Abstract: Joint pricing and replenishment of freshness inventory or products having different qualities determines the joint pricing and inventory strategies to optimize the retailer's benefits from product freshness, employing a dynamic programming formulation that incorporates a demand model that captures consumer choice based on both the freshness and price.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems, methods and computer readable media for calculating the capacity of a provider by calculating, using biographical data representing the provider, a first total units of service that are available to be offered to consumers during a first time period; calculating a second total units of service potentially available from the provider for a proposed second time period using a projection based in part on a model of consumer demand for the units of service; determining a third total units of service that are unavailable during the second time period based on at least one known or projected unavailability; and calculating a capacity based on the third total units of service and the second total units of service, the capacity being a capacity for a proposed promotion representing a maximum total of instruments to be offered in the proposed promotion by the provider.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for programming an advertising configuration engine. In one embodiment, a method includes creating an advertising campaign for a client, the campaign advertising with one or more media services, the campaign based on a set of configuration parameters received from the client, updating client metadata with one or more social networks, and one or more directories, and promoting the client by allocating media resources to one or more of the media services.

Abstract: The field of the invention relates to systems and methods for operation of an electronic marketing program service, and more particularly to systems and methods that provide an online user interface, a marketing language, and a marketing engine for multi-channel, multi-touch marketing campaigns. In an embodiment, the system includes an electronic marketing server system coupled to a public network and accessible to one or more users. The marketing server system includes a database that stores contact data associated with a plurality of marketing contacts, and marketing campaign data. The system is configured to provide a common user interface for designing and creating a multi-channel, multi-touch marketing campaign, and providing a Marketing Application Markup Language to a marketing engine for execution.

Abstract: A software application running on a mobile electronic computing device includes receiving and storing contact information for a plurality of business contacts. Editable call scripts and editable email templates are displayed. One or more edited or new call scripts or one or more edited or new email templates are sent to a third party. Communications are initiated to one or more of the business contacts using one or more editable, edited or new call scripts or one or more editable, edited or new email templates. A record of the communications is sent to a server computer.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer-readable storage mediums encoded with computer programs executed by one or more processors for providing social media branding are disclosed. A brand strategy construct including a markup tag, a destination platform, a media-type, and a media filter associated with the media-type is received. Posts to a social media platform (SMP) are monitored for media of the media-type associated with the markup tag. Media is extracted from the SMP upon a detection of media of the media-type associated with the markup tag in a post to the SMP. The media filter is applied to the extracted media to generate branded media. The branded media is provided to the destination platform.

Abstract: A consumer experience modeling system and method includes input of an analysis of a consumer experience into a brand analysis. Consumer analysis includes data from one or more consumer experiences with a consumer environment. Brand analysis includes the input of data from the consumer analysis, and a system and method of modeling the consumer environment. The consumer experience modeling system and method allows an operator to interact with a virtual consumer environment, the key zones of the environment, and the markers therein. The operator can modify the existing markers in the virtual consumer environment, and can create and place new markers therein. The markers can be selected, edited, manufactured, and distributed to an operator's retail consumer environment. Upon receipt of the markers, an operator can access the system to properly implement the markers in the consumer environment. The system interfaces with complimentary marker ordering, printing, and product development software.

Abstract: A method for producing approved content units for an application. The method can include receiving a new content unit from a content provider, approving the new content unit and forming a list of approved content units, wherein the list of approved content units includes at least the new content unit, and wherein each approved content unit for the application can be integrated within the application during real-time use. In addition, the method can include receiving a request from a client library of the application for the list of approved content units for placement within the application during real-time use, and transmitting to the client library a list of approved content units and, for each of the approved content units, associated data for placement within the application.

Abstract: Systems and methods for presenting dynamic offers to a computer user are presented. In one embodiment, in response to a request for content, one or more items in the content are identified. For each of the items, a determination is made as to whether to offer a dynamic offer for the item is made. For those items where it is determined to make a dynamic offer, the dynamic offer is incorporated into the content. The content is then presented to the computer user. Alternative, a component on the user computer identifies one or more items in content to be displayed to the computer user. The user computer then obtains dynamic offers corresponding to at least some of the identified items and incorporates the dynamic offers into the displayed content.

