Systems and methods to deliver targeted advertisements to audience

Abstract

A system including a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store transaction data recording the transactions processed at the transaction handler, a profile generator to generate a profile of a user based on the transaction data, an advertisement selector to identify an advertisement based on the profile of the user in response to the transaction handler processing a transaction of the user, and a portal coupled to the transaction handler to provide the advertisement for presentation to the user in connection with information about the transaction of the user. In one example, the profile includes a plurality of values representing aggregated spending of the user in various areas to summarize the transactions of the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 providing a computing apparatus comprising
 a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing network, 
 a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler and storing
 first transaction data recording payment transactions of a plurality of first users processed by the transaction handler during a first period of time, 
 second transaction data recording payment transactions of a second user processed by the transaction handler during a second period of time, and 
 registration data associating an account of the second user with a communication reference of a mobile device of the second user; 
 
 a profile generator coupled with the data warehouse; and 
 a portal coupled with the transaction handler; 
   generating, by the profile generator, a profile of the second user using the first transaction data of the plurality of the first users and the second transaction data of the second user;   processing, by the transaction handler, authorization of a first transaction in the account of the second user initiated on a point of sale terminal, including
 receiving, by the transaction handler, an authorization request for the first transaction of the second user transmitted in the electronic payment processing network from the point of sale terminal; 
 obtaining, by the transaction handler using the electronic payment processing network, an authorization response from a computer controlling the account of the second user in the electronic payment processing network; and 
 transmitting, by the transaction handler, the authorization response to the point of sale terminal via the electronic payment processing network; and 
   during the processing of the authorization of the first transaction by the transaction handler,
 identifying, by the computing apparatus, an advertisement for a first advertiser of a plurality of advertisers based at least in part on the profile of the second user; 
 identifying the communication reference based on
 the account identified in the authorization request for the first transaction, and 
 the registration data stored in the data warehouse associating the communication reference with the account; 
 
 instructing, by the transaction handler, the portal to communicate with the mobile device using the communication reference; and 
 transmitting, by the portal, the advertisement to the mobile device using the communication reference without going through the point of sale terminal, to cause the mobile device to present the advertisement in real time with the processing of the authorization of the first transaction. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the generating of the profile of the second user using the first transaction data of the plurality of the first users and the second transaction data of the second user comprises:
 aggregating by the profile generator the payment transactions of the plurality of first users according to user and merchant category to evaluate a plurality of variables, including spending frequency variables and spending amount variables;   performing by the profile generator a factor analysis of a result of the aggregating to evaluate the plurality of variables;   identifying a set of factor definitions from the factor analysis, wherein each factor defined by the set of factor definitions is a function of the plurality of variables; and   computing, by the computing apparatus, a plurality of values corresponding to a plurality of factors defined by the set of factor definitions by applying the set of factor definitions to the payment transactions of the second user made during the second period of time, wherein the profile of the second user includes the plurality of values.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 performing by the profile generator a cluster analysis of the result of the aggregating to evaluate the plurality of variables;   identifying a set of cluster definitions from the cluster analysis;   determining, by the computing apparatus, an identification of a cluster by applying the set of cluster definitions to the payment transactions of the second user made during the second period of time, wherein the profile of the second user includes the identification of the cluster.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the profile includes identification of a plurality of clusters identified by applying the set of cluster definitions to the payment transactions of the second user made during the second period of time. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the set of cluster definitions identifies a plurality of clusters and for each respective cluster in the plurality of clusters, the set of cluster definitions identifies conditions of the plurality of variables, evaluated for a given user, to be met to classify the given user in the respective cluster. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the set of cluster definitions identifies centroids of a plurality clusters in the space of the plurality of variables. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the set of cluster definitions identifies centroids of a plurality clusters in the space of the plurality of factors. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 providing transaction information of the first transaction processed for presentation to the user, wherein the advertisement is configured to be presented with the transaction information.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the electronic payment processing network connects separate computers, including:
 point of sale terminals configured to generate transactions of payments initiated in the electronic payment processing network using account information that identifies first accounts from which the payments are made in the electronic payment processing network;   first computers controlling the first accounts from which the payments are made in the electronic payment processing network;   second computers controlling second accounts in which the payments are made in the electronic payment processing network; and   the transaction handler.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the transaction handler interconnects the first computers and the second computers in the electronic payment processing network. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first transaction is a payment card transaction for which authorization is processed in the electronic payment processing network. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the advertisement comprises at least an offer selected from the group consisting of: discount, incentive, reward, coupon, gift, cash back, benefit, product, and service. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 in response to a user selection of the advertisement, storing an offer provided in the advertisement in an account of the user.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 providing a benefit of the offer to the user in response to a second transaction, made from the account of the second user, being processed by the transaction handler for a purchase relevant to the advertisement.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 transmitting a coupon providing the offer to the mobile device of the user in response to a second transaction, made from the account of the second user, being processed by the transaction handler for a purchase relevant to the advertisement.   
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on a computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to perform a method, the method comprising:
 generating, by a profile generator of the computing apparatus, a profile of a second user using first transaction data of a plurality of the first users and a second transaction data of the second user, wherein the computing apparatus includes
 a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing network, 
 a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler and storing
 the first transaction data recording payment transactions of the plurality of first users processed by the transaction handler during a first period of time, 
 the second transaction data recording payment transactions of the second user processed by the transaction handler during a second period of time, and 
 registration data associating an account of the second user with a communication reference of a mobile device of the second user; 
 
