Abstract:
A computer-implemented method can automatically select a plurality of advertising and/or marketing materials associated with goods and/or services offered for sale via a networked communication system. A networked communication system can be adapted to receive and organize a variety of customer specific, business specific, and general demographic information and can provide a marketing score for each customer known to be present at a commercial establishment. The system can further be adapted to provide a comparison of marketing scores for a plurality of customers and create a video playlist for display in a customer waiting room. The system can include a selectable and adjustable set of marketing parameters that may be adjusted based on one or more relevant considerations. The system can be adapted to determine, based on the marketing scores, advertising and marketing content for display at a commercial establishment.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/075,574, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Presenting Customer Specific Video and Marketing Materials,” filed Jun. 25, 2008, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to generation and display of advertising and marketing materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for customer specific generation and/or display of advertising materials at commercial or retail establishments. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Advertising and marketing are extremely important to any sales based industry. One significant challenge inherent in advertising and marketing of products and/or services is to cater advertising and marketing materials to particular consumers, i.e. directing the materials to someone who is likely willing to purchase offered products and/or services. 
         [0004]    One method that is used to cater marketing materials to particular potential consumers is to provide such materials to consumers that are already present at a particular location such as a commercial establishment. A customer of a commercial establishment is typically more likely to purchase products and/or services that are generally similar or related to those that brought the customer to the commercial establishment in the first place. For example, many commercial establishments deploy visual or audio advertisements in order to attract customers to a particular item. Many commercial establishments also deploy marketing materials such as coupons. Often, advertising and marketing materials are provided to potential consumers using one or more displays. 
         [0005]    One place where such methods are utilized is in customer waiting rooms. Customer waiting rooms are an ideal place to provide advertising and/or marketing materials because the audience for the materials is generally waiting for an extended period of time with little or nothing else to capture their attention. One problem with providing advertising or marketing materials to a customer a business may not be able to cater displayed materials to goods and/or services in a manner specific to a particular customer. Therefore, a need exists to provide customer specific advertising and marketing materials. A further need exists to provide customer specific materials in an automated or semi-automated and efficient fashion. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In one embodiment, a computer based system adapted to create and display customer specific advertising content on-site to customers of a commercial business is disclosed herein. The system may include an advertising management system. The advertising management system can be adapted to receive and organize a plurality of customer specific, demographic, and business or product specific information relating to a particular customer or business. The advertising management system may be adapted to compare the received information to a plurality of marketing profiles in order to determine a marketing profile for a particular customer. The advertising management system can include at least one scoring module adapted to analyze at least one marketing profile for a particular customer in order to determine a marketing score for the customer. The advertising management system may determine, based on the marketing profile, advertising and/or marketing content that should be displayed on a display apparatus to the particular customer via, for example, a closed-circuit television system. The advertising management system may provide a comparison of a plurality of marketing profiles associated with a plurality of customers. The advertising management system can be adapted to select and provide advertising and/or marketing content based on which customer or customers is likely to be influenced by the provided content into making one or more purchases. 
         [0007]    In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method of creating and/or displaying customer specific advertising content is disclosed herein. The method may include receiving and organizing a plurality of customer specific, demographic, and business or product specific information relating to a particular customer or business. The method can include comparing received information to a plurality of marketing profiles in order to determine a marketing profile for a particular customer, particularly while the customer is onsite at a commercial business. The method may score at least one marketing profile for a particular customer in order to determine a marketing score for the customer. The method can then use the marketing score to determine advertising and/or marketing content that may be displayed to the particular customer. The method can also compare a plurality of marketing profiles associated with a plurality of customers. The method may select and provide advertising and/or marketing content based on which customer or customers are likely to be influenced by the provided content into making one or more purchases. 