Abstract: The most preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise a system and a method for managing and implementing customer/client retention-related communication activities with a high degree of flexibility and customization, making the present invention particularly well-suited for use in disparate business environments, as well as government and non-profit environments. Deployed over the Internet, the present invention provides a mechanism for multi-tiered organizations to control and manage the types of communications used by company personnel for customer contact, including marketing and similar campaigns for cross-selling, as well as customer loyalty and retention purposes.

Abstract: A method of automatically visualizing the content and messaging of documents in a marketing campaign design environment are provided. The exemplary method includes receiving an identification of a specified Touchpoint of the plurality of Touchpoints in a campaign; instantiating the specified Touchpoint and its elements into a knowledge model; executing semantic inferencing engine to determine inferences based on the plurality of Touchpoints instantiated into the knowledge model; transforming inferences into implicit requirements about the contents for each of the Touchpoints; displaying a representation of the specified Touchpoint; and including within the representation of the specified Touchpoint the Touchpoint contents as described by the explicit and implicit requirements.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes accessing an information graph that contains nodes and edges connecting the nodes. The nodes in the graph represent concepts related to at least one vertical. The method further includes associating a first node in the graph with a second node in the graph based on a relationship between the meaning of the concept represented by the first node and the meaning of the concept represented by the second node. A portion of the graph corresponds to an advertiser's product catalog. The method may further include accessing an ad library that contains elements for an advertisement. The method may further include selecting at least one of the elements based on the portion of the graph corresponding to the portion of the product catalog of the advertiser. The method may further include generating an advertisement for display based on the selected elements.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to selectively present communication references based on recommendations from related entities to connect people for real time communications. One embodiment includes: receiving from a user a selection of a first listing, including a reference to be used to request a connection for real time communications between the user and a first entity; responsive to the selection of the first listing, determining one or more entities related to the first listing; selecting a second listing based at least in part on data representing one or more recommendations from the one or more entities; and presenting to the user the second listing, the including a reference for the user to request a connection with a second entity for real time communications. In one embodiment, the first and second entities provide services over connections established via the references included in the first and second listings for real time communications.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creating expanded targeted search advertising campaigns in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment, a campaign expansion device includes a processor and a campaign expansion application, wherein the campaign expansion application configures the processor to obtain a live advertising campaign, where the live advertising campaign includes a plurality of keywords and match types associated with the keywords, determine at least one centroid cluster including a portion of the plurality of keywords, identify at least one target centroid cluster in the at least one centroid cluster, modify at least one match type associated with at least keyword, and generate an expanded advertising campaign, where the extended advertising campaign includes the unmodified portion of the plurality of keywords and match types associated with the keywords from the live advertising campaign and the modified keywords and associated match types.

Abstract: Campaign creation systems and methods for building semantic model based targeted search advertising campaigns in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a method of automatically generating adgroups includes obtaining source data describing a plurality of landing pages, obtaining a list of initial keywords, building a semantic model based on the source data and the initial list of keywords, mapping keywords to relevant offers based on the semantic model, automatically generating one or more anticipated creatives, automatically generating at least one anticipated creative based upon the attributes of at least one relevant offer, automatically generating adgroups using at least one of the one or more anticipated creatives, including at least one anticipated creative based upon the attributes of at least one relevant offer in the adgroup associated with the relevant offer, and deploying the adgroups to a search engine provider.

Abstract: An application displaying primary content, such as a webpage, may include unused space. The unused space may exist within the application displaying the primary content (e.g., within the browser window), or on other portions of the display (e.g., outside of the browser window). The unused space is identified and leveraged to display secondary content on the client display along with the primary content. The secondary content may be adaptable to conform to different sizes and/or configurations of the unused space. The secondary content may be updated as the user interacts with elements on the client display.

