Abstract: A server apparatus 10 for applying a point by which a service can be received in response to an amount of said point to be used in a Web site, comprises files 23/24 for storing a banner advertisement, and a point producing unit 14 for determining a point number which is displayed on the banner advertisement. This server apparatus 10 is further arranged by a Web control unit 11 for displaying the banner advertisement attached with the point number on a Web page, and also a user data managing unit 12 for managing a point number gained by a user. The server apparatus 10 determines a point number to be displayed on a banner advertisement with reference to personal information of a user, or a point number gained by the user.

Abstract: A method for transacting an advertisement transfer is disclosed which facilitates expressing the rate structure for the individual advertisement as a function of a profile of the individual potential customer; and which is directed to the creation of a mechanism from the vantage of an Internet site that is being visited. It should be appreciated that this must include the participation of other entities in the Internet (such as distributors, clients, intermediary agencies, etc.).

Abstract: An on-line advertising system provides advertisements to users. At least one candidate advertisement is identified in response to an advertisement trigger. At least one key is identified relating to features of the candidate advertisement, the advertisement trigger, or a combination of the candidate advertisement and the advertisement trigger. Candidate advertisement performance is estimated based on historical data relating to the key.

Abstract: Advertising messages are provided to mobile terminals of those users identified by user information as meeting certain criteria, such as users fitting particular user profiles and/or users located in a particular desired location. The content of the advertising messages is dynamically generated based on the number of mobile terminals to whom the advertising message is to be sent and the advertising message is sent to the identified mobile terminals over a mobile network or a short range communication signal. In the latter case, location information may be sent to the mobile terminal along with an advertising message. Where the content of an advertising message comprises an electronic coupon, the value of the coupon depends on the number of mobile terminals to whom the advertising message is to be sent. A mobile terminal user can redeem an electronic coupon by transmitting it from his mobile terminal to a coupon redemption terminal.

Abstract: A system for selectively communicating promotional information to a person, includes a sensing system, a storage device, a controller, and a projection device. The sensing system measures a detectable feature associated with the person sensed by the sensing system and the storage device stores a plurality of promotional segments. The controller uses the measured detectable feature associated with the person for selecting one of the stored promotional segments and causing the projection device to project to the person at the predetermined location the selected promotional segment.

Abstract: A system and method of discounting a price-per-unit (PPU) of fuel during a fueling transaction by a customer at a fuel merchant. In one aspect, the invention identifies an issuer of the customer's credit card, associates the issuer with a PPU discount for the fuel, and discounts the posted PPU by an amount equal to the PPU discount associated with the identified credit card issuer. In another aspect, the invention determines that the customer participates in a reward program with a vendor with whom the fuel merchant has a relationship agreement for providing PPU discounts for fuel in exchange for redeemed reward points from the reward program. The customer's reward points are converted to a PPU discount, and the posted PPU of the fuel is discounted accordingly.

Abstract: A method and computer program for resetting the value of a coupon based on market information is provided. The program receives a request for valuation of a coupon from a retailer, accesses market demand information for a product corresponding to the coupon, determines a market demand value based on the market demand information, determines a coupon value based on the market demand value, and provides the coupon value to the retailer.

Abstract: A fuel rewards program wherein awards received from the purchase of discount-triggering items at a first transaction are redeemed for a price-per-unit (PPU) discount on fuel. A scanner scans product codes and inputs the information to a POS system through a comparator such that a product may be determined to be a discount-triggering item. Information regarding the discount-triggering item is first stored in a potential buffer. A rewards process processes the information in the potential buffer and stores that information in a filtered potential buffer. A potential file accumulates basic information about one or more transactions. A purchase buffer stores all of the information, which is ultimately printed on a cash register receipt. The receipt may be scanned at a fuel dispenser to begin the redemption of the PPU discount on the fuel.

Abstract: An incentive distribution system is used in distributing, tracking and redeeming product incentives offered by manufacturers and distributors of consumer goods through a financial institution. A financial institution distributes an incentives list to each of its customers, based on information relating to the customers, containing the incentives relating to the category for which the customer qualifies. Qualifying criteria includes transactional activity within the account held with the financial institution distributing the incentives, demographic data relating to the customer, and various account data. The system tracks purchases made by a customer at a participating retailer or dealership and updates the customer's qualifications based on these purchases. Further, the financial institution acts as a redemption warehouse by debiting the accounts of the manufacturers and distributors offering the incentives and crediting the accounts held by the retailers and dealerships honoring the incentives.

Abstract: This disclosure provides a system for remotely communicating with a vehicle and a related business method of targeting promotions to one or more individuals associated with a vehicle. The system includes a wireless device, a security gateway, and an on-board computer coupled to one or more sensors or controls. The wireless device permits reporting of a maintenance event to a central source (e.g., a dealer, manufacturer or their delegee) or to a promoter that can target promotions based on the particular maintenance event. Preferably, the vehicle is equipped with software that automatically and unsolicitedly identifies maintenance event and notifies the dealer, manufacturer, delegee or a promoter. It is this third party that then notifies the vehicle owner (or other individual associated with a vehicle identification number) of the maintenance event, that identifies local product or service providers in the individual's vicinity, and that provides targeted promotions to the individual.

