FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to the field of communications systems and, in particular, to a method and system for simulating the distribution of targeted advertising.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    In advertising, it is considered highly desirable to target advertisements or promotions to the appropriate potential customer base, rather than to broadcast advertisements in general. It has long been known that, for example, advertisements for computers should generally not appear in magazines on gardening and, conversely, advertisements for gardening tools should not appear in magazines on computers. Similarly, advertisers have generally targeted their advertisements on television to programs whose viewers comprise the desired customer base.  
           [0003]    The recent development of on-line networks, such as America On-Line, Compuserve, and the Internet, has led to “on-line” advertising. For example, on the Internet, often such on-line advertisements will appear on a web page, such as a banner on the top or the bottom of the page. When the user views a web page using a browser such as Internet Explorer 3 or Netscape 3, the banner appears at the appropriate location and the user may then try to find out more information regarding the advertisement by selecting the advertisement (clicking through on that banner) through the use of the mouse or other pointing device. This will cause an HTTP message to be generated by the browser using the information encapsulated in association with the banner to send a request for an object with a given URL address to a different appropriate web site to access, for example, the advertiser&#39;s home page.  
           [0004]    Such advertising has had, so far, a poor rate of response because it is untargeted. Thus, someone who is totally uninterested in computers, other than they happen to be on the Internet, may continually see advertisements for computers. On the other hand, someone who is interested in computers may continually see advertisements for gardening tools when browsing through a particular web site. This type of unfocused distribution annoys consumers and leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of advertisements. Thus it would be highly desirable to have a method and system for targeting the advertisements or promotions to the appropriate user. In addition, if a consumer is continuously exposed to the same advertisement, the response rate to the advertisement will generally decline. Therefore, it is highly desirable to have a system that controls the frequency of exposure of advertisements to particular users.  
           [0005]    The increasing mobility of society has resulted in the proliferation of mobile communication devices; advertising has thus far restricted its distribution channels to stationary media such as personal computers. Consumers need to be able to tell advertisers not only what they want, but when they want it and how they want it. Most consumers have a preferred method of communication and would be more receptive to advertising sent to them using their choices. It would be advantageous to have a method for consumers to not only select the type of advertising they receive, but also when that advertising should be delivered and through what media.  
           [0006]    Finally, it is important for the advertisers to track responses to the advertisements and to acquire as much information about those people responding to the advertisements for targeting those same people at later dates. Many retailers have been using general demographics and conventional media without any ability to immediately monitor the success of the promotion. Rather than enlisting marketing firms to perform surveys or conduct focus groups, retailers need to be able to immediately validate the direct success of a promotion and determine the revenue generated by a promotion in order to determine whether or not to continue a promotion.  
           [0007]    Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system for providing targeted advertising not only over networks such as the Internet, but also through wireless communications such as pagers and cell phones. There is also a need for a method and system for providing targeted advertising that minimizes consumer exposure to redundant advertisements and keeps the consumer&#39;s sensitive information private. Additionally, there is a need for a method and system that enables consumers to select preferred advertisement types, delivery times and delivery methods. There is also a need for a method and system that provides immediate retailer feedback regarding the effectiveness of the targeted advertising.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention provides a method and system for distributing targeted advertising. The present invention is a network-based service that enables advertisers, merchants or content providers to create and distribute targeted advertisements or promotions through various networks, such as the Internet and wireless networks, to various receiving devices, such as computers, telephones, cell phones, fax machines, pagers and personal data assistants (“PDA”). The present invention minimizes the consumer&#39;s exposure to redundant advertising and allows them to select the type of advertising they receive, when they receive it and how they receive it.  
           [0009]    The present invention also enables the advertisers to receive feedback regarding the effectiveness of the targeted advertising, such as response to the advertisement and revenue generated by the advertisement. As a result, the advertiser can continuously alter the advertisement to get the best results. The advertiser can also simulate a distribution of the advertisement to determine whether to post the advertisement as is or make modifications. The advertisement can be programmed to cease after a certain number of customers have been reached. As used herein, the terms promotion and advertisement are used interchangeably. Moreover, the terms customer, consumer and subscriber are used interchangeably. Similarly, the terms advertiser, merchant, seller and content provider are used interchangeably.  