Abstract: Transaction data is processed by first determining transactions in a database that are associated with a respective event that indicates a classification of interest and that share at least one common point of purchase (CPP) identifier across two or more of the determined transactions associated with the classification of interest. A set of the transactions in the database are determined, based on the CPP identifiers for transactions from as time period prior to a start time of the event and accounts associated with the event. Times of occurrence for the transactions in the set are determined, based on the CPP, and a score is generated for the received transaction for any transactions associated with at least one of the respective events and sharing at least one common CPP.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are provided for optimizing distribution of advertisement information. In one example, call tracking data may be generated from a plurality of telephone calls made to a business entity, where the call tracking data includes geographical information to identify locations from which the plurality of telephone calls originated. A call distribution may be determined from the call tracking data, where the call distribution groups the call tracking data based at least in part on distances between the business entity and the locations from which the plurality of telephone calls originated.

Abstract: A method of automated negotiation is provided. The method is implemented using at least one computer, and includes receiving, from a seller, an ask price for an item and a accept price for the item. The method also includes storing the ask price for the item and the accept price for the item in a memory element provided by the at least one computer. The method also includes providing the ask price for the item to a buyer and receiving, from the buyer, an offer price and a max price. The method also includes storing the offer price for the item and the max price for the item in the memory element. The method also includes calculating a final transaction price using the at least one computer and assessing a penalty to the buyer based at least on the offer price.

Abstract: In the disclosed embodiments, a method for automatically generating a digital advertisement includes receiving a source uniform resource locator (URL) and retrieving a document associated with the source URL. The method also includes processing the document associated with the source URL to derive at least a length of text associated with the document. The method also includes automatically generating a digital advertisement from at least the length of text.

Abstract: A system and method for inserting an advertisement for a document to be faxed. In this embodiment, a processor may be configured to determine a category associated with content in a document being faxed. The processor may select at least one advertisement that is related to the associated category. A determination may be made for a location within the document being communicated for one or more advertisements to be positioned. The processor may be further configured to place one or more selected advertisement into the determined location in the document being communicated.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for generating advertisements for an advertiser based upon style information contained in the advertiser's web pages. An ad generation system is used to analyze and extract style information from the advertiser's web pages. The style information can then be incorporated into an advertisement template to generate the advertisement for the advertiser.

Abstract: Dynamic website Campaign builder software for enabling merchandising via the Internet. The Campaign builder software has an application programming interface for display on programming computing devices with display screens to permit building a Campaign. Plural Campaign templates are retained in electronic memory, and an insertion mechanism, such as a Destination Script or an iFrame, permits insertion of assets into the Campaign template to create Campaigns. A saving mechanism permits selective saving of Campaigns, and a publishing mechanism permits selective publication of Campaigns, including with fixed width and responsive design templates. A recipient user interface is operative on recipient computing devices with display screens to permit viewing and usage of published Campaigns. Campaigns are saved to content delivery network (CDN) Media Cloud Server storage for rapid CDN publishing.

Abstract: A method and system comprise communicating with a computer system configured to host marketing media from at least one producer and marketing expert. Marketing media is received for a product to be viewed by a consumer. The marketing media comprises a solicitation for an advertising contest. At least one consumer media is produced by the consumer in response to the solicitation. The system stores the consumer media in a first database for approval by the producer and marketing expert. An approval of the consumer media is received for further approval by the consumer for public viewing. The approval by the consumer for public viewing is transferred to the system. The approved consumer media is stored in a second database viewable and searchable by the public. Viewing of the consumer media at least in part determines an outcome of the advertising contest.

Abstract: According to one aspect, a post-payment gift card system in which the benefactor pays the value of the gift card at the time that the recipient redeems the gift card with the merchant. In some cases, the benefactor may create a gift card campaign using a gift card system. In some cases, the gift card system may include a user account. The user account may include attributes such as user identification information, user contact information, one or more user payment methods, payment method information, a user account good status indicator, and a user account trust indicator.

