Targeting messages

Abstract

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for directing information to people and/or households likely to be receptive to the information. Systems and methods according to the invention can be used to target one or more marketing messages, such as various types of offers, to one or more consumers determined likely to be receptive to the message(s).

1 . A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions that when executed cause a processor to:
 receive a first set of purchase records associated with a set of consumer entities;   define a set of purchase profiles based at least in part on the first set of purchase records and the set of consumer entities, each purchase profile from the set of purchase profiles being associated with a unique consumer entity from the set of consumer entities;   define a test group, the test group including a first subset of consumer entities from the set of consumer entities, each consumer entity from the first subset being associated with a purchase profile that conforms to at least a portion of a set of target criteria, the test group including at least two consumer entities from the set of consumer entities;   define a control group, the control group including a second subset of consumer entities from the test group;   define a recipient group, the recipient group including a third subset of consumer entities from the test group, each consumer entity included in the recipient group being not included in the control group;   send a marketing message to each consumer entity included in the recipient group;   receive a second set of purchase records, each purchase record from the second set of purchase records being associated with a consumer entity from the first subset of consumer entities and being based at least in part on at least one purchase made after the sending of the marketing message; and   determine, based at least in part on the second set of purchase records, an efficacy of the marketing message.   
     
     
         2 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the code to determine the efficacy includes code to cause the processor to:
 determine a first percentage of consumer entities from the recipient group that are associated with at least one purchase record from the second set of purchase records;   determine a second percentage of consumer entities from the control group that are associated with at least one purchase record from the second set of purchase records; and   store, at a memory, a mathematical difference between the first percentage and the second percentage.   
     
     
         3 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 1 , further comprising code to cause the processor to:
 define a consumer category based at least in part on at least one of:
 a first characteristic of one or more consumer entities from the set of consumer entities; 
 a second characteristic of one or more purchase records from the first set of purchase records; 
   associate a consumer entity from the set of consumer entities with the consumer category based at least in part on at least one of:
 the consumer entity having the first characteristic; or 
 the consumer entity being associated with a purchase record having the second characteristic; and 
   define the test group based at least in part on whether a given consumer entity from the set of consumer entities is associated with the consumer category.   
     
     
         4 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 1 , further comprising code to cause the processor to:
 provide compensation to a provider of a portion of the first set of purchase records when the mathematical difference is greater than a predetermined threshold value.   
     
     
         5 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein a first purchase profile from the set of purchase profiles is based at least in part on a consumer identity characteristic associated with a consumer entity from the set of consumer entities with which the first purchase profile is associated. 
     
     
         6 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 5 , wherein the consumer identity characteristic is received from a consumer information database. 
     
     
         7 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the code to send the marketing message includes code to cause the processor to send the marketing message to an advertisement network for display at a web browser. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus comprising:
 a consumer information collection module implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device, the consumer information collection module configured to receive a first set of purchase records associated with a set of consumer entities;   a consumer profile analysis module implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device, the consumer profile analysis module configured to define a set of purchase profiles based at least in part on the first set of purchase records and the set of consumer entities, each purchase profile from the set of purchase profiles being associated with a unique consumer entity from the set of consumer entities;   a marketing campaign management module implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device, the marketing campaign management module configured to:
 define a test group, the test group including a first subset of consumer entities from the set of consumer entities, each consumer entity from the first subset being associated with a purchase profile that conforms to at least a portion of a set of target criteria, the test group including at least two consumer entities from the set of consumer entities; 
 define a control group, the control group including a second subset of consumer entities from the test group; 
 define a recipient group, the recipient group including a third subset of consumer entities from the test group, each consumer entity included in the recipient group being not included in the control group; 
 send a marketing message to each consumer entity included in the recipient group; and 
   a subsequent purchase behavior analysis module implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device, the subsequent purchase behavior analysis module configured to:
 receive a second set of purchase records, each purchase record from the second set of purchase records being associated with a consumer entity from the first subset of consumer entities and being based at least in part on at least one purchase made after the sending of the marketing message; and 
 determine, based at least in part on the second set of purchase records, an efficacy of the marketing message. 
   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the subsequent purchase behavior analysis module is further configured to:
 determine a first percentage of consumer entities from the recipient group that are associated with at least one purchase record from the second set of purchase records;   determine a second percentage of consumer entities from the control group that are associated with at least one purchase record from the second set of purchase records; and   store, at a memory, a mathematical difference between the first percentage and the second percentage.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the marketing campaign management module is further configured to:
 define a consumer category based at least in part on at least one of:
 a first characteristic of one or more consumer entities from the set of consumer entities; 
 a second characteristic of one or more purchase records from the first set of purchase records; 
   associate a consumer entity from the set of consumer entities with the consumer category based at least in part on at least one of:
 the consumer entity having the first characteristic; or 
 the consumer entity being associated with a purchase record having the second characteristic; and 
   define the test group based at least in part on whether a given consumer entity from the set of consumer entities is associated with the consumer category.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the subsequent purchase behavior analysis module is further configured to:
 provide compensation to a provider of a portion of the first set of purchase records when the mathematical difference is greater than a predetermined threshold value.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein a first purchase profile from the set of purchase profiles is based at least in part on a consumer identity characteristic associated with a consumer entity from the set of consumer entities with which the first purchase profile is associated. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the consumer identity characteristic is received from a consumer information database. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the marketing campaign management module is further configured to send the marketing message to an advertisement network for display at a web browser. 
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions that when executed cause a processor to:
 receive a first set of purchase records associated with a first set of consumer entities, the first set of consumer entities having received an advertising message;   define a first subset of consumer entities from the first set of consumer entities, the first subset of consumer entities being associated with a first subset of purchase records from the first set of purchase records that correspond to an offering associated with the advertising message;   calculate, based on the first subset of consumer entities and the first subset of purchase records, a first percentage of consumer entities from the first set of consumer entities associated with at least one purchase of the offering;   receive a second set of purchase records associated with a second set of consumer entities, each consumer entity from the second set of consumer entities having not received the advertising message;   determine a second subset of consumer entities from the second set of consumer entities, the second subset of consumer entities being associated with a second subset of purchase records from the second set of purchase records;   calculate, based on the second subset of consumer entities and the second subset of purchase records, a second percentage of consumer entities from the second set of consumer entities associated with at least one purchase of the offering;   calculate, based on the first percentage and the second percentage, an effectiveness of the advertising message; and   output, at a display device, the first percentage and the second percentage.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the specified advertised offering is at least one of:
 an advertised product; or   an advertised service.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the code further represents instructions that when executed cause the processor to:
 calculate a portion of revenue associated with the first set of purchase records attributable to a business entity.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the advertising message is at least one of :
 a telephone message;   an e-mail message;   an Internet message; or   a television message.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein at least one consumer entity from the first set of consumer entities represents a household. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the code further represents instructions that when executed cause the processor to:
 define at least one consumer profile based at least in part on a purchase record from the first set of purchase records.