in a manner that does not depend on information about the user, and is content for collecting information from a connected user.

[0098] Next, the information processing device 100 transitions the content 45 to the next content, content 46, based on the information acquired from the database 71. More specifically, the information processing device 100 displays the content 46, which is the content that matches the attribute information linked to the DM number 21, on the user's terminal. The information processing device 100 can also take a log of what attribute a user has accessed the content, based on the input DM number. In addition, when the information processing device 100 has a database in which the DM number is linked as a number unique to each user, it can also take a log of which user has accessed the content. In addition, when the DM number is unique to each user, the information processing device 100 can provide a content (not shown) that displays a user name like the content 40 before transitioning to the content 46 when the DM number is input in the content 44.

[0099] In addition, in Fig. 10, the database 71 is described as an external device separate from the system that provides the content, but the configuration for providing the user with a page adapted to each user need not be limited to the example in Fig. 10. For example, the information processing device 100 may prepare pages adapted to age groups and genders in advance in the content, and display the pages according to the input DM number.

[0100] In this case, the DM number is assumed to include information indicating attributes such as age and sex in advance, regardless of whether it is a number specific to each individual user. As an example, the information processing device 100 sets the number "20" included in the DM number based on the definition that "a user in his / her 20s" and the number "30" included in the DM number based on the definition that "a user in his / her 30s" and the like. Also, the character "X" included in the DM number is set based on the definition that "a male user" and the character "Y" included in the DM number is set based on the definition that "a female user" and the like. Then, the information processing device 100 changes the page to which the content 45 transitions depending on the characters and numbers included in the DM number input by the user. For example, when the DM number includes "20Y", the information processing device 100 displays a page "for female users in their 20s". As a result, the information processing device 100 can display a page adapted to the user by using only the content file stored in advance, without accessing an external database. According to this configuration, when a business operator desires to change the target users to whom content is provided, the information processing device 100 can change the target user group without the trouble of updating an external database. This allows the information processing device 100 to simplify the system related to content provision, thereby realizing easy maintenance.

[0101] In this way, the information processing device 100 can provide the user with content 46, which is information suited to the user, simply by inputting the DM number 21, without requiring the user to take the trouble of selecting his or her own age or gender, as is required for the operation of content 44 shown in Figure 2, etc.

[0102] Here, information held in the database 71 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the database 71 according to a modified example.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 11, the database 71 has the fields "DM number", "provider", "age", and "gender".

[0104] "DM number" refers to a specific number written on the notification medium 10 sent to the user. "Provider" refers to a content provider (e.g., a company wishing to advertise) to which the two-dimensional code or the like is connected written on the notification medium 10. "Age" refers to the age group of the user. "Gender" refers to the gender of the user. That is, the example of FIG. 11 indicates that a DM number of "A20Y..." is issued to a user whose age is "20s" and whose gender is "female." Note that the database 71 may be configured to include information that uniquely links each individual user to whom the notification medium 10 is sent with a specific DM number, as described above.

[0105] As described above, the information processing device 100 can provide content with a high recurrence effect to a user who uses a terminal that cannot read two-dimensional codes, by using any identification information linked to the user's attribute information, such as the DM number 21. Note that the DM number 21 shown in FIG. 10 is an example of any identification information, and the identification information may be in any form.

[0106] 2, 10, and the like, content 42, content 44, and content 45 are illustrated as separate contents resulting from page transitions, but this is merely one embodiment, and the configuration of the content is not limited. That is, content 42 and information included in content 44 and content 45 (selection fields and input fields for collecting user information) may be configured as one content (page), or may be configured as content including more pages.

[0107] (2-2. Other Modifications) In the embodiment, the notification medium 10 is a postcard, direct mail, etc. However, the notification medium 10 is not limited to these forms.

[0108] For example, the notification medium 10 may be an electronic notification provided via a network. Since it is expected that some users will manually input the URL on the electronic notification displayed on the terminal, the possibility of the user accessing the content can be increased by listing both the two-dimensional code and the printed URL as shown in the embodiment. In addition, since some notification media have limitations on the number of characters or the display space, if a character string of the same length as the variable URL included in the two-dimensional code cannot be listed on the notification medium, a printed URL represented by a shorter character string is meaningful.

[0109] In the embodiment, a two-dimensional code is exemplified as the first link including the variable URL, but the first link is not limited to the form of a two-dimensional code. The first link may be any form that can be displayed as some kind of figure, such as a one-dimensional code such as a barcode, as long as it is a form that includes connection information with a large amount of information and does not display an actual character string on the notification medium 10.