           [0010]    The present invention provides a method for simulating the distribution of a promotion that includes accessing target subscriber information for the promotion, selecting one or more subscribers to receive the promotion based on the target subscriber information and subscriber information associated with each subscriber, calculating one or more statistics regarding the selected subscribers, and providing the one or more statistics to a user. The present invention also includes a computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for distributing a promotion that includes codes segments for performing the steps described above.  
           [0011]    In addition, the present invention includes a system for simulating the distribution of a promotion that includes a subscriber selector, a first database and a second database. The subscriber selector selects one or more subscribers to receive the promotion based on target subscriber information associated with the promotion and subscriber information associated with each subscriber, calculates one or more statistics regarding the selected subscribers and provides the one or more statistics to a user. The first database is communicably connected to the subscriber selector and stores the target subscriber information. The second database is communicably connected to the subscriber selector and stores the subscriber information. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    The above and further advantages of the present invention may be understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which corresponding numerals in the different figures refer to the corresponding parts in which:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an overall system in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 depicts a representative list of subscriber categories in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 depicts a representative list of subscriber demographics in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 depicts a representative chart displaying subscriber interest levels in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 depicts a sequence diagram of creation of a subscriber profile in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 depicts a sequence diagram of creation and maintenance of a promotion in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 depicts a sequence diagram of promotional results simulation in accordance with the present invention; and  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8 depicts a sequence diagram of operation of a system in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]    While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed herein in terms of a targeted advertising distribution method, system and apparatus, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and are not meant to limit its scope in any way.  
         [0022]    The present invention provides a method and system for distributing targeted advertising. The present invention is a network-based service that enables advertisers, merchants or content providers to create and distribute targeted advertisements or promotions through various networks, such as the Internet and wireless networks, to various receiving devices, such as computers, telephones, cell phones, fax machines, pagers and personal data assistants (PDAs). The present invention minimizes the consumer&#39;s exposure to redundant advertising and allows them to select the type of advertising they receive, when they receive it and how they receive it.  
         [0023]    The present invention also enables the advertisers to receive feedback regarding the effectiveness of the targeted advertising, such as response to the advertisement and revenue generated by the advertisement. As a result, the advertiser can continuously alter the advertisement to get the best results. The advertiser can also simulate a distribution of the advertisement to determine whether to post the advertisement as is or make modifications. The advertisement can be programmed to cease after a certain number of customers have been reached. As used herein, the terms promotion and advertisement are used interchangeably. Moreover, the terms customer, consumer and subscriber are used interchangeably. Similarly, the terms advertiser, merchant, seller and content provider are used interchangeably.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an overall promotion system  100  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Subscribers  105  and Merchants  110  interact with the promotion system through Network  115 . Although the present invention is described as a service to which individuals, customers or consumers subscribe; the service may be free of charge to the subscriber or be included as part of other services provided to the subscriber. Accordingly, a subscriber can be anyone who submits a subscriber profile, either directly or indirectly, to the service. The Network  115  can be any type of network or combination of networks, such as the Internet, telephone, wireless or satellite networks.  
         [0025]    The present invention includes a Server  120 , a Profile Manager  125 , a Subscriber Database  130  (also referred to as the third database), a Promotion Manager  135 , an Aggregate Database  140  (also referred to as the second database), an encryption module  145 , such as Cryptit, a Promotion Database  150  (also referred to as the first database), a Subscriber Selector  155  and a Distributor  160 . Server  120 , Profile Manager  125 , Subscriber Database  130 , Promotion Manager  135 , Aggregate Database  140 , encryption module  145 , Promotion Database  150 , Subscriber Selector  155  and Distributor  160  can be resident on a signal computer or distributed over several computers via a local or wide area network. Moreover, the functions provided by Server  120 , Profile Manager  125 , Promotion Manager  135 , encryption module  145 , Subscriber Selector  155  and Distributor  160  can be performed by a single computer program or by multiple computer programs.  
