Patent Application
20080103889
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to branding techniques and, more particularly, to coherent and dynamic presentations of multiple brand associations in connection with configurable or selectable products or services.
2. Description of the Related Art
Branding techniques have long been used to create associations between a product or service and a particular source, supplier, manufacturer, provider, or capability set associated with a standardization or certification process. Indeed, trademarks, and branding generally, serve an important function in our economy by identifying and distinguishing the source of the goods of one party from those of others.
Unfortunately, modern computer and electronics products present a dizzying array of branding opportunities, only some of which correspond to the eventual supplier or retailer of the product. Indeed, for at least some classes of products, a brand associated with a component, feature or certification can be at least as important in motivating purchasers as the primary brand associated with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), integrator or reseller. Intel Corporation's INTEL INSIDE® campaign is a good example of this phenomenon.
In at least partial recognition of the power of component feature or certification brands, computers marketed in retail channels are typically displayed (and purchased) with collection of affixed stickers signifying at least a processor technology employed and an operating system compatibility. For example, laptop computers that include an AMD TURION™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology processor and which meet the requirements of Microsoft Corporation's Designed for Windows XP logo program are typically marketed with two distinct affixed stickers signifying same.
Some products and/or services can be marketed in ways that allow configuration or selection of components, features or other attributes for which corresponding branding identities may be associated. In relation to such products, it has been discovered that consumers respond favorably to visually interconnected presentation of brands in which attributes of integration, optimization and/or coherence of a platform solution are suggested. Indeed, some visually interconnected presentations have been found to present a brand ecosystem in which the overall favorable impression of consumers is enhanced beyond that which might otherwise be expected based on the individual brands or even the collection of individual brands when presented together, but without visual interconnection.
In some marketing channels, purchasers may themselves perform the configuration or may themselves select from a number of pre-configured (or at least partially configured) alternatives. For marketing channels, it is possible to dynamically generate (and indeed vary) relevant sets of brands based on a current configuration or selection and prepare a visually interconnected presentation of a least a subset of the relevant brands. Such a visually interconnected presentation includes at least one conspicuous visual cue that visually connects the relevant brands and, preferably, suggests an integrated, optimized or coherent platform solution for the configured or selected product or service. In some exploitations, the visually interconnected presentation of brands is displayed in correspondence with configuration decisions or selections made by a potential purchaser using an electronic commerce facility such as a website.
In some variations, rule sets or constraints are used to dynamically assemble a suitable visually interconnected presentation of brands based on constituent elements of a current configuration or selection. In some variations, suitable visually interconnected presentations are predefined for possible configurations or selections and are retrieved based on constituent elements of a given configuration or based on a selection identifier. In some variations, the localities associated with individual brands of the visually interconnected presentations may themselves link back to relevant configuration options or otherwise present dynamic content or behavior such as popup information or a hyperlink.
The present invention may be better understood, and its numerous objects, features, and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.
Techniques have been developed for preparing a visually interconnected presentation of brands based on a current configuration or selection of constituent elements of a product or service. In particular, visually interconnected presentations are described which include at least one conspicuous visual cue that visually connects the relevant brands and which, preferably, suggests an integrated, optimized or coherent platform solution for the configured or selected product or service. In general, the described presentations and techniques differ from conventional techniques based on the use of such visual cues to present a brand ecosystem and, in some cases, based on techniques used to prepare a visually interconnected presentation in correspondence with a dynamic configuration or selections.
While some embodiments in accordance with the present invention take the form of an electronic commerce system in which the visually interconnected presentations of brands are displayed to a potential purchaser and dynamically varied in correspondence with configuration or selection of components or features, for some embodiments, the visually interconnected presentations of brands may be reduced to an article that is (or can be) affixed to a product so configured or selected. For example, in some exploitations, appropriate visually interconnected brand presentations are prepared and then affixed to product in connection with an electronic commerce fulfillment operation.
For concreteness, we describe implementations based on components, feature or capability sets and certifications typical of computer electronics, particularly laptop computers. That said, our techniques are general to a wide variety of product and/or service configurations, including consumer electronics, appliances, automotive products, real-estate products or services, insurance products, etc. In general, our techniques may be exploited in any product or service marketing or selling chain in which components or features may be varied (or selected) and a visually interconnected presentation of corresponding brands is prepared, displayed or supplied. In general, our techniques do not require electronic commerce; however, certain realizations may employ client- and/or server-side facilities often associated with consumer-oriented, web-based eCommerce.
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing and without limitation on the range of offerings or implementations that may be employed in realizations of the present invention, we describe our techniques primarily in the context of web-based eCommerce in involving build-to-order personal and/or laptop computers. Based on these exemplary realizations, and on the claims that follow, persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate a broad range of suitable implementations and exploitations.
Referring to
Note that in the course of explaining the invented techniques and distinguishing conventional techniques, applicant illustrates branding configurations using images reminiscent of certain visual marks (typically as designs with associated words, letters and/or numbers) including registered and unregistered marks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. and those of third parties (including ATI Technologies, Inc., NVIDIA Corporation, Broadcom Corporation, Atheros Communications, Inc. and Microsoft Corporation). While visually interconnected brand presentations that include such third party marks will tend to suggest an integrated, optimized or coherent platform when used in commerce and may (at such time) be subject to co-branding agreements or standards, the illustrations herein do not necessarily imply any relationship between the proprietors of the illustrated marks. The visually interconnected brand presentations shown or described here are for illustration only.