         [0008]    The above summary of the various representative embodiments of the invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the invention. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the invention. The figures in the detailed description that follows more particularly exemplify these embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  depicts a method and system for creation of customer specific advertisement according to various aspects of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  depicts a block diagram of one embodiment of an advertising management system according to various aspects of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a marketing scoring system according to various aspects of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  depicts a flowchart of one embodiment of a method of providing customer specific advertisements according to one aspect of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  depicts a flow chart diagram of one embodiment of an advertising management system  101  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Advertising management system  101  has available to it various data source information  102 . 
         [0014]    Data source information  102  may include manufacturer/business customer records  103 . Business records  103  of, for example, a car dealership, may include such information as what type of automobile is owned by the customer, or what amenities the automobile has, such as, for example, type of stereo included in the car, the make or model of tires typically sold with the car, or whether the car has heated seats. 
         [0015]    Data source information  102  may also include Customer Records Management (CRM) information  104 . CRM information  104  may include personal information specific to the customer, such as the customer&#39;s home address, email address, place of employment, profession, or hobbies and/or activities. Customer records can also include information provide by employees of a business or a related business, such as an account manager, as to what types of marketing has worked to influenced particular customers or demographic types into making purchases. Customer records can further include the “click behavior” of a customer on a business&#39;s or other website. The “click behavior” of a customer refers to the web pages and items that a customer&#39;s behavior on the internet indicates that the customer is interested in. 
         [0016]    Data source information  102  may also include Dealer Management System (DMS) inventory records information  105 . DMS inventory records information  105  may include information such as what goods and/or services the particular business has available to it, such as what tires an automobile repair shop carries or what line of beauty products a salon offers. 
         [0017]    Data source information may further include parts records  106 . Parts records  106  may include those particular goods and/or services that the business has available to offer at a particular time, such as what type of employee is available to do a particular type of work, or what products are in stock in the store room at the business that can be sold and provided immediately to a customer. 
         [0018]    Data source information may further include information  107  stored by a provider of advertising management system  101 . Such information  107  may include information collected from a plurality of businesses that employ advertising management system  101  in order to better predict goods and/or services a particular customer may be interested in. 
         [0019]    Advertising management system  101  may also include decision logic  110 . In various embodiments, decision logic  110  can be adapted to determine, based at least in part on data source information  102 , what particular advertisements should be displayed to particular customers present at a business at a given time. For example, at a car dealership decision logic  110  may determine that it has been a substantial amount of time since a particular customer received an oil change. If that customer is waiting at an automobile service business while brake pads are being changed, decision logic  110  may determine that an advertisement offering discount oil changes may remind the customer of the need to change the oil in his or her car. 
         [0020]    Decision logic  110  can also utilize demographic and profile scoring information  120  in determining which ads to display. Demographic information can include marketing profiles  111  that can be matched to particular customers based on data source information  102 . Demographic information  120  may include, for example, whether the customer is male or female, or whether the customer is of a particular age group. Demographic information  120  may further include other information such as: the current season, geographical location of the customer or the business, what advertisements and/or offers are available including manufacturing incentives, the current inventory of the business, or the current services available from the business. In other embodiments, marketing profiles  111  may be based on customer specific information. 
         [0021]    Demographics and profile scoring information  120  can further include profile scoring system  112 . Decision logic  110  may use profile scoring system  112  to determine, based at least in part on marketing profile  111  and/or data source information  102 , a likelihood that a particular customer would be interested in a particular product, or whether the customer is likely to be interested in purchasing additional goods and/or services. In another embodiment, profile scoring system  112  may be adapted to compare marketing profiles  111  for multiple customers in order to determine what advertising or marketing materials will provide the greatest potential yield for the business. 
         [0022]    Advertising management system  101  can have available to it a variety of message types  130  related to a plurality of different goods and/or services. For example, in a automobile sales or repair business context, message types may fall under categories such as parts, services and new and used cars. Parts message types may include products such as: automobile sound systems, satellite radio service, automobile tires or batteries, child safety seats, membership in an automobile service club such as AAA, environmentally friendly products such as cleaning solutions or products that reduce pollution, or air filters. Services message types  130  may include services such as brake repair, cleaning services such as detailing or undercoating, fluid replacement services such as oil change or transmission fluid replacement services, tire rotation services, tune up services, insurance offers, or financing solutions. New and used car message types may include new automobile models that recently became available, financing offers such as lease specials or other purchase financing offers, or used car inventory specials. 
