System and method of marketing using a multi-media communication system

Abstract

A system method of advertising using a multi-media application system is disclosed. The multi-media application relates to the delivery of multi-media messages using animated entities that audibly deliver messages created by a sender using text-to-speech technologies. The method provides targeted advertising based on information learned about both the sender of a multi-media message and the recipient of the multi-media message. The information may relate to an analysis of a text message created by the sender, emoticons chosen by the sender and inserted into the text of the message, the choice by the sender of an animated entity, or other parameters such as background music chosen for which template is chosen by the sender. Advertising messages may be delivered before the recipient receives the multi-media message, during the reception by the recipient of the multi-media message or following the reception of the multi-media message. A decision regarding whether to include an advertising message may be based on a text analysis or an analysis of the emoticons or other tags inserted into the text by the sender. Further, animated entities such as professionally designed face models, templates, additional emoticons, animation or sound effects may also be purchased by the sender for a limited number of multi-media messages, for limited amount of time or longer for use in creating multi-media messages. The system comprises a server to handle the reception and processing of sender multi-media messages and client software for both creating multi-media messages and receiving multi-media messages.

1 . A method of presenting an advertising message associated with a multi-media message, the multi-media message being prepared by a sender and delivered by an animated entity, the method using a plurality of stored advertising messages from which to choose an advertising message to display, the method comprising: 
 gathering information regarding a sender's previous multi-media messages, if any;    choosing an advertising message from the plurality of stored advertising messages based on the gathered information; and    displaying the chosen advertising message.    
     
     
         2 . The method of presenting an advertising message associated with a multi-media message of  claim 1 , wherein gathering information regarding the sender's previous multi-media messages further comprises determining to whom previous multi-media messages were sent.  
     
     
         3 . The method of presenting an advertising message associated with a multi-media message of  claim 1 , wherein the advertising message is delivered prior to the reception of the multi-media message by the recipient.  
     
     
         4 . The method of presenting an advertising message associated with a multi-media message of  claim 1 , wherein the advertising message is delivered following the reception of the multi-media message by the recipient.  
     
     
         5 . A method of presenting an advertising message associated with a multi-media message, the multi-media message being prepared by a sender using text and delivered audibly by an animated entity, the method using a plurality of stored advertising messages from which to choose an advertising message to display, the method comprising: 
 performing a text analysis of the text written by the sender;    choosing an advertising message from the plurality of stored advertising messages according to the text analysis; and    displaying the chosen advertising message.    
     
     
         6 . The method of presenting an advertising message of  claim 5 , further comprising: 
 analyzing emoticons inserted into the text written by the sender; and    choosing the advertising message according to the text analysis and the emoticons analysis.    
     
     
         7 . The method of presenting an advertising message of  claim 6 , further comprising: 
 analyzing the animated entity chosen by the sender for delivering the multi-media message; and    choosing the advertising message according to the text analysis, the emoticons analysis and the analysis of the chosen animated entity.    
     
     
         8 . A method of presenting an advertising message associated with a multi-media message, the multi-media message being prepared by a sender using text and sender-inserted emoticons in the text, and delivered audibly by an animated entity, the method using a plurality of stored advertising messages from which to choose an advertising message to display, the method comprising: 
 performing an emoticon analysis of the emoticons inserted by the sender;    choosing an advertising message from the plurality of stored advertising messages according to the emoticon analysis; and    displaying the chosen advertising message.    
     
     
         9 . The method of presenting an advertising message of  claim 8 , wherein performing the emoticon analysis further comprises providing a score of each available emoticon and determining a value associated with all the emoticons in the sender text, wherein the chosen advertising message is based on the value.  
     
     
         10 . A method of presenting at least one advertising message associated with a multi-media message, the multi-media message being prepared by a sender using text and sender-inserted icons into the text, and the multi-media message being delivered audibly by an animated entity, the method using a plurality of stored advertising messages from which to choose at least one advertising message to display, the method comprising: 
 performing an icon analysis of the icons inserted by the sender;    choosing at least one advertising message from the plurality of stored advertising messages according to the icon analysis, wherein different advertising messages are chosen for a single multi-media message according to locations of icons within the sender text; and    displaying each of the chosen at least one advertising message to the recipient of the multi-media message at a time associated with individual icons within the message text.    
     
     
         11 . The method of presenting at least one advertising message of  claim 10 , wherein choosing at least one advertising message from the plurality of stored advertising messages further comprises using text analysis of the sender text.  
     
     
         12 . A method of determining whether to advertise to a recipient in a multi-media message, the multi-media message being prepared by a sender using text and sender-inserted icons into the text, and delivered audibly by an animated entity, the method using a plurality of stored advertising messages from which to choose an advertising message to display to the recipient, the method comprising: 
 performing an icon analysis of the icons inserted by the sender;    determining based on the icon analysis whether to advertise in the multi-media message; and    if in the determining step the decision is to advertise, displaying the chosen advertising message to the recipient of the multi-media message.    
     
