Media marketing system and method

Abstract

A system and process is provided for distributing branding and content messages to wireless mobile devices such as mobile handsets. The system has a mobile media portal process that enables a content owner and one or more sponsors to cooperate in negotiating, planning, and executing a branding or content campaign. For a campaign, a set of consumers has indicated a desire to receive particular content information on their mobile handset, and may have used a web interface or their phone to provide demographic information and content choices. A media center interface, either automatically or under human control, associates a particular marketing message from a sponsor with the content information, and distributes the marketing message and information to the user's handset. Since the marketing message has been selected and adapted to the demographics and preferences of the user, it is likely that the user will positively respond to receiving the marketing message.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A media control process comprising:
 retrieving, by a computer, an advertisement from a set of advertisements based on a request for media content received by the computer via a network, the advertisement having a target audience defined according to one or more demographic characteristics and according to one or more preferences that match the media content associated with the request;   selecting, by the computer, a distribution list of selected consumers from a set of available consumers according to consumer information associated with each of the consumers in the set of available consumers, each of the selected consumers in the distribution list being associated with a mobile device, each of the mobile devices having a device capability defining a display resolution;   receiving, by the computer from a content provider via a network, the media content associated with the request;   generating, by the computer, a distribution message for transmission to each mobile device associated with the selected consumers in the distribution list, the distribution message comprising at least part of the media content and the advertisement;   formatting by a transmission system a distribution message according to the device capability for each mobile device associated with the selected consumers in the distribution list;   receiving, by a matching system associated with the computer, a cost basis for the distribution message based on an agreement between a provider of the media content and a sponsor of the media content;   verifying, by the transmission system, that the distribution message has been received by a mobile device associated with at least one consumer; and   determining, by the computer based on each verified receipt of the distribution message, a revenue share of the cost basis to the provider of the media content.   
     
     
         2 . The method in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein determining the revenue share of the cost basis further includes determining a revenue share of the cost basis to any third party application that assisted in providing the content. 
     
     
         3 . The method in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the revenue share of the cost basis is based at least in part on the agreement between the provider of the media content and the sponsor of the media content. 
     
     
         4 . The method in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the display resolution defined by the device capability is associated with displaying video content associated with the media content. 
     
     
         5 . The method in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein the media content includes video content, and wherein the formatting includes formatting the video content associated with the media content in the distribution message according to the display resolution of each mobile device. 
     
     
         6 . The method in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the consumer information is derived in part from carrier data associated with the mobile device of each consumer. 
     
     
         7 . The method in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein the carrier data includes information from entities that manage mobile messaging for the mobile device of each consumer. 
     
     
         8 . A media control process comprising:
 retrieving, by a computer, an advertisement from a database based on a request for media content received by the computer via a network, the advertisement having a target audience defined according to one or more demographic characteristics and according to one or more preferences that match the media content associated with the request;   generating, by the computer, a distribution list for a distribution message, the distribution message comprising at least part of the media content and the advertisement, the distribution list comprising a portion of available consumers, each of the selected consumers in the distribution list being associated with a mobile device, each of the mobile devices having a device capability defining a display resolution for displaying video content associated with the media content;   receiving, by the computer from a content provider via a network, media content associated with the request;   generating, by the computer, a distribution message for transmission to each mobile device associated with the selected consumers in the distribution list;   formatting by a transmission system a distribution message according to the device capability for each mobile device associated with the selected consumers in the distribution list, the formatting including formatting video content associated with the media content in the distribution message according to the display resolution of each mobile device;   receiving, by a matching system associated with the computer, a cost basis for the distribution message based on an agreement from a provider of the media content and a sponsor of the media content;   verifying, by the transmission system, that the distribution message has been received by a mobile device associated with at least one consumer; and   determining, by the computer based on each verified receipt of the distribution message, a revenue share of the cost basis to the provider of the media content.   
     
     
         9 . The method in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein determining the revenue share of the cost basis further includes determining a revenue share of the cost basis to any third party application that assisted in providing the content. 
     
     
         10 . The method in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein the revenue share of the cost basis is based at least in part on the agreement between the provider of the media content and the sponsor of the media content. 
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by a matching system associated with a computer, an agreement from a provider of media content and a sponsor of the media content on a cost basis for a distribution message that includes the media content, the computer formatting the distribution message for transmission to one or more mobile devices over a mobile communications network;   verifying, by a transmission system coupled with the computer, that the distribution message has been received by a mobile device associated with at least one consumer; and   determining, by the computer upon verification by the transmission system that the message has been received, a revenue share for the provider of the media content according to the cost basis.   
     
     
         12 . The method in accordance with  claim 11 , wherein the cost basis includes a plurality of tiers, each tier of the plurality of tiers of the cost basis being based on an action by the at least one consumer associated with the distribution message received by the mobile device, the action being represented in a signal transmitted to the computer from the mobile device. 
     
     
         13 . The method in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein the action by the at least one consumer includes at least one of, via the mobile communications network: the at least one consumer clicking on a link to the media content; the at least one consumer redeeming an electronic coupon associated with the media content; the at least one consumer making an online purchase of a good or service via the mobile device; the at least one consumer placing a call using the mobile device; or the at least one consumer sending a message via the mobile device. 
     
     
         14 . The method in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein the action by the at least one consumer includes receiving, by the computer, an indication the at least one consumer responded to the distribution message with a text message from the mobile device. 
     
     
         15 . The method in accordance with  claim 11 , further comprising:
 measuring, by the computer, a response by the at least one consumer to the receipt of the distribution message; and   wherein the determining of the revenue share is based at least in part on the response by the at least one consumer.   
     
     
         16 . The method in accordance with  claim 15 , wherein the response includes an electronic representation of an action by the at least one consumer with the distribution message received by the mobile device, the action being represented in a signal transmitted to the computer from the mobile device. 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising
 generating, by a computer, a distribution message for transmission to one or more mobile devices associated with each of one or more consumers in a distribution list, the distribution message comprising media content provided by a provider of the media content, and an advertisement provided by a sponsor of the media content;   formatting, by a transmission system associated with the computer, the distribution message according to a device capability for each mobile device associated with the one or more consumers in the distribution list, the formatting including formatting video associated with the media content in the distribution message according to a display resolution of each mobile device;   receiving, by a matching system associated with the computer, a cost basis for the distribution message based on an agreement between a provider of the media content and a sponsor of the media content;   verifying, by the transmission system, that the distribution message has been received by a mobile device associated with at least one of the one or more consumers of the distribution list; and   determining, by the computer based on each verified receipt of the distribution message, a revenue share to the provider of the media content in accordance with a revenue sharing model.   
     
     
         18 . The method in accordance with  claim 17 , wherein the verifying is derived at least in part by an action by the at least one consumer with the distribution message received by the mobile device, the action being represented in a signal transmitted to the computer from the mobile device. 
     
     
         19 . The method in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein the action by the at least one consumer includes at least one of, via the mobile communications network: the at least one consumer clicking on a link to the media content; the at least one consumer redeeming an electronic coupon associated with the media content; the at least one consumer making an online purchase of a good or service via the mobile device; the at least one consumer placing a call using the mobile device; or the at least one consumer sending a message via the mobile device. 
     
     
         20 . The method in accordance with  claim 19 , wherein the cost basis includes a plurality of tiers, each tier of the plurality of tiers of the cost basis being based on the action by the at least one consumer with the distribution message received by the mobile device.