         [0023]    Advertising management system  101  can further include a message delivery system  150 , such as a display or other electronic means, to convey the selected message types  130  to consumers. In various embodiments, the electronic means may include: audio communication, a video display such as an LCD, plasma, or other monitor, or printed advertising or marketing materials that are manually or otherwise distributable. In an embodiment, the information conveyed to customers occurs while the customers are in or near the facilities of the business, such as in a waiting room or within a store, or outside or proximate a given business, such as along a street or in a mall. Message delivery means  150  can also include a means for scheduling a timing and order of message delivery. Message delivery means  150  can also be a product of the customer, such as a PDA or cell phone. Advertising management system  101  can stream a selected message wirelessly to a PDA, cell phone, or the like. Access to a customer&#39;s wireless device and/or email account can be previously granted by the customer or can be requested at the time the message is delivered. 
         [0024]    Advertising management system  101  may also include a system  160  for a customer to respond to a particular advertisement or marketing material. In various embodiments, a customer may be provided the ability to purchase or receive coupons or other printed offers for goods and/or services at the location or by providing an email address. In one embodiment, a touch screen display apparatus is provided to the consumer. In another embodiment, the consumer may use a personal electronic device such as a cellphone, smartphone, or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). In another embodiment, the customer is provided contact information by which they may further inquire as to a particular good and/or service, or which they may use to order the particular good and/or service. Information received from customer response system  160  regarding customer preferences, etc., can then be fed back into data sources  102 , decision logic  110 , and/or demographics and profile information  120  to further refine and increase the accuracy and quality of advertising management system  101 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  illustrates generally a block diagram of one embodiment of an advertising management system  201  according to various aspects of the invention described herein. Advertising management system  201  can include one or more areas of a business  266 , such as, for example, a customer common area such as a customer waiting room. Business area  266  may also be other common areas of a commercial establishment or any other areas where it is likely that potential consumers will be reached by advertising or marketing materials. Business areas  266  can also include areas where only one customer may be present. Business areas  266  can include one or more display apparatuses  216  capable of conveying a visual image to customers. In one embodiment, displays  216  are adapted to convey video images to customers. In another embodiment, displays  216  are adapted to convey other visual information such as a still photograph or other still image that is not a video. Displays  216  can be communicatively coupled to programming system  246 . Programming system  246  can be adapted to control the display of visual images conveyed through displays  216 . Displays  216  can also receive programming from a streaming server. 
         [0026]    Advertising management system  201  may include one or more partner databases  202 , manufacturer databases  203 , advertising management system provider database  207  or commercial business databases  204 . In one embodiment, commercial business databases  204  include customer records management database  224 . Customer records management database  224  may include information such as purchases customers have made in the past, potential purchases the customer may have expressed an interest in, or personal customer information such as name, contact information, occupation, interests, family relationships with other customers, or any other information that a commercial business may have about customers. Commercial business databases  204  may further include Dealer DMS database  214 . Dealer DMS database  214  may include information such as what items or services the commercial business has to offer. Dealer DMS database  214  may further include service records for a particular product owned or maintained by a customer. Commercial business databases  204  can also include information provided by employees of one or more businesses, such as an account manager, regarding the as to what types of marketing has worked to influenced particular customers or demographic types into making purchases. 
         [0027]    Manufacturer databases  203  can include a manufacturer&#39;s customer profile database  213 . Manufacturer&#39;s customer profile database  213  may include information known by a manufacturer about a particular consumer or group of consumers. Manufacturer databases  203  may also include a manufacturer&#39;s specification database  223 . Manufacturer&#39;s specification database  223  may be adapted to store information related to products that a particular manufacturer has to offer to customers. 