         [0026]    Server  120  provides one or more interfaces that allow the Subscribers  105  and Merchants  110  to use the service. In the case of the Internet, the Server  120  contains the web pages and applets that enable the interaction with the Subscribers  105  and Merchants  110 . The Server  120  also contains the applications that run the system. These applications are typically written in such languages as APS, Java 2E and EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans). LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a set of protocols for accessing information directories used to perform authentication and access certain types of subscriber data. LDAP supports TCP/IP, which is necessary for Internet access. LDAP should eventually make it possible for almost any application running on virtually any computer platform to obtain directory information, such as e-mail addresses. Because LDAP is an open protocol, application developers need not worry about the type of server hosting the directory. The Server  120  will also include interfaces to allow telephones, cell phones and PDA&#39;s to access the system.  
         [0027]    Likewise, Distributor  160  provides one or more interfaces that allow promotions or messages to be sent to the PDAs  170 , Computers  172 , Fax machines  174 , Telephones  176 , Mobile Phones  178  and other receiving devices of the Subscribers  105  via Network  165 . Network  165  can be any type of network or combination of networks, such as the Internet, telephone, wireless or satellite networks. Network  165  may also be the same as Network  115 .  
         [0028]    Subscribers  105  create, edit and submit subscriber profiles using a graphical user interface (GUI) applet, such as a “Lambert Tool”. This process is described more specifically in reference to FIG. 5. The subscriber profiles are processed by Profile Manager  125  and stored in Subscriber Database  130 . The subscriber profiles are described in more detail in reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and  4 . Access to the Subscriber Database  130  is limited and controlled by the Profile Manager  125  to protect sensitive subscriber information from disclosure to third parties. Accordingly, the Profile Manager  125  processes each new subscriber profile by creating a unique subscriber identification and associating the subscriber identification with the subscriber profile. The subscriber identification is thereafter used to access the subscriber profile in the Subscriber Database  130 . The Profile Manager  125  also processes each subscriber profile by encrypting the subscriber identification using the encryption module  145  and storing the non-sensitive subscriber information from the subscriber profile along with the encrypted subscriber identification in the Aggregate Database  140 . The non-sensitive subscriber information in the Aggregate Database  140  can then be used by the system, advertisers or third parties without compromising the private or sensitive subscriber information of Subscribers  105 .  
         [0029]    The Aggregate Database  140  can be used to fine tune promotions to reach the best audience, simulate a distribution of the promotion or gather other marketing information. By using a separate Subscriber Database  130  and Aggregated Database  140 , the present invention satisfies the desires of most Subscribers to have their sensitive subscriber information kept private and secure. This added security should increase the number of Subscribers  105  and increase the amount and accuracy of the subscriber information.  
         [0030]    Merchants  110  create, edit and request distribution of promotions using the Promotion Manager  135  via Network  115  and Server  120 . This process is described more specifically in reference to FIG. 6. Each promotion is stored along with a promotion profile in Promotion Database  150 . The promotion may be as simple as a text message or as complex as a multimedia presentation. The promotion profile may specify a target audience, delivery parameters and response parameters. In order to select a target audience for the promotion, the Merchant  110  will use the Promotion Manager  135  to select target subscriber information, which may include certain subscriber preference categories, minimum and maximum values for those subscriber preference categories and non-sensitive demographic information. Subscriber preference categories and non-sensitive demographic information are described in more detail in reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The delivery parameters may limit the receiving devices to which the promotion may be sent or limit the time period in which the promotion may be sent or limit the number of subscribers  105  that will receive the promotion. The response parameters may allow the subscriber to respond directly to the promotion or specify the type of feedback desired after the promotion is distributed.  
