Method and apparatus for advertising over a communications network
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to advertising over a communications network comprising a plurality of interactive client subscriber sites interconnected with an advertising information server site. The attributes of a plurality of customers are stored in the form of customer attribute vectors c k . The attributes of one or more role models are stored in the form of one or more role model attribute vectors i j . A marketing function M is defined which maps the customer attribute vectors to the one or more role model attribute vectors such that i j =M(c k ). At the interface advertising information server site interactive advertising displays are provided incorporating the one or more role models. An interactive communication link is established from the customer subscriber sites to the advertising information server site enabling customers to access the displays and to make purchases in response to the displays. The marketing function M is updated in dependence upon the customer purchases.
1. A computerized method, comprising:
a) identifying a target group of persons;
b) identifying attributes of persons in the target group,
c) representing attributes in consumer vectors, one vector per person, thereby producing a plurality of consumer vectors; and
d) selecting at least some of the consumer vectors and, for each, generating by a computer an animated anthropomorphic idol which displays the attributes of the selected consumer vector.
2. Method according to claim 1 , and further comprising:
e) selecting some of the idols; and
f) displaying the selected idols on one or more web sites, which are available to consumers.
3. Method according to claim 2 , wherein the consumers include consumers in the target group.
4. Method according to claim 2 , and further comprising:
g) offering merchandise for sale at web sites displaying idols; and
h) measuring and recording success, if any, of each idol in promoting sales.
5. Method according to claim 4 , wherein attributes of each idol are represented by a respective idol vector, one idol vector for each idol, and further comprising:
j) generating an P x Q matrix of information,
i) which contains P rows of idol vectors and Q columns of consumer vectors;
ii) which contains P x Q information cells;
iii) which contains information in each cell indicating whether the customer associated with the customer vector for that cell made a purchase from a web site containing an idol associated with the idol vector for that cell.
6. A computerized method, comprising:
a) generating a plurality of vectors, one for each of multiple consumers in a sample, each vector describing attributes of the respective consumer;
b) for selected vectors, generating by a computer an animated anthropomorphic idol for each;
c) using the idols in marketing activities; and
d) measuring marketing success of each idol.
7. Method according to claim 6 , and further comprising:
e) designating idols having higher marketing success than others as successful idols.
8. Method according to claim 7 , and further comprising:
f) presenting successful idols in marketing activities to a group of consumers having the same consumer vectors as those of the sample.
9. Method according to claim 6 , wherein each idol is associated with an idol vector which describes the idol's attributes, and further comprising:
e) utilizing statistical or artificial intelligence techniques to ascertain best mapping of consumer vectors to idol vectors.
10. Method according to claim 9 , wherein the best mapping indicates which idols should be selected in marketing to persons having consumer vectors identical to a group of consumer vectors selected from the sample.
11. Method according to claim 6 , wherein the marketing activity comprises presenting the idols at web sites, which consumers can visit.
12. Method according to claim 11 , and further comprising offering merchandise for sale at the web sites.
13. A computerized method, comprising:
a) identifying a target group of consumers;
b) for individuals in the group, identifying attributes of each and representing the attributes as consumer vectors, thereby producing one vector per individual;
c) for selected consumer vectors, generating by a computer an animated anthropomorphic idol for each, the idol having an associated idol vector describing the idol's attributes, thereby producing a group of idols, each having an idol vector;
d) presenting idols on web sites, together with merchandise available for sale, and taking orders for the merchandise from consumers, including consumers in the target group;
e) generating a mapping of information which indicates, for each consumer vector, which idol vectors resulted in successful sales;
f) ascertaining a mapping of the vectors which indicates which idols should be used for marketing activities to a sub-group of consumers, having consumer vectors identical to vectors selected from the target group.