         [0028]    Partner databases  202  may be operated by people or businesses separate from the provider of advertising management system  201  and separate from the business itself. Partner database  202  may include databases such as an external content database  212  which may include one or more videos or images relating to the products or services of business. Partner databases  202  may further include publicly available (perhaps with a fee) databases  222  such as a VIN information database. VIN information database may provide information related to a history of an automobile. Partner databases  202  may further include one or more databases of marketing information  225 . Such databases may include demographic marketing information such as for a particular age group or income bracket, or may include customer specific marketing information such as purchasing habits or tendencies. 
         [0029]    Video production system  217  may be an automated or semi-automated video production system, such as is described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/753,412 and 11/999,523, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety except of the claims therein. Video production system  217  may be adapted to rapidly provide a professional quality advertising video based at least in part on data stored in advertising management system provider database  207 , partner databases  202 , manufacturing databases  203 , and dealer databases  204 . Advertising management system provider database  207  can be maintained by the provider of the advertising management system  201  and can include advertising and marketing materials previously created or compiled by the provider for the business or other business. 
         [0030]    Video production system  217  can provide a video that is comprised of a plurality of pre-recorded video elements assembled to run together as a single video. The video can be customized for the particular audience by selecting video elements at least in part based on the information contained in advertising management system  201  regarding the customers to whom the video is going to be presented. Selected video elements can comprise distinct and independent advertisements or other video presentations. 
         [0031]    In various embodiments, advertising management system  201 , video production system  217 , programming system  246 , and various databases discussed herein are implemented using one or more computer systems. According to these embodiments, these systems and databases may be adapted to communicate over a network such as the Internet. In one embodiment, these systems and databases are adapted to communicate according to a server-client relationship, or according to a peer to peer relationship. It is to be understood that the various components discussed herein may be implemented according to any physical location or networking implementation, and that any variation on the implementation of such a system is within the scope of the invention described herein. 
         [0032]    Advertising management system  201  may further include waiting room marketing scoring system  257 . Marketing scoring system  257  may be adapted to accumulate, organize, and compare various information relating to particular customers as well as demographic marketing information relating to one or more particular demographic groups. Marketing scoring system  257  may also be adapted to compare such information with various product or service information and available advertising material in order to determine what video content to display on display means  216  in common areas  266 . 
         [0033]    Advertising management system  201  may also incorporate a customer feedback system  260 . Responses regarding the interest of customers in the various products and services selected to be displayed can be fed back in to the marketing message scoring system  257  to further refine the selection of information to be displayed. 
         [0034]      FIG. 3  illustrates a marketing scoring system  257  according to one embodiment of the present invention. Marketing scoring system  257  may include a scoring module  301 . Scoring module  301  may include a variety of adjustable weighted parameters  302  containing information that pertains to one or more particular customers or demographic groups. In various embodiments, these parameters may be adjustably weighted such that a user, or the system itself, may place particular importance in scoring on one or more parameters. 
         [0035]    Adjustable weighted parameters  302  may include a variety of product parameters  304 . In an automobile context as depicted in  FIG. 3 , product specific parameters  304  can include: level of tire wear, whether the automobile has had recent transmission trouble, whether the customer is a likely candidate to trade in his/her current automobile, whether the customer might qualify for a manufacturing incentive, or whether the customer has an expiring membership to an automobile services contract such as On-Star or satellite radio. 
         [0036]    In addition to product specific parameters, adjustable weighted parameters  302  can include demographic parameters  303 . Demographic parameters  303  can include, for example age, sex, whether the customer is an upwardly mobile professional, whether the user is a teen male or female, whether the customer is environmentally conscious, and whether the customer is a “soccer mom.” Additionally, demographic parameters  303  may include seasonal parameters, such as whether it is summer or winter (which for example may be used to determine whether to advertise a boat or a snowboard), or event specific seasonal parameters (which for example may be used for event specific advertising, e.g. advertising a big screen TV special the week before the Super Bowl). 