         [0031]    After the Merchant  110  creates the promotion and promotion profile, the Merchant  110  can simulate a distribution of the promotion using the Promotion Manager  135 . This process is described more specifically in reference to FIG. 7. This allows the Merchant  110  to test the promotion and adjust the target subscriber information to increase the successfulness of the promotion before it is distributed. The Merchant  110  can also use the Promotion Manager  135  to access and analyze the information stored in the Aggregate Database  140 . The Promotion Manager  135  interfaces with Subscriber Selector  155 , Promotion Database  150  and Aggregate Database  140  using LDAP. A correlation may be made between the data in Aggregate Database  140  and the data in Promotion Database  150 .  
         [0032]    The Merchant  110  may also request that the promotion be distributed using the Promotion Manager  135 . This process is described more specifically in reference to FIG. 8. In order to distribute a promotion, Promotion Manager  135  invokes Subscriber Selector  155 , which selects one or more subscribers to receive the promotion from the Aggregate Database  140 . Subscriber Selector  155  then uses encryption module  145  to decrypt the encrypted subscriber identification obtained from Aggregate Database  140  for the selected subscribers. The decrypted subscriber identification for each selected subscriber is sent to the Profile Manager  125 , which uses the decrypted subscriber identification to access subscriber delivery information in Subscriber Database  130 . The subscriber delivery information is relayed back to Subscriber Selector  155 . Subscriber Selector  155  then creates a properly formatted message for the selected subscribers using the promotion and the subscriber&#39;s delivery information. The messages are then sent to Distributor  160  for distribution to the selected subscribers at the appropriate time via Network  165 .  
         [0033]    Based on the subscriber delivery information, Distributor  160  determines the type of transmission protocol to use. For example, Subscriber Selector  155  could relay a pager or mobile phone number to Distributor  160 . Distributor  160  would then utilize SNPP (Simple Network Paging Protocol) to send promotional information via the specific pager or mobile phone  178  number. Subscriber Selector  155  could relay an e-mail address to Distributor  160 . Distributor  160  would then use SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) to send promotional information via e-mail. Both SNPP and SMTP are protocols for sending messages over the Internet. If Distributor  160  has sent promotional information through Network  165  via SMTP, the e-mail may be accessed through an e-mail application running on PDA  170 , Computer  172  or Mobile  178 . If Distributor  160  has sent promotional information through Network  165  via SNPP, the promotional information will be accessible with Mobile  178 . Alternatively, Subscriber Selector  155  could send a telephone or fax number to Distributor  160 . The promotional information would then be delivered via Telephone  176  or Fax  174 .  
         [0034]    The subscriber profiles created by Subscribers  105  contain data elements such as interests and demographic information. Subscribers  105  may select entire categories, such as Business or Education, or individual subcategories, such as Business:Economics or Entertainment:Music. Subscribers  105  may also indicate strength of interest in a category or subcategory.  
         [0035]    Now referring to FIG. 2, a representative list of subscriber categories in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. Subscriber categories and target subscriber categories may include Art &amp; Fashion, Business, Computers &amp; Internet, Education, Entertainment, Government, Health, and Recreation &amp; Sports. The subcategories for Art &amp; Fashion may include Crafts, Design Arts, Fashion, Literature, Performing Arts, Photography and Visual Arts. The subcategories for Business may include Economics, Electronic Commerce, Finance, Investments, Marketing &amp; Advertising and Shopping. The subcategories for Computers &amp; Internet may include Games, Hardware, Internet, Multimedia and Software. The subcategories for Education may include College/University, Continuing and Adult, Financial Aid, K-12, Self Improvement, Teaching and Trades. The subcategories for Entertainment may include Comedy, Food &amp; Drink, Games, Movies, Music and Performing Arts. The subcategories for Government may include Law, Military, Politics and Taxes. The subcategories for Health may include Drugs, Fitness, Medicine and Services. The subcategories for Recreation &amp; Sports may include Amusement &amp; Theme Parks, Autos, Hobbies, Home &amp; Garden, Motorcycles, Outdoors, Pets, Sports, Toys and Travel. Other categories and subcategories may be used. In addition to subscriber categories, the subscriber profile also includes demographic information about the Subscriber  105 .  