Abstract: A user creates an advertising campaign by selecting categories and building communications associated with the requisite categories selected. Each user places a bid amount on each category and when the requisite category is selected, the communications associated with the highest bid amounts are sent to recipients, typically over e-mail and/or web channels. The communications typically include text and a link, that includes the uniform resource locator (URL) of a targeted web sire associated with the user, such that when the recipient user activates the link, the browser of the recipient is directed to the targeted web site of the user.

Abstract: Techniques for injecting synthetic electronic advertisements into a production electronic advertisement system to test the effectiveness of new categories of electronic advertisement are provided. Synthetic advertisement content may be provided to real users of the production system in order to determine the effectiveness of new electronic advertisements and/or new categories of electronic advertisements. The synthetic advertisements content appears to users to be regular production advertisement that may include navigational element such as a hypertext link and associated text and/or graphics to be displayed in the electronic interface. Statistics regarding the effectiveness of the new electronic advertisements and/or new categories are gathered and may be used to determine which new electronic advertisements and/or new categories of electronic advertisements are effective enough to include in the production system.

Abstract: An advertisement interface receives an input identifying an object maintained by or otherwise accessible to a social networking system. A type associated with the object identified by the input is determined and one or more goals associated with the type are presented. Based on selection of a goal, one or more options are presented, where at least one of the presented options is associated with the selected goal. Hence, goals specific to a type of object may be presented and options specific to a selected goal are presented to increase advertisement effectiveness. Based on the selected options, an advertisement is created and displayed to other users of the social networking system.

Abstract: A system and related method are disclosed for a platform that allows merchants to register, and enter their data, at which point the system generates sales, vouchers, or similar items automatically or using merchant input. Publication, by web or mobile app, can be controlled with parameters including geographic limitations, and published by divisions and employees under security authorizations. According to some embodiments, customers may pay a deposit for a redeemable version, refundable upon redemption.

Abstract: Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for programmatically generating and/or revising deal offers for a merchant based on one or more merchant self-service indicators. In providing such functionality, the system can be configured to, for example, facilitate registration and verification of merchant identities, monitor and analyze various deal offers for merchants with similar merchant self-service indicators, that enable the system to determine the relative successfulness of a deal offer for a merchant and/or category of merchant. In some embodiments, the system may be further configured to revise the deal offer programmatically and/or upon receiving the merchant's approval of the programmatically generated proposed edits to the deal offer.

Abstract: Embodiments employ knowledge from network searches to enrich features useable to describe an advertisement. Advertisement content may be segmented to generate key phrases that are rank ordered based on a phrase's pointwise mutual information value with Ad keywords and term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) scores. These key phrases are employed to generate a plurality of query searches that are performed to generate a plurality of search result snippets. The snippets are then analyzed and ranked to identify query expansion features having a TF-IDF value over a given threshold. A subset of these ranked phrases are combined with the Ad keywords to be used to rebuild an Ad index for the given advertisement. When content is to be delivered to a client device, content keywords are compared to the Ad index to select an advertisement to be provided with the content to the client device.

Abstract: A digital brand asset system is provided enabling a brand owner to create, distribute, maintain, manage, merchandise and analyze smart brand assets. The system enables distribution and sharing of smart brand assets across the websites. The websites can host webpages containing codes representing the smart brand assets. The brand owners specify brand guidelines that determine how the smart brand assets are presented based on the environment in which the smart brand assets are placed. Smart brand assets contain unique identifications so that a search engine crawler can index the web pages containing the content of the smart brand assets. By monitoring the website servers and visitors interacting with the smart brand assets, a report can be generated for the brand owners to determine the effectiveness of the smart brand assets hosted on the website servers.

Abstract: The disclosed subject matter is a method and system for marketing a client's product for an alternative purpose. The information about the alternative purpose of the product is collected and input into an automated system. The method and system then informs third parties about the client's product along with suggested alternative uses.

