JP2002055901A - Request distributing method for electronic mail advertisement - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for e-mailing only advertisement information that a user demands at his/her request. SOLUTION: On an advertisement medium, a keyword or key number is displayed and electronic mail including a keyword or key number is received by an E-mail database server from a user having viewed an advertisement. Various data of an article catalog and specific send data on the address of a homepage where articles are displayed and the addresses of link destinations, and a site of electronic commerce are sent to the mail address of the end user by referring to a correspondence table of keywords or key numbers and send data previously stored on a database provided on or connected to the E-mail database server.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile telephone (mobile telephone, car telephone, PH
S) A method of distributing an e-mail advertisement by using an e-mail transmitting / receiving device such as a mail terminal or a personal computer. In particular, the method is not based on one-sided transmission from the sender, but based on a request from the receiver. The present invention relates to an interactive (two-way) e-mail distribution method for transmitting data. According to the present invention, since the requested information itself is directly returned, a search system with a hit rate of 100% is provided as a whole system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As the amount of information provided by the Internet has expanded, search systems have gradually lost their functions. When you run a particular term as a search term,
A huge number of sites and pages containing the same terms are displayed, and it is becoming difficult to reach the target information from a huge list. Furthermore, since a large number of advertisements are displayed on a search site, it is increasingly difficult for the advertisements to interfere with the user to reach desired information. In a conventional search system, the cost for registration is usually free, so the number of registered sites increases indefinitely, and the search hit rate is remarkably reduced, making it difficult to manage.

[0003] Even in the case of an advertiser (client), it is a fact that the advertiser continues to play the advertisement without knowing the percentage of persons interested in actually seeing the advertisement. A truly effective ad must be delivered directly to those interested in the product. Looking at this from the user side of the product, for example, if you want a catalog or price list for the product you saw in the advertisement hanging on the train, the advertisement contains the homepage address, and the mobile phone Even if accessed, it is the top page of the company's homepage, so it is impossible to reach the desired information without further steps. In addition, small screens are often unreadable, and people often forget their addresses while arriving at a company and trying to view them on a personal computer. Advertisers are losing sales opportunities while advertising.

[0004] For this reason, direct advertisements provided by e-mail have recently been increasing, but all of them unilaterally send e-mails to a large number of destinations (e-mail addresses) based on a special list. It is annoying for those who are not interested in, and may have adverse effects as advertisements. In addition, Internet traffic (traffic volume) is increasing, and it is becoming a cause of lowering or interrupting communication speed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-83678, "Online Advertising System and Method" (corresponding to US Pat. No. 5,937,390)
No., issued on August 10, 1999) describes a system in which a service provider grasps the effectiveness of online advertising in online shopping using a WWW browser and toll-free (registered trademark). Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-91302 "E-mail database system" describes a system for extracting an attribute from a received mail and generating a link so as to facilitate searching and managing the mail. US Patent No. 5933
No. 811, issued August 3, 1999, entitled "System and Method for Distributing Customized Advertising in Interactive Communication Systems", describes a system for distributing advertising customized for specific consumers via the Internet. Have been.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for distributing only advertisement information required by a user by e-mail upon request.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a novel method for distributing an e-mail advertisement using an e-mail transmitting / receiving device such as a mobile telephone, a mail terminal, and a personal computer. I do. This method is, as a first aspect, an advertisement / TV commercial suspended in a train.
A keyword or key number is displayed on a visual advertisement medium such as a newspaper advertisement, a magazine advertisement, a wall advertisement, or an advertising signboard, and an e-mail including the keyword or key number from an end user who has viewed the advertisement is sent to an e-mail database server. (EDS), referring to a correspondence table between the keyword or key number and the transmission data stored in advance in a database built in or connected to the e-mail database server, and displaying image data,
It is characterized by transmitting predetermined transmission data such as voice data or text data, an address of a homepage on which a product is displayed and an address of a link destination, an address of an e-commerce site, etc., to the end user's e-mail address.

[0008]

[Effect] (1) In this method, since only information registered in advance corresponding to a keyword or a key number is transmitted, the hit rate of the answer content for the keyword or the key number is 100%, and a reliable search result is obtained. can get. In the conventional search system, for example, when searching with the keyword "charade", a huge amount of data including the title of the movie, the type of car, the company name, the store name, etc. was hit, but the method of the present invention Since the main user registers his / her keyword or key number and transmission data in the e-mail database server, only the data of the content registered by the advertiser is transmitted, and other unrelated data is transmitted. There is no.
For example, if a car company registers “Charade” as a keyword, data about the movie “Charade” will not be transmitted. When the movie distributor wants to register “Charade” as the title of the movie, for example, the keyword “Movie Charade” is registered.