         [0036]    Referring now to FIG. 3, a representative list of subscriber demographics in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. In addition to standard demographic information like name and age, Subscribers  105 ,  205  also enter their preferred mode for receiving promotional information. Subscribers  105  may enter subscriber delivery information in the form of mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, fax numbers, mobile numbers and/or telephone numbers. Subscribers  105  also indicate their contact preference. For example, subscriber  105  may prefer to receive no less than three (3) promotions per day and no more than eight (8) promotions per day. Therefore, Subscriber  105  would enter a “3” for “Minimum” and an “8” for “Maximum.” Further, Subscriber  105  may prefer to receive promotional information via e-mail. In that case, Subscriber  105  would indicate “e-mail” for the “Method.” Subscriber  105  would also indicate the order in which they preferred to receive promotional information. For example, Subscriber  105  may prefer to receive promotional information via e-mail. If the e-mail is unsuccessful, the Subscriber  105  may designate delivery via fax as a first alternative delivery method and finally regular mail as a second alternate delivery method. This information would be indicated in the subscriber&#39;s profile.  
         [0037]    The Subscriber  105  may also specify different delivery priorities for different time period. For example, the Subscriber  105  may select e-mail delivery between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm and PDA or wireless delivery between 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm. Additionally, Subscriber  105  may prefer to receive promotional information a variety of ways. Subscribers  105  may also be able to indicate which categories of promotional information they want sent through which specific methods and minimum and maximum amounts per contact method. Subscribers  105  may also disable contact methods. All this information, including the receiving device type and the receiving device address are included in the subscriber delivery information.  
         [0038]    Subscriber demographic information may include sensitive demographic information, non-sensitive demographic information and subscriber delivery information. The sensitive demographic information for the Subscribers  105  may include name, social security number, driver&#39;s license number, credit card numbers, bank account numbers and contact information. The non-sensitive information for the Subscribers  105  may include age, contact preferences, marital status, financial status and occupation. The demographic information will be defaulted as either sensitive or non-sensitive. The Subscribers  105  may change the defaults to designate any particular part of the demographic information as sensitive or non-sensitive. The demographic information designated as sensitive will not be disclosed to third parties. The delivery information for the Subscribers  105  may include contact information and contact preferences. The contact information may include Address, E-mail Address, Fax Number, Mobile Number and Telephone Number. The contact preferences may include Contact Preferences, Minimum number of promotions within a time period, Maximum number of promotions within a time period, the Method in which the promotions may be sent and the Time in which the promotions may be sent.  
         [0039]    Now referring to FIG. 4, a representative graphic  400  displaying subscriber interest levels in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The graphic  400  is displayed as part of the Profile Manager  125  and provides the Subscriber  105  with a visual indication of his or her selected preference categories and level of interest. The graphic  400  may display one or more interest categories or sub-categories, such as Sports  402 , Movies  404 , Music  406 , Cars  408  and Games  410 , in a circular arrangement. An interest level, if provided by the Subscriber  105 , will be displayed as a thicker, darkened or colored bar extending from the center towards the perimeter of the circle. The length of the thicker, darkened or colored bar indicates the strength of the Subscriber&#39;s  105  interest in each category. For example, the thicker, darkened or colored bar would not be present if the category or sub-category had an interest value of zero, but the thicker, darkened or colored bar would extend to the perimeter of the circle if the category or sub-category had an interest value of five. Any range of interest values can be used, such as one to five or one to ten. The interest values could be assigned to entries such as Not Interested, Mildly Interested, Interested, Strongly Interested or Extremely Interested. For example, the graphic  400  indicates the Subscriber  105  is Extremely Interested  412  in Sports  402 , Strongly Interested  414  in Movies  404 , Mildly Interested  416  in Music  406 , Interested  418  in Cars  408  and Interested  420  in Games  410 . These interest values can be adjusted by clicking on the interest bar and dragging it to the desired level. This same type of graphic can be used by the Promotion Manager  135  to provide individual or aggregate subscriber information to Merchants  110  during the creation, editing, simulation and distribution of promotions and their associated promotion profiles.