[0110] In addition, in the embodiment, an example was shown in which the two-dimensional code 20 includes the character string 25 that is a variable URL, but the two-dimensional code 20 does not need to include a fixed, specific character string. For example, when the two-dimensional code 20 is read by a user's terminal, the information processing device 100 may perform a process of issuing connection information such as a URL that reflects information about the user in real time and connecting to the issued URL.

[0111] In the above embodiment, the configuration of the information processing device 100 is shown in Fig. 6, but the information processing device 100 is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the information processing device 100 may also have a function of creating the notification medium 10 by printing or the like. In addition, the information processing device 100 is not necessarily an individual information processing device, and may be configured by combining a cloud server, a virtual server, a program, and the like.

[0112] In addition, in the embodiment, a URL is used as an example of a connection destination to the content described on the notification medium 10, but the connection destination is not limited to a URL and may be in any form as long as it can be indicated by a specified character string.

[0113] Moreover, the information stored in the storage unit 120 described above does not necessarily have to be saved in the storage unit 120 inside the information processing device 100. For example, each piece of information may be stored in a storage area of ​​a predetermined external storage device (such as cloud storage) or in an external device owned by an advertiser or the like.

[0114] In addition, in the above embodiment, it is assumed that the advertiser using the information processing device 100 is a business operator such as a company, but the advertiser is not limited to a company and may be any type of individual, organization, association, etc.

[0115] (3. Other embodiments) The processing according to the above-described embodiment may be implemented in various different forms other than the above embodiment.

[0116] For example, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed arbitrarily unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the illustrated information.

[0117] In addition, each component of each device shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0118] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and modifications can be appropriately combined as long as the processing contents are not contradictory.

[0119] Furthermore, the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also be obtained.

[0120] (4. Effects of the information processing device according to the present disclosure) As described above, the information processing device according to the present disclosure (the information processing device 100 in the embodiment) has an acquisition unit (the acquisition unit 131 in the embodiment) and a generation unit (the generation unit 132 in the embodiment). The acquisition unit acquires information about a user to which a notification medium is to be sent. The generation unit generates a first link that is displayed in a manner that does not include a character string in the notification medium, and a second link that is displayed in a manner that includes a character string in the notification medium and includes less information than the first link. The first link is connection information that is variable based on information about a user and has a first content displayed in a manner applied to the user as a connection destination. The second link is connection information that is displayed in a manner that does not depend on information about the user, and has a second content including a content for collecting information from the connected user as a connection destination.

[0121] In this way, the information processing device according to the present disclosure generates a first link that may include information including user information in a notification medium in a manner that does not display the first link as a character string, while generating a second link that displays a URL that is displayed as a character string in a length that can be written in reality. This allows the information processing device to effectively appeal to users who cannot use two-dimensional codes, etc.

[0122] The information processing device may further include a receiving unit (receiving unit 133 in the embodiment) and a providing unit (providing unit 134 in the embodiment). The receiving unit receives access to the content via a notification medium. The providing unit provides the first content when access based on the first link is received, and provides the second content when access based on the second link is received.

[0123] Moreover, the providing unit provides, as the first content and the second content, content provided by the same advertiser and related to advertisements and publicity for a common product or service.

[0124] In this way, the information processing device provides content containing the same advertising target in the first link and the second link, so that products, etc. that are to be sought can be widely disseminated without excluding users who cannot use two-dimensional codes, etc.

[0125] The acquisition unit acquires additional information about the user from the user to whom the second content has been provided. When the additional information has been acquired, the provision unit provides the user to whom the second content has been provided with a third content, which is a content that is further provided to the user to whom the first content has been provided at a connection destination from the second content and is a content that reflects the additional information.

[0126] In this way, the information processing device can provide content optimized for individual users by acquiring user information after connection, even for users who have connected via the second link, thereby improving the advertising replay effect.

[0127] In addition, the providing unit provides, as the second content, content including the contents advertised by the same advertiser as the advertiser of the first content, or a website provided by the same advertiser as the advertiser of the first content.

[0128] In this way, the information processing device can execute the processing according to the embodiment in a flexible format in which the connection destination is not fixed, such as by setting the original advertiser's website, etc., as the target to be connected to by the print URL.

[0129] (5. Hardware Configuration) The information devices such as the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment described above are realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 12, for example. The information processing device 100 according to the embodiment will be described below as an example. Fig. 12 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer 1000 that realizes the functions of the information processing device 100. The computer 1000 has a CPU 1100, a RAM 1200, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1300, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1400, a communication interface 1500, and an input / output interface 1600. The various parts of the computer 1000 are connected by a bus 1050.