(2) The distribution method of the present invention is a method of transmitting an e-mail in response to a request from an end user of an e-mail transmission / reception device. Since only a user who is interested in purchasing a product makes a request, a product by advertisement is sent. The purchase hit rate increases dramatically. The person who made the request appreciates the fact that the information was sent directly to them, and motivated them to purchase the product.

(3) The method of the present invention does not require a WWW browser or a toll-free number as in the prior art described above. It does not send customized information to specific users. The information set in advance is transmitted uniformly to the requesting user. (4) The distribution method of the present invention does not need to send a large amount unilaterally as in the conventional advertisement mail, so that useless advertisements are reduced, communication costs are reduced, and Internet traffic is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a radio CM
A keyword or key number is voice-displayed in an audio advertisement medium such as a television commercial or a loudspeaker CM, and an e-mail including the keyword or key number from an end user who has heard the advertisement is received by an e-mail database server (EDS). The image data, audio data or text data / product of the product catalog is displayed by referring to the correspondence table between the keyword or key number and the transmission data stored in advance in a database built in or connected to the email database server. And transmitting predetermined transmission data such as the address of the home page, the address of the link destination, and the address of the e-commerce site to the e-mail address of the end user. Accordingly, the present invention can be applied to not only the visual advertisement but also the audio advertisement.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the type of the e-mail transmitting / receiving device is identified by analyzing the received e-mail (mail header or mail body), and the transmission data within the receiving capacity of the e-mail transmitting / receiving device is determined. Can be sent. In other words, some mobile phones have a limit on the number of characters or data that can be transmitted and received, so if it is possible to identify the transmission from such a mail transmission / reception device from the received data, the amount of transmitted data will be small. Is desirable. To this end, two or more types of transmission data to be stored in the e-mail database server are prepared for one keyword or key number.

According to a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the correspondence table between keywords and key numbers and transmission data is updated at regular intervals (for example, one month or one year) to suppress the capacity of the database to a certain limit. desirable. In a conventional search system, there is a possibility that stored data may expand indefinitely. In the method of the present invention, it is desirable to limit the amount of stored data to a certain limit or less and to refresh the transmission content at regular intervals. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014]

1 and 2 show the principle of an electronic mail advertisement request distribution method according to the present invention, wherein a mobile telephone (cellular telephone) 12 held by an end user 10, a mail terminal 14, Personal computer 1
6 is a system for distributing an e-mail advertisement using an e-mail transmission / reception device such as e.g.

First, the advertiser (client) 60 has previously registered with the administrator of the E-mail database server (EDS computer) 40 about the keyword or key number and the contents of the information to be transmitted by e-mail. Next, the advertiser 60 places an advertisement and places the advertisement 22 on the train.
The keywords or key numbers 32, 34, and 36 are displayed on the advertisement medium 20 such as the television CM 24 and the newspaper advertisement 26 so as to be visually recognized by the method shown in FIG. Alternatively, in the case of a television CM or a radio CM, a keyword or a key number can be broadcasted in an audio expression and displayed by audio.

[0016] The end user 10 of the electronic mail transmitting / receiving device who is interested in the product or service after seeing or listening to the advertisement can send and receive his / her own mail on the spot or after getting off the train. The device sends a request e-mail to the e-mail database server 40 of the portal site (for example, mail-ad.com). The e-mail is sent in such a way as to include the keyword or key number associated with the advertisement.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, if the keyword is “share (charade)”, “share @ mail-ad. co
The mail is sent to the mail address "m".
Send an e-mail. Depending on the device, the body of the email may be blank. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2B,
data @ mail-ad. The e-mail having the text “sharade” is transmitted to the address “com”.

For example, if the key number is "3214567"
Then, as shown in FIG. 2C, data @ mail-
ad. com to the address "32145
For example, a mail such as "67" may be transmitted. Usually, the sender's e-mail address is automatically sent without being described in the text, so there is no need for the sender to write his / her own e-mail address in the text of the e-mail except in special cases.