In particular,
For example, in the expanded view 302 illustration of
Building on the preceding description, applicant now details techniques whereby visually interconnected brand presentations can be dynamically assembled (or retrieved) based on configurations or selections of components or features for a product or service. As before, we build on terminology, components and illustrative brands typical of computers, though based on the description herein, persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate a wide range of exploitations.
Referring to
Expanded view 511 depicts a screen image for a configuration step in an exemplary build-to-order electronic commerce interaction in which a user selects an NVIDIA-branded video card to include in an AMD ATHLON™ processor-based laptop computer. Based on, and in correspondence with, the user's selection, a visually interconnected presentation 512 of constituent brand images is displayed. As before, complementary boundary contours are used together with a generally conformal outer envelope to group adjacently-placed brand images into a coherent visually interconnected presentation of the constituent AMD ATHLON™ and NVIDIA GEFORCE® brand images.
In some variations, the visually interconnected presentation may present dynamic content or behavior such as popup information or may hyperlink to additional content. In the illustration of
In cooperation with server(s) 530, display terminal 510 displays the selected and/or assembled visually interconnected presentation.
For purposes of illustration, the example of
While the preceding discussion has focused on dynamically prepared (or retrieved) codings of visually interconnected presentations of constituent brand images for display on a display terminal, some realizations may include dynamic preparation (or retrieval) of visually interconnected presentations of brand images for use in tangible, physical form. For example, in exploitations for which production and/or fulfillment is integrated with an electronic commerce front-end, it may be desirable to prepare or select an appropriate visually interconnected presentations of brand images to be affixed to the article in commerce (e.g., built-to-order system 599) or to be included with its packaging.
In some realizations, individual brand images for constituent elements of the current configuration may be retrieved (707) from store 702 and assembled based on operative positioning, adjacency and/or primacy rules. In some realizations, positioning, adjacency and/or primacy rules may be pre-resolved in the form of precomputed visually interconnected brand presentations that may be retrieved (707) from store 702 based on the current set of constituent elements. In either case, the supplied visually interconnected brand presentation is based on the presently selected/configured product or service (e.g., partially configured laptop) and presents brand images for constituent elements of the product or service in a manner that visually connects the relevant brands and, preferably, suggests an integrated, optimized or coherent platform solution for the configured or selected product or service. Numerous examples of visually interconnected brand presentations are shown and described herein.
In the illustrated user session flow, additional configuration/selection refinements and/or updates (706) are supported and additional or successive selections, refinements and updates are handled similarly. As a result, visually interconnected brand presentations can be updated in correspondence with an evolving configuration as illustrated in
As described, in some realizations, individual brand images for constituent elements of a current configuration may be retrieved and assembled based on operative positioning, adjacency and/or primacy rules.
In the illustrated example, rules establish a visual primacy relationship of processor brand, then graphics technology brand, then wireless technology brand in vertical orientation and form factor. In general, the rules that define valid interconnected visual presentations are likely to involve agreements between parties owning those brands when more than one party's brands are part of the interconnected visual presentation. Operative rules select brand images corresponding to elements that appear in a current configuration (i.e., constituent image 803C rather than constituent image 803D); however, in some realizations, multiple brand images may correspond to a given component or feature and operative rules may need to select from amongst possible brand images based on some relevant factor. For example, in the illustrated case, two brand images for NVIDIA graphics are available; however, at least based on the vertical orientation of the first constituent image 803A, a vertically-oriented variant is appropriate (i.e., constituent image 803B rather than constituent image 803E). In general, rules may code adjacency or other placement constraints as desirable in the context of a given co-branding campaign. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize a wide variety of suitable coding techniques and/or styles for such rules including constraint-based codings, compatibility tables, simple predicate tests, etc. In general, operative rules 804 are of any suitable coding or style.
While numerous variations on visually interconnected presentations of brand images have been illustrated and described herein, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize significant opportunities for variation on those illustrations and descriptions. In general, visually interconnected presentations include at least one conspicuous visual cue that visually connects the relevant brands and which, preferably, suggests an integrated, optimized or coherent platform solution for the configured or selected product or service. In many of the illustrations, complementary boundary contours and generally conformal outer envelopes have been employed to group adjacently-placed brand images into a coherent visually interconnected presentation of the constituent brand images. For example, in some illustrations, visual metaphors such as interlocking puzzle pieces or waves are employed. However, suitable visual cues are not limited to boundary contours or outer envelopes. Indeed, elements of the images themselves may suggest the integrated, optimized or coherent nature of a solution.
While the invention(s) is (are) described with reference to various implementations and exploitations, it will be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the invention(s) is not limited to them. In general, the visually interconnected presentations of component brands described herein may be prepared and/or presented using facilities consistent with any particular marketing channel employed. In addition, while our description of branded components and features have been generally consistent with personal computer systems, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the techniques described may be used in conjunction with any of a variety of goods and services. Indeed, automobiles, major appliances and even residential real estate (including constituent major equipment, appliance, wiring/communications infrastructure and home automation features) may be marketed in ways that advantageously leverage a visually interconnected presentation of component brands. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. For example, while particular visually interconnected presentations and cues have been described in detail herein, other visually suggestive techniques will be understood for conveying an integrated, optimized or coherent branding message.
Plural instances may be provided for components, operations or structures described herein as a single instance. Finally, boundaries between various components, operations and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in the context of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality (including amongst client and server components of a cooperative system) are envisioned and may fall within the scope of the invention(s). In general, structures and functionality presented as separate components in the exemplary configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the invention(s).