[0130] The CPU 1100 operates and controls each unit based on a program stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400. For example, the CPU 1100 loads the program stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400 into the RAM 1200 and executes processing corresponding to the various programs.

[0131] The ROM 1300 stores boot programs such as a basic input output system (BIOS) executed by the CPU 1100 when the computer 1000 is started, and programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1000.

[0132] HDD 1400 is a computer-readable recording medium that non-temporarily records programs executed by CPU 1100 and data used by such programs. Specifically, HDD 1400 is a recording medium that records a program that executes information processing according to the present disclosure, which is an example of program data 1450.

[0133] The communication interface 1500 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 to an external network 1550 (e.g., the Internet). For example, the CPU 1100 receives data from other devices and transmits data generated by the CPU 1100 to other devices via the communication interface 1500.

[0134] The input / output interface 1600 is an interface for connecting the input / output device 1650 and the computer 1000. For example, the CPU 1100 receives data from an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse via the input / output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 also transmits data to an output device such as a display, a speaker, or a printer via the input / output interface 1600. The input / output interface 1600 may also function as a media interface for reading a program or the like recorded on a predetermined recording medium. The medium may be, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

[0135] For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment, the CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 executes an information processing program loaded onto the RAM 1200 to realize functions of the control unit 130, etc. Also, the HDD 1400 stores a program for executing the information processing according to the present disclosure and data in the storage unit 120. Note that the CPU 1100 reads and executes the program data 1450 from the HDD 1400, but as another example, these programs may be obtained from other devices via an external network 1550.

[0136] The above describes the embodiments of the present application in detail based on the drawings. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be embodied in other forms that include the aspects described in the Disclosure of the Invention section, as well as in other forms that include various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 10 Notification medium 20 2D Code 30 URL 100 Information processing device 110 Communications Department 120 Storage section 121 Content storage unit 130 Control section 131 Acquisition Department 132 Generation part 133 Reception 134 Provision Department

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a user to which the notification medium is to be transmitted; a generating unit that generates a first link that is displayed in the notification medium in a manner that does not include a character string, and a second link that is displayed in the notification medium in a manner that includes a character string and includes an amount of information less than that of the first link; the first link is connection information that is variable based on information about the user and has a first content displayed in a manner applied to the user as a connection destination; The second link is displayed in a manner not dependent on information about the user, and is connection information that designates a second content including a content for collecting information from the connected user as a connection destination.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

2. a reception unit that receives access to the content via the notification medium; a providing unit that provides the first content when an access based on the first link is accepted, and provides the second content when an access based on the second link is accepted; The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. The providing unit is providing, as the first content and the second content, content provided by the same advertiser and related to advertising and publicity for a common product or service; 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The acquisition unit is obtaining additional information about a user from the user to whom the second content has been provided; The providing unit is When the additional information is acquired, a third content, which is a content that is further provided to the user to whom the first content is provided and reflects the additional information, is provided to the user to whom the second content is provided at a connection destination from the second content.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The providing unit is providing, as the second content, a content including a content advertised by the same advertiser as the first content, or a website provided by the same advertiser as the first content; 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

6. 1. A computer-implemented information processing method, comprising: Obtain information about the user to whom the notification medium is to be sent; generating a first link that is displayed in the notification medium in a manner that does not include a character string, and a second link that is displayed in the notification medium in a manner that includes a character string and includes an amount of information less than that of the first link; the first link is connection information that is variable based on information about the user and has a first content displayed in a manner applied to the user as a connection destination; The second link is displayed in a manner not dependent on information about the user, and is connection information that designates a second content including a content for collecting information from the connected user as a connection destination.

23. An information processing method comprising:

7. Computer, An acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a user to which the notification medium is to be transmitted; a generating unit that generates a first link that is displayed in the notification medium in a manner that does not include a character string, and a second link that is displayed in the notification medium in a manner that includes a character string and includes less information than the first link, the first link is connection information that is variable based on information about the user and has a first content displayed in a manner applied to the user as a connection destination; The second link is displayed in a manner not dependent on information about the user, and is connection information that designates a second content including a content for collecting information from the connected user as a connection destination.

2. An information processing program comprising:

8. A first link is represented in a manner that does not include a character string, and a second link is represented in a manner that includes a character string and includes less information than the first link, the first link is connection information that is variable based on information about a user and has a first content displayed in a manner applied to the user as a connection destination; the second link is connection information that is displayed in a manner that does not depend on information about the user and has a second content, including a content for collecting information from the connected user, as a connection destination; The first content and the second content are provided by the same advertiser and are related to advertising and publicity for a common product or service. A notification medium comprising:

Images