A database (computer) 50 is built in the e-mail database server 40 for receiving the request mail. In the database 50, a correspondence table between keywords and key numbers and transmission data is stored. Each keyword and key number are registered in advance by the advertiser 60 requesting the administrator of the e-mail database server 40 to register. Such an electronic mail system connected to a database is well known as described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-91302.

The e-mail database server 40 that has received the e-mail refers to the correspondence table of the database 50, and displays image data, audio data or text data of the product catalog, the address of the homepage on which the product is displayed, the address of the link destination, Predetermined transmission data such as the address of an e-commerce site is transmitted to the mail address of the end user 10. Image data and audio data are usually transmitted as attached files. These mails are normally transmitted via the Internet communication network 70, but may be used if a mail communication network other than the Internet is provided.

FIG. 3 illustrates these series of procedures. Thus, the product information, the place of purchase, the method of purchase, and the like are notified to the end user 10 who is interested in seeing the advertisement by e-mail. The end user 10 orders (directly or indirectly) a product to the advertiser, and the advertiser ships the product to the end user 10. Thus, an interactive response between the advertiser and the purchaser is realized.

Depending on the mail transmission / reception device (for example, a specific portable telephone) owned by the end user 10, the number of characters and the amount of data of the receivable mail is limited, so that the mail may not be transmitted. Therefore, if the type of the e-mail transmitting / receiving device can be identified by analyzing the e-mail header or the e-mail text of the e-mail received by the e-mail database server 40, only the transmission data within the receiving capacity of the e-mail transmitting / receiving device is transmitted. Send it.
If it cannot be identified, it is possible to send large data and resend small data after an error is returned.

If the registration of keywords and key numbers is continued without restriction, the e-mail database server 4
Since 0 cannot respond quickly and the service deteriorates, the correspondence table between the keyword and the key number and the transmission data is updated every certain period (for example, one month or one year), and the capacity of the database is suppressed to a certain limit. It is desirable.

[0024]

As described above in detail, according to the mail distribution method of the present invention, a method for distributing only advertisement information required by a user by e-mail in response to a request is provided, and product information can be instantly provided. , The place of purchase, the method of purchase, and the like are notified, an interactive response between the advertiser and the purchaser is realized, and the distribution of goods is promoted. E-mail requires less traffic, which saves unnecessary search time on the Internet and improves communication traffic.
Some of its technical effects are very significant.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a mail distribution method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a display method of a keyword and a key number.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a mail distribution method according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 End user 12 Mobile telephone 14 Mail terminal 16 Personal computer 20 Advertising medium 22 Hanging advertisement 24 Television CM 26 Newspaper advertisement 32,34,36 Keyword / Key number 40 Email database server 50 Database 60 Advertiser 70 Internet communication network

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (Reference) G06F 17/60 502 G06F 17/60 502

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method for distributing an e-mail advertisement using an e-mail transmission / reception device such as a mobile phone, a mail terminal, and a personal computer, comprising: a hanging advertisement on a train, a TV commercial, a newspaper advertisement, a magazine advertisement,
Displaying a keyword or a key number on a visual advertisement medium such as a wall advertisement or an advertisement signboard; receiving an e-mail including the keyword or the key number from an end user who saw the advertisement at an e-mail database server; Refers to the correspondence table between the keyword or key number and the transmission data stored in the database server built in or connected to the database in advance, and the address of the homepage where the image data, audio data or text data / product of the product catalog is displayed. And transmitting predetermined transmission data such as a link destination address and an e-commerce site address to the end user's e-mail address. 2. A method for distributing an e-mail advertisement using an e-mail transmission / reception device such as a mobile phone, a mail terminal, and a personal computer, wherein the advertisement is a sound advertisement medium such as a radio CM, a television CM, and a loudspeaker CM. A keyword or a key number is displayed by voice, and an e-mail including the keyword or the key number from the end user who has heard the advertisement is received by an e-mail database server, and is previously stored in a database built in or connected to the e-mail database server. By referring to the correspondence table between the stored keyword or key number and the transmission data, the image data, voice data or text data of the product catalog, the address of the homepage where the product is displayed and the link destination address, and the e-commerce site Predetermined transmission data such as addresses Request delivery method of e-mail advertising, characterized in that it sent to the email address of the end-user. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the received e-mail is analyzed to identify a type of the e-mail transmission / reception device, and transmit data within a receiving capacity of the e-mail transmission / reception device. Delivery method described. 4. The distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the correspondence table between the keyword and the key number and the transmission data is updated at regular intervals, and the capacity of the database is suppressed to a constant limit.