Abstract: There is provided a media content server for inserting a location-based advertisement into an online media content. The media content server comprises a memory including an online media content for online access; a processor configured to receive a request from a client for the online media content; determine an IP address of the client based on the request; map the IP address to a local advertisement server serving an area corresponding to the IP address; request a local advertisement from the local advertisement server; provide the local advertisement to the client; and provide the online media content from the memory to the client. The online media content has a first and second sequential segments, and the local advertisement may be provided to the client after the first segment is provided and before the second segment is provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is an approach for implementing a system, method, and computer program product for performing social marketing using a cloud-based system. The approach is capable of accessing data across multiple types of internet-based sources of social data and commentary and to perform analysis upon that data. A social marketing campaign can then be generated and implemented in an integrated manner using the system. This permits realtime reaction to trends, with rapid ability to react to opportunities in the marketplace.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to generating interactive advertising web pages. A method includes entering information for advertising multiple products or services. Advertisement characteristics are selected. One or more of the advertisement characteristics are manipulated using a user interface. The advertisement information and characteristics are transmitted. One or more interactive advertisement web pages are generated based on the received advertisement information and characteristics.

Abstract: A deal creation system and method are disclosed. In one embodiment, the deal creation system can provide deal and package configuration, management, and promotion features such that deal creators and package creators can configure a deal package containing multiple deals from different vendors. In some embodiments, the deal creation system allows a deal creator to designate a deal as a standalone deal to be presented to consumers individually with the retail value and discount amount visible to the consumer or as a deal that can be included in a deal package when presented to consumers. In some applications, the deal promotion system can maintain the remaining deal count for a given deal across multiple deal packages provided by the same or different entities. Some instances of the deal promotion system can manage conflicting blackout dates and deal restrictions for different deals from different vendors packaged in a single deal package.

Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to receive input of a photograph to which an advertisement will be applied and receive selection of an item within the photograph. The processor is further configured to present a plurality of input fields relating to characteristics of the item and receive input in one or more of the fields. Also, the processor is configured to receive at least one database record corresponding to received input. The processor is additionally configured to present the at least one database record to a content creator for selection. The processor is also configured to receive selection of at least one database record and store the selected at least one database record with respect to the photograph, including at least identification of a content provider where the photograph will be displayed.

Abstract: Image-based features may be significantly correlated with click-through rates of images that depict a product, which may provide a more formal basis for the informal notion that good quality images will result in better click-through rates, as compared to poor quality images. Accordingly, an image assessment machine is configured to analyze image-based features to improve click-through rates for shopping search applications (e.g., a product search engine). Moreover, the image assessment machine may rank search results based on image quality factors and may notify sellers about low quality images. This may have the effect of improving the brand value for an online shopping website and accordingly have a positive long-term impact on the online shopping website.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media processor having a controller to receive from a media communication system metadata describing one or more marketable items depicted in a media program supplied by the media communication system, present images of the media program at a media presentation device without highlighting the one or more marketable items, present an icon at least at one of a remote controller managing operations of the media processor or the media presentation device to indicate a presence of the one or more marketable items in one or more of the images presented at the media presentation device, detect a selection of the icon, and highlight the one or more marketable items. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: Network-based advertising systems and methods for providing dynamic advertising information are provided. The system may include an advertising campaign management server configured, in an advertising campaign input phase, to serve an advertising client graphical user interface via an advertiser client. The interface may include a static advertising data input tool configured to receive static advertising data including advertisement text and a static advertisement link. The interface may further include a dynamic advertising data input tool configured to receive a dynamic data link to dynamic advertising data stored in an advertiser data source. The advertising campaign management server is configured to store the static advertising data and the dynamic data link in an associated advertisement data store for later retrieval by an advertising delivery server during an advertising delivery phase.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for dynamically adjusting advertisement (“ad”) time for a multicast channel. In one embodiment, a variable ad insertion function operates to receive one or more multicasts of media content from a core distribution network, insert ad timeslots into the media content, and optionally perform late-binding of ads to the ad timeslots. The media content including the inserted ad timeslots and late-binded ads, if any, is then multicast to associated client devices over a feeder network using corresponding multicast channels. For each multicast channel, insertion of ad timeslots into the associated media content is dynamically controlled based on the number of users currently consuming or predicted to consume the multicast channel, the number of client devices receiving or predicted to receive the multicast channel, or both.