         [0037]    In various embodiments, the parameters discussed above are adjustable in order to yield the greatest benefit to advertisers. For example, adjustments may be made based on: the availability of parts and services, dealer inventory, manufacturer or dealer sales incentives, seasonal factors, geographic factors, business or dealership type, local or customer specific vehicle history, demographic trends, seasonal maintenance requirements, or any other factors that tend to influence customer buying habits and/or needs. 
         [0038]    Scoring module  301  may be adapted to acquire information from the variety of data sources discussed above with respect to  FIG. 2 , organize that information, and determine a marketing profile  306  for each particular customer. Marketing profiles  306  can pre-exist on the provider&#39;s system and can be selected based on the profile that is most similar to the information known about the customer. Each marketing profile is then assigned a marketing score  310  that may be compared to other customer&#39;s marketing scores to determine an estimated affect that advertising to each customer may have, and to determine the optimal advertisements to display to a particular group of customers in a particular waiting room. In the example of  FIG. 3 , marketing profiles for three customers have been analyzed by scoring module  301 . Final score column  305  illustrates that, in this example, marketing score  310  associated with customer  2  has been scored the highest of three customers, meaning that customer  2  is most likely to be influenced into making some kind of purchase by the available advertisements. Therefore, advertising content directed more to customer  2  can be prepared and displayed in this particular waiting room. 
         [0039]    In various embodiments, a plurality of marketing profiles which include a variety of demographic information, and corresponding fields, are available to adjustable scoring module  301 . According to these embodiments, customer information is compared to the variety of demographic fields and a closest match is selected for the customer. 
         [0040]    In various embodiments, adjustable scoring module  301  is adapted to perform the above mentioned comparisons to determine a customer marketing profile and to rank customer scoring profiles based at least in part on times when a customer leaves or enters a particular waiting room or how long a customer is expected to be in the proximity of the advertising message. Thus, advertising content is continually updated to best influence customer behaviors for the customers most likely to be present so as to receive the advertising content. 
         [0041]      FIG. 4  illustrates generally a flow chart diagram of one embodiment of steps taken by an advertising management system according to various aspects of the invention described herein. At step  401 , a customer arrives at a business. The customer may have scheduled an appointment with the business. In another embodiment, a customer does not schedule an appointment, and merely shows up at a business to request a good and/or service. At step  402 , the customer checks in with the business and is identified. At step  403  information regarding the customer is retrieved from the various databases available to advertising management system. At step  404 , advertising management system sorts the received information, including customer history data such as equipment records and manufacturer customer records. Customer data can be sorted in such a way that it can be matched with predetermined demographic marketing profiles stored by advertising management system. As described in more detail below, the marketing profiles are based on which emotional drivers and ad/sales messages are most likely to influence customer behavior. 
         [0042]    At step  405 , advertising management system compares the customer information to one or more of the predetermined and adjustable marketing profiles in order to determine a “best match” marketing profile for the customer. The selected profile for the customer is then scored by the scoring system. In one embodiment, the scoring system evaluates possible product upsells, service upsells, trade in scenarios, in view of the marketing profile and the inventory of products and services available to the business. Each profile&#39;s score is based on the likelihood of the customer choosing to make a purchase. 
         [0043]    At step  406 , scoring system creates a hierarchy of the customer profiles for all customers present at the business in order to determine the advertising content that will yield the best results for a particular group of customers. For example, scoring system may compare the profiles of customers that are currently in a waiting room to determine which customer or customers are most likely to be affected by advertising material. In another example, scoring system may compare profiles of customers to determine which customer or customers likely have the most disposable income and are thus more likely to make a purchase. Advertising and marketing materials will then be directed more towards those customers determined most likely to make a purchase. In another embodiment, materials may be selected based on the greatest number of customers determine to be likely to have some level of interest in a particular product or service. In still another embodiment, various combinations of these selection factors may be automatically and dynamically weighted by the scoring system. 