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 5 depicts a sequence diagram of creating, editing and submitting a subscriber profile in accordance with the present invention. Subscriber  105  creates, edits and submits subscriber information  505  to the Profile Manager  125 . Profile Manager  125  processes the subscriber information  510  and stores the processed subscriber data  515  in Subscriber Database  130 . Profile Manager  125  also sends processed subscriber information without delivery information  520  through encryption module  145  for encryption of the subscriber identification prior to storing the processed subscriber information with encrypted subscriber identification and without delivery information  525  in Aggregate Database  140 . Subscriber Database  130  is a secure, object-oriented database. Aggregate Database  140  is a relational database that contains non-secure information of a mundane, non-sensitive nature relating to subscriber preferences, strengths of interest, times a promotion can be received, and so forth.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 6 depicts a sequence diagram of creation and maintenance of a promotion in accordance with the present invention. Merchant  110  creates, edits and submits promotions and promotion profiles  602  through Promotion Manager  135 . Promotion Manager  135  processes the promotions and profiles  604 . Promotion Manager  135  stores processed promotions and profiles  606  in Promotion Database  150 . When Merchant  110  accesses the stored promotion and profiles, Promotion Manager  135  retrieves processed promotions and profiles  606  from Promotion Database  150 . Promotion Database  150  may be an Oracle database.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 7 depicts a sequence diagram of promotional results simulation in accordance with the present invention. In order to obtain immediate feedback regarding the effectiveness of a proposed targeted promotion, Merchant  110  can run a simulated promotional campaign. Merchant  110  requests simulated promotion statistics  702  from Promotion Manager  135 . Promotion Manager  135  gets the promotion profile  704  from Promotion Database  150 . Promotion Manager  135  then selects appropriate subscribers  706  from Aggregate Database  140 . Appropriate subscribers are those whose interests match a particular promotion profile. Promotion Manager  135  calculates simulated promotion statistics  708 . Such statistics can include the total number of promotions sent, the number of promotions sent during specific time periods, the number of promotions sent to specific contact methods and the number of promotions sent to males vs. females. Promotion Manager  135  returns the simulated promotion statistics  710  to Merchant  110 . The statistics may be displayed in report, spreadsheet, database and/or graphic form.  
         [0043]    Merchant  110  can use the simulated promotion statistics to determine whether to distribute the promotion as it is or modify the promotion profile  704  to improve the expected results. The simulation can then be re-run using the new promotion profile. This process can be repeated until the expected results are satisfactory to the Merchant  110 . As a result, the Merchant is able to maximize the results and potential payback (revenue) for a given promotion.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 8 depicts a sequence diagram of operation of a system in accordance with the present invention. Promotion Manager  135  contacts Subscriber Selector  155  and requests that a promotion be sent to subscribers  802 . Subscriber Selector  155  gets the promotion and profile  804  from Promotion Database  150 . Subscriber Selector  155  then selects appropriate subscribers  806  from Aggregate Database  140 . Appropriate subscribers are those who can receive promotions at a given point in time and whose interests match the profile. Subscriber Selector  155  also obtains the encrypted subscriber identification from Aggregate Database  140 . Subscriber Selector  155  then requests subscriber delivery information  808  through Encryption Module  145 . Encryption Module  145  decrypts the encrypted subscriber identification in order to request subscriber delivery information  810  through Profile Manager  125 . Alternatively, Subscriber Selector  155  could request subscriber delivery information from Profile Manager  125 , supplying Profile Manager  125  with the encrypted subscriber identification. Profile Manager  125  would then contact Encryption Module  145  for decryption of the encrypted subscriber identification.  