     
         13 . The method of determining whether to advertise to a recipient in a multi-media message of  claim 12 , wherein the step of determining based on the icon analysis whether to advertise in multi-media message further comprises determining whether icons in the sender text had a negative or positive connotation.  
     
     
         14 . The method of determining whether to advertise to a recipient in a multi-media message of  claim 12 , further comprising: 
 performing a text analysis of the sender text; and    choosing an advertising message based on the text analysis.    
     
     
         15 . A method of presenting at least one advertising message to a recipient in a multi-media message, the multi-media message being prepared by a sender using text, sender-inserted icons into the text, and the multi-media message being delivered audibly by an animated entity, the method using a plurality of stored advertising messages from which to choose at least one advertising message to display, the method comprising: 
 gathering information associated with the recipient;    choosing at least one advertising message from the plurality of stored advertising messages according to the information gathered associated with the recipient; and    displaying each of the chosen at least one advertising messages to the recipient.    
     
     
         16 . The method of presenting at least one advertising message in a multi-media message of  claim 15 , wherein choosing at least one advertising message from the plurality of stored advertising messages further comprises choosing the at least one advertising message further according to the animated entity chosen by the sender.  
     
     
         17 . The method of presenting at least one advertising message in a multi-media message of  claim 16 , wherein choosing at least one advertising message from the plurality of stored advertising messages further comprises choosing the at least one advertising message further according to the text written by the sender.  
     
     
         18 . A method of advertising in a multi-media message, the multi-media message being created by a sender for a recipient, the multi-media message being delivered by an animated entity, the method comprising: 
 receiving the multi-media message from the sender; and    while streaming the multi-media message to the recipient, and before a streaming client has a buffer filled to a predetermined level, delivering an advertisement to the recipient.    
     
     
         19 . The method of advertising of  claim 18 , wherein the advertisement delivered to the recipient is delivered by the animated entity.  
     
     
         20 . A method of advertising associated with a multi-media message, the multi-media message being created by a sender for a recipient, the multi-media message being delivered by an animated entity, the method comprising: 
 receiving the multi-media message from the sender;    delivering the multi-media message to the recipient; and    after the recipient has received the multi-media message, delivering an advertisement to the recipient.    
     
     
         21 . The method of advertising of  claim 20 , wherein the animated entity delivers the advertisement to the recipient.  
     
     
         22 . A method of enabling a sender to create a multi-media message associated with an event, the method comprising: 
 presenting the sender with an option to select a multi-media message creation template, the creation template having animated entities and other features associated with the event;    upon the sender selecting the option to use the creation template: 
 receiving the sender selection of other features;  
 receiving the sender message; and  
 delivering the multi-media message to a recipient.  
   
     
     
         23 . The method of enabling a sender to create a multi-media message associated with an event of  claim 22 , wherein the particular event it a movie.  
     
     
         24 . The method of enabling a sender to create a multi-media message associated with an event of  claim 22 , wherein the particular event it a sporting event.  
     
     
         25 . The method of enabling a sender to create a multi-media message associated with an event of  claim 22 , wherein the other features associated with the event include music.  
     
     
         26 . The method of enabling a sender to create a multi-media message associated with an event of  claim 25 , wherein the other features associated with the event include background images.  
     
     
         27 . The method of enabling a sender to create a multi-media message associated with an event of  claim 25 , wherein the other features associated with the event include background video clips.  
     
     
         28 . A method of enabling a sender to create a multi-media message associated with an event, the method comprising: 
 presenting the sender with an option to select a multi-media message creation template;    upon the sender selecting the multi-media message creation template, presenting a group of selectable animated entities associated with the event and a group of selectable audio and video features associated with the event, the message creation template including a group of emoticons associated with the animated entities;    receiving the sender selection of at least one animated entity, if any, and the sender selection of emoticons within a sender message, if any;    receiving the sender selection of audio and video features, if any; and    delivering the multi-media message to a recipient.    
     
     
         29 . A method of enabling a sender to create a multi-media message associated with an event, the method comprising: 
 presenting the sender with a multi-media message creation template, the message template including a group of selectable animated entities each associated with the event, the message creation template further comprising selectable audio and video effects each associated with the event, the message creation template including a group of emoticons associated with the selectable animated entities;    receiving the sender selection of at least one animated entity, if any, and the sender selection of emoticons within a sender message, if any;    receiving the sender selection of audio and video features, if any; and    delivering the multi-media message to a recipient.    
     
     
         30 . A method of presenting bulk advertisements using multi-media messages, the method comprising: 
 creating text and animation for an advertisement for a plurality of recipients;    inserting a name for each recipient into the advertisement to create a plurality of personalized advertisements associated with the plurality of recipients; and    transmitting each personalized advertisement to its associated recipient.