 the profile generator coupled with the data warehouse; and 
 a portal coupled with the transaction handler; 
   processing, by the transaction handler, authorization of a first transaction in the account of the second user initiated on a point of sale terminal, including
 receiving, by the transaction handler, an authorization request for the first transaction of the second user transmitted in the electronic payment processing network from the point of sale terminal; 
 obtaining, by the transaction handler using the electronic payment processing network, an authorization response from a computer controlling the account of the second user in the electronic payment processing network; and 
 transmitting, by the transaction handler, the authorization response to the point of sale terminal via the electronic payment processing network; and 
   during the processing of the authorization of the first transaction by the transaction handler,
 identifying, by the computing apparatus, an advertisement for a first advertiser of a plurality of advertisers based at least in part on the profile of the second user; 
 identifying the communication reference based on
 the account identified in the authorization request for the first transaction, and 
 the registration data stored in the data warehouse associating the communication reference with the account; 
 
 instructing, by the transaction handler, the portal to communicate with the mobile device using the communication reference; and 
 transmitting, by the portal, the advertisement to the mobile device using the communication reference without going through the point of sale terminal, to cause the mobile device to present the advertisement in real time with the processing of the authorization of the first transaction. 
   
     
     
         17 . A computing apparatus, comprising:
 a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing network;   a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler and storing
 first transaction data recording payment transactions of a plurality of first users processed by the transaction handler during a first period of time, 
 second transaction data recording payment transactions of a second user processed by the transaction handler during a second period of time, and 
 registration data associating an account of the second user with a communication reference of a mobile device of the second user; and 
   a profile generator coupled with the data warehouse and configured to generate a profile of the second user using the first transaction data of the plurality of the first users and the second transaction data of the second user; and   a portal coupled with the transaction handler, wherein the transaction handler is configured to process authorization of a first transaction in the account of the second user initiated on a point of sale terminal, by:
 receiving, by the transaction handler, an authorization request for the first transaction of the second user transmitted in the electronic payment processing network from the point of sale terminal; 
 obtaining, by the transaction handler using the electronic payment processing network, an authorization response from a computer controlling the account of the second user in the electronic payment processing network; and 
 transmitting, by the transaction handler, the authorization response to the point of sale terminal via the electronic payment processing network; and 
   wherein, during the processing of the authorization of the first transaction by the transaction handler, the computing apparatus is configured to:
 identify an advertisement for a first advertiser of a plurality of advertisers based at least in part on the profile of the second user; 
 identify the communication reference based on
 the account identified in the authorization request for the first transaction, and 
 the registration data stored in the data warehouse associating the communication reference with the account; 
 
 instruct, by the transaction handler, the portal to communicate with the mobile device using the communication reference; and 
 transmit, by the portal, a communication including the advertisement to the mobile device using the communication reference, without going through the point of sale terminal, to cause the mobile device to present the advertisement in real time with the processing of the authorization of the first transaction. 
   
     
     
         18 . The computing apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the portal is configured to communicate the advertisement to the mobile device using a communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network. 
     
     
         19 . The computing apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the point of sale terminal comprises an Automatic Teller Machine. 
     
     
         20 . The computing apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the point of sale terminal comprises a point of sale terminal.