         [0044]    At step  407 , advertising management system matches the results of the one or more customer profiles selected at step  405  and the comparison of customer profiles at step  406  with available or readily generated advertising materials. At step  408 , advertising management system may further determine whether non-advertising materials, such as educational entertainment or licensed video productions should be displayed. In one embodiment, non-advertising materials that may be appealing to one or more customers in the waiting room are selected for display. At step  409 , advertising management system creates a playlist for display in the business area and communicates the playlist to the programming system or server. In one embodiment, the playlist may be formatted to include advertising material breaks in non-commercial material similar to the format typically used in broadcast television. In various embodiments, the playlist further includes information such as a stream parameter type or a form factor for display and/or communication of video content. 
         [0045]    At step  410 , the playlist may be displayed to the customers on one or more displays. At step  411 , feedback is received from one or more of the customers viewing the displayed advertising content. In one embodiment, display includes a touch sensitive screen allowing the customer to respond to the advertising content. In one embodiment, the touch screen allows a customer to initiate a purchase or to schedule an appointment. In another embodiment, the customer is provided the ability to talk with a representative, such as a service manager, in order to respond to the advertising content. In another embodiment, the customer is provided the ability to respond to the advertising content using a personal electronic device such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a laptop, or any other communication device. In yet another embodiment, the customer is provided contact information such that the customer may respond to the advertising content at a time and/or place other than the waiting room. 
         [0046]    At step  412 , advertising management system may be adapted to follow up with a customer who expressed interest in a particular product or service. Follow up can include, for example, communication of coupons, a confirmation email, or other follow up marketing. At step  413 , the customer responses to the provided advertising content are used to further refine one or more processes for determining a customer profile, performing comparisons, or selection of advertising content as described herein. 
         [0047]    As noted above, the marketing profiles to which customers are matched are based on the emotional drivers and regular buying habits that influence a customer to make a purchase. Some considerations that can be taken into account in the automobile context include: expense avoidance motivations, including future return on investment by avoiding repair expenses and dependability, return on investment motivations, including gas mileage and resale value, safety motivations, including family and personal safety, time motivations, including time wasting avoidance and hassle avoidance, social status motivations, current vehicle frustration motivations, including problems occurring and repairs needed for a current vehicle, new feature motivations, such as a desire to have the latest and greatest new features, family image motivations and professional status motivations. 
         [0048]    In a further embodiment, customized advertising content can be displayed where only a single customer at a time is expected. For example, advertising content can be displayed at a gas pump while a customer fills a vehicle with gas. The customer&#39;s identity can be ascertained from a credit card swiped at the pump. Video elements can be selected to present advertisements and/or other information the customer is likely to be interested in based on what can be learned about the customer from the name on the credit card. 
         [0049]    In another embodiment, customized advertising can be customized for an individual customer at a business and can be sent to a portable device possessed by the customer, such as a PDA or cell phone. The customer can be identified and advertising and marketing material that may interest the customer selected as described herein. The selected advertising or marketing material can be sent to the customer wirelessly and accessed by the customer through an email, a pop-up message, or other means. In one embodiment, feedback in the form of the customer opening and viewing an advertisement in a message can be used as an indication that the advertisement type and/or customer are more likely to make a purchase. In a further embodiment, content can be sent to a customer based on the customer&#39;s proximity to a product as determined by a sensing means, such as an RFID tag. In this embodiment, when the advertising management system determines based on the sensing means that a customer has stopped near a product, it can deliver an advertising/marketing message related to the particular product to the customer&#39;s mobile device. 
         [0050]    The above description of the disclosed embodiment is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is limited by nothing other than the appended claims. 
         [0051]    Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such that no subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicit disclosure herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is further limited such that no claims included in the documents are incorporated by reference herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is yet further limited such that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated by reference herein unless expressly included herein. 
         [0052]    For purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention, it is expressly intended that the provisions of Section 112, sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “means for” or “step for” are recited in a claim.