Method and apparatus for automatically performing an online content distribution campaign

Abstract

A computer implemented method is described. Data is collected about a number of member entities that have online interaction with a group entity. A predefined state is assigned to a selected one of the member entities automatically, in response to applying a predefined rule to analyze some of the collected data. The rule is defined in part by the group entity. The method automatically determines whether or not online content is to be delivered to the selected member entity, based on the assigned state. In another embodiment, online content that is to be delivered to the selected member entity is automatically personalized for the selected member entity, again based on the assigned state. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . An article of manufacture comprising:
 a machine-accessible medium having stored therein a viewer application that is associated with a user, wherein the viewer application is a client program that programs a machine to enable the user to view a fax message that is contained in a file,   wherein the viewer application upon being launched in the machine determines whether an Internet connection exists in the machine and if so sends a resource locator that includes an identification of the user, to a server over the Internet,   the programmed machine is to then display a splash screen of the viewer application that contains a window, wherein content of the window is determined by the server in response to receiving the resource locator.   
     
     
         3 . The article of manufacture of  claim 2  wherein the viewer application is from a merchant of a telecommunication message service that receives fax messages at an inbound telephone number that has been assigned to the user by the merchant, and wherein the user identification sent to the server comprises the user's inbound telephone number. 
     
     
         4 . The article of manufacture of  claim 2  wherein the resource locator sent by the viewer application comprises a request for advertisement content. 
     
     
         5 . The article of manufacture of  claim 2  wherein content of the splash screen window includes an advertisement that has been personalized or selected for the user by the server. 
     
     
         6 . The article of manufacture of  claim 2  wherein content of the splash screen window has been personalized or selected by the server for the user, based on the identification of the user received in the resource locator and based on predetermined content delivery rules stored in the server. 
     
     
         7 . The article of manufacture of  claim 2  wherein content of the splash screen window includes an advertisement that has been personalized or selected for the user, by the server a) receiving the user id that is in the resource locator, b) using the received user id to access a stored, unique state variable that is assigned to the user, wherein the state variable indicates a current customer life cycle state value of the user as a customer of a merchant, and c) on the basis of the current state value of the user, determining how to personalize or select the advertisement by applying a stored, predetermined content delivery rule to the current state value of the user. 
     
     
         8 . The article of manufacture of  claim 6  wherein the resource locator further comprises a content presentation method identifier that is recognized by the server as referring to a type of online content to be personalized. 
     
     
         9 . The article of manufacture of  claim 8  wherein the resource locator further comprises an online content distribution campaign identifier. 
     
     
         10 . The article of manufacture of  claim 2  wherein the machine-accessible medium contains further instructions that program the machine to obtain the resource locator, from the merchant, when the user downloads the viewer application to be installed in the machine for the first time. 
     
     
         11 . The article of manufacture of  claim 2  wherein the machine-accessible medium contains further instructions that program the machine to obtain the resource locator, from the merchant, when the user downloads the file containing the fax message, prior to launching the viewer application.