Abstract: A system and a method for measuring and monitoring effectiveness of on-line advertising are provided. The system and method provide a code attached to, for example, an advertising banner of a company that may advertise goods and/or services of the company. The code provides a signal to a server when the banner is viewed on a computer of a user. Cookie data is transferred by the server to the computer of the user providing information related to viewing of the advertising banner. Surveys are further presented to users to obtain information related to the effectiveness of the advertising for both exposed users and control users.

Abstract: A method of doing business in a retail environment employs a patronage incentive system incorporating a rounding up saving software program which provides a customer making a purchase at a point-of-sale terminal of participating retailers with an option to round up the price of purchase to the nearest dollar (or higher), to credit the difference between the rounded and the retail price to an account once the purchase is made, and to invest the savings into a single predetermined mutual fund. The rounding up program establishes a personal account for each customer, establishes a cumulative account with the single mutual fund, interacts with the customer, and, upon the request of customer, provides the customer with the information regarding his/her account current and/or prospective.

Abstract: A system and computer-implemented method of providing an incentive for a customer to purchase non-fuel products or services at a store that sells the products or services and fuel. The system detects that the customer purchased a number of non-fuel products or services in a first visit to the store, and provides the customer with a first reward entitling the customer to a first amount of free fuel. The system then detects that the customer purchased a number of non-fuel products or services in a second visit to the store, and provides the customer with a second reward entitling the customer to a second amount of free fuel. The customer is identified during a subsequent fueling transaction, and the system dispenses an amount of free fuel to the customer equal to the total of the first and second amounts of free fuel.

Abstract: A method for promoting customer loyalty including recording digital identification data regarding a visitor to sites in a first database including a registration table on a customer loyalty server of unique identifiers of registered visitors and selected data, registering on equipment of the visitor of a digital file containing an identifier assigned to the visitor, recording on a server of an affiliated merchant site a digital file producing a display of an active pictogram including a link to a point management computer program, the file including a unique identifier of the affiliated merchant, allocating reward points by recording in a database a table including an identifier of the visitor and a counter of the allocated points, preparing a response to an activation by a user of the link appearing on the page of the merchant's site, a file including at least the digital identifier of the merchant and an identifier of the visitor, transmitting this file to the customer loyalty server, performing a search fo

Abstract: Advertising messages are provided to mobile terminals of those users identified by user information as meeting certain criteria, such as users fitting particular user profiles and/or users located in a particular desired location. The content of the advertising messages is dynamically generated based on the number of mobile terminals to whom the advertising message is to be sent and the advertising message is sent to the identified mobile terminals over a mobile network or a short range communication signal. In the latter case, location information may be sent to the mobile terminal along with an advertising message. Where the content of an advertising message comprises an electronic coupon, the value of the coupon depends on the number of mobile terminals to whom the advertising message is to be sent. A mobile terminal user can redeem an electronic coupon by transmitting it from his mobile terminal to a coupon redemption terminal.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for targeting marketing content to an online user, includes the steps of collecting data describing the user in a user profile, comparing the user profile with a target profile and presenting the user with content based on the comparison. The user profile includes a photographic likeness of the user, as well as information derived from the user's photographic likeness. Certain content may be dynamically created for the user based on the user profile and may include the photographic likeness of the user, which may be altered to incorporate a portion of the content into the photographic likeness. In this manner, personalized advertisements for cosmetics, jewelry, clothing and other items may be created. The user profile also includes data describing the user's browsing habits and responses to context-specific survey questions.

Abstract: A method and computer program for resetting the value of a coupon based on market information is provided. The program receives a request for valuation of a coupon from a retailer, accesses market demand information for a product corresponding to the coupon, determines a market demand value based on the market demand information, determines a coupon value based on the market demand value, and provides the coupon value to the retailer.

Abstract: A system for advertising with the assistance of an advertiser's associate web site includes enrolling advertiser's web sites for allowing customers to receive information or to electronically purchase items; enrolling advertiser's associates web sites that refer customers to the advertiser's web site in exchange for compensation; electronically providing to the customer's computer, specific hyperlinks via the advertiser's associate's web page that, when selected by a customer, cause a list of advertiser's to be transmitted to the customer's computer, wherein each of said items in said list comprises a selectable advertiser specific hyperlink to the corresponding advertiser; transmitting to the customer's computer a web page which corresponds to the advertiser specific hyperlink selected by the customer, to accomplish a referral to the advertiser; and determining and recording within a computer memory compensation for the advertiser's associate for the referral.

Abstract: A method and system allowing the assessment of the strength of at least one mark relative to at least one other mark. In one embodiment, a method includes but is not limited to displaying at least two marks as activation mechanisms for a print-shopping-list command, and determining relative consumer awareness of the at least two marks by maintaining an accounting of the number of times each of the at least two marks is activated. In one embodiment, a system includes but is not limited to hardware and/or software effecting the method.

Abstract: A facility for Performing on-line advertising at a subject web site relative to a selected user activity is described. The facility receives a plurality of bids. Each bid is submitted on behalf of an advertiser, and specifies an advertising rate that the advertiser will pay to display an advertising messages to users performing the selected activity with respect to the subject web site. When a request for any web page of the subject web site containing advertising space is received from a user that has previously performed the selected activity, irrespective of the identity of the requested web page, the facility both (1) identifies the received bid specifying the largest advertising rate, and (2) causes an advertising message to be displayed in the advertising space of the requested web page for the advertiser on whose behalf the identified bid was submitted.