         [0045]    Profile Manager  125  retrieves the subscriber delivery information  812  from Subscriber Database  130  and returns the subscriber delivery information  814  through Encryption Module  145 , which passes the subscriber delivery information  816  to Subscriber Selector  155 . Subscriber Selector  155  creates messages  818 . These messages comprise promotional information and delivery information. Messages  820  are sent to Distributor  160 . Message Results  824  are sent from Distributor  160  to Promotion Manager  824 . Message Results  824  may comprise error messages, delivery descriptors, promotional statistics and revenues derived from the promotion. Messages  822  are delivered to Subscribers  805  as selected by Subscriber Selector  155  from Aggregate Database  140 . A future Subscriber Selector  155  will be completely subscriber-centric.  
         [0046]    A subscriber only receives one copy of a promotion. Once a promotion has been sent, a flag is marked for that subscriber for that promotion to prevent that promotion from being re-sent to that subscriber. The present invention distributes promotions that are a best fit to the subscriber. This determination will be performed using “Best Fit” rules, such as: 1) Time Window Fit (i.e., the promotion is distributed to the subscriber only in the time window specified by the subscriber; 2) The subscriber shall not receive the promotion twice. This is to ensure that the subscriber does not get spammed by the same promotion. Although a subscriber may have the ability to receive promotions on multiple devices, a subscriber should not receive the same promotion on multiple devices; 3) Subscriber preferences match the promotion preferences specified by the advertiser; and 4) The subscriber sets the best X matching promotions (i.e., X is set by the subscriber). The promotion quintile and the subscriber quintile must match.  
         [0047]    In order to ensure that the promotion quintile and the subscriber quintile match, a ranking system should be established. The subscriber preferences are in a range of 0-100. The subscriber selects an interest level for each preference using the GUI applet “Lambert Tool.” The advertiser has selected a preference profile for each promotion. Each preference is selected in quintiles, leading to a range of five (5) quintiles for each preference. The preference profile can consist of multiple preferences. Each eligible subscriber&#39;s preferences are compared to each promotion preference profile for active promotions. This comparison leads to a resulting weight. The formula for the weight is: Σ(Subscriber Preference×Promotion Preference×Quintile from Promotion) for all promotion preferences.  
         [0048]    For example, assume that the stored subscriber preferences are: skiing 70%, football 90% and Italian Food 100%. Also assume that the stored promotion preference profile is: skiing&gt;60% and Italian Food&gt;80%. The weight would then be: (0.7 * 0.6 * 4)+(1.0 * 0.8 * 5)=1.68+4.0=5.68. For each promotion, a list of subscriberPK and weight tuple is stored and sorted by weight. The following table might result from such calculations:  
                                                               Promo1   Joe 4.5   Mary 4.4   Scott 3.9           Promo2   Mary 5.5   Joe 3.1   Scott 2.1           Promo3   Joe 7.0   Greg 5.5                      
 
         [0049]    If Joe were to receive only one promotion, he would receive Promo3. If Mary were to receive only one promotion, she would receive Promo2. If there is a tie wherein two (2) promotions have the same weighting, the following rules can be applied: 1) Choose the promotion that is going to end its distribution first; 2) Choose the merchant who has the least number of active promotions in the system; 3) Choose the promotion that has the earliest published time stamp. However, these tiebreaker rules will not be fully effective until the Subscriber Selector is subscriber-centric.  
         [0050]    While specific alternatives to steps of the present invention have been described herein, additional alternatives not specifically disclosed but known in the art are intended to fall within the scope of this invention. Thus, it is understood that other applications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon the reading of the described embodiments and a consideration of the appended claims and drawings.
The present invention provides an Internet based service that enables retailers to create and distribute wireless promotions to customer groups based on specific profile criteria. These promotions are distributed to all types of wireless and mobile devices, as well as the Internet. This Internet service also has the ability to track the reception and acceptance of the promotion from the end user, and providing the retailers with the ability to monitor the promotion activity to determine if is has been received and executed. The present invention provides a method, computer program and system for simulating the distribution of a promotion that includes accessing target subscriber information for the promotion, selecting one or more subscribers to receive the promotion based on the target subscriber information and subscriber information associated with each subscriber, calculating one or more statistics regarding the selected subscribers, and providing the one or more statistics to a user.