Abstract: An apparatus and method use client information to automatically select products appropriate for the client. According to one aspect of the invention, client information, information about the products, ancillary data, and decision criteria pertaining to selection from among the products are stored in a storage device Decision-making logic circuitry use the stored data to select the products. An output device prepares a client communication identifying the selected products and incorporates a portion of the client information and a portion of the product information into the client communication.

Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, and computer-program product provide the ability to create a promo. Media items to be used in a promo are obtained. A low-res proxy version of the media items is created and provided, across a network, to an editing application. A promo is edited based on the proxy version and is represented by an EDL. The EDL is transmitted to an approving user. The EDL is then used to dynamically provide the promo to the user using the low-res proxy version of the media items. Input regarding the promo is received from the approving user. Once approved, the EDL is provided to a non-linear high-fidelity editing bay to create a hi-res version of the promo based on the EDL.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for various embodiments of an automated campaign generation tool for creating content given one or more sources of data. The campaign generation tool may provide an interface to guide a user through a series of steps by which an automated content generation task is specified and created, such that when the automated content generation task is executed, one or more content objects may be generated in order to be provide to a search engine. By automating the content generation, a user may be able to manage a large and frequently updated source of data.

Abstract: System and methods for processing in-stream transactions on micro-blogs and other social networks (“in-stream transaction processing system”) facilitates transactions via comments, posts or messages on social networks. The in-stream transaction processing system converts social channels used for conversation into channels through which users can engage in commerce, fundraising or other non-financial activities. In an embodiment, the in-stream transaction processing system monitors user messages on a social network to determine whether a user message includes an action command and a campaign identifier. The in-stream transaction processing system identifies the user message having the action command and the campaign identifier as a request to process a transaction and processes the transaction accordingly. Since the users do not have to use shopping carts and checkouts, the in-stream transaction processing system provides a simple and frictionless method of conducting online transactions.

Abstract: A search engine, system and method for locating and rating a plurality of electronic mentions of respective ones of a plurality of brands.

Abstract: An image store including images from photo agencies is established by an image management system. Marketers interact with the image management system to review images in the image store and tag objects shown in the images. The object tags identify and provide information about the objects shown in the images. The marketers define campaigns having payment conditions indicating types of engagement with the images that trigger payments by the marketers. Publishers interact with the image management system to select images and publish the selected images to clients used by consumers. The publishers also provide the consumers with tag modules that execute on the clients to display the information about the objects shown in the published images. Consumer interactions with the displayed information are reported to the image management system, and the system accounts for payments by the marketers if the payment conditions are satisfied.

Abstract: A method for adding a tag to a message deliverable to a communication device includes monitoring communications to the device to identify a communication with which a tag can be associated. For identified communications with which a tag can be associated, the method includes analyzing at least one of data about the content of the communication, profile data about at least one of the recipient or sender of the communication, data about a commercial relationship between an operator managing communications to the device and an Internet service provider of tags, and data about popularity of an internet site, and selecting a tag to associate with the communication based on the data analysis.

Abstract: A responsive advertising system is described herein that provides an advertising solution for responsive, multi-screen website design. The system allows an advertisement to change based on events, actions of the user, or other criteria that the advertiser specifies, such that the actual content of the advertisement evolves in a kind of story line. If a user first accesses a website with an embedded advertisement on the user's desktop computer, the user may see a first version of the advertisement. If the user accesses the site again from the user's smartphone or other mobile device, then the system can serve a different version of the advertisement. Thus, the system provides an advertisement authoring and serving platform that allows for the creation of a new type of highly responsive advertisement that changes over time and across devices to tell a cohesive story and does so in a unified advertising unit format.