Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method that include combining an offer with media content to generate a notice within a portion of the media content, providing the notice in the designated portions of the media content with the notice during a media content presentation at equipment of a user, receiving an indication of interest in the portion, retrieving marketing information for the portion of the media content based on the user profile including location based information, time based information, and activity information, monitoring an activity of the mobile communication device to determine when the mobile communication device information satisfies a location, time, and activity information that matches the marketing information and determining a communication for the user based on the marketing information and the monitoring of the activity of the mobile communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A method for providing-discount-purchases, with the method including the steps of producing one or more advertising-material(s) related to primary-goods-for-purchase, presenting the advertising-material(s) to a subscriber, providing an initial-purchase-price to the subscriber for the primary-goods-for-purchase, and providing future-purchase-discounts to the subscriber based on a subscription for buying the primary-goods-for-purchase. Additionally a method for receiving-discount-purchases may include the steps of accepting one or more advertising-material(s) related to primary-goods-for-purchase from a retailer; agreeing to an initial-purchase-price with the retailer for the primary-goods-for-purchase via a written contract accessible via internet; and receiving future-purchase-discounts from the retailer based on a subscription for buying the primary-goods-for-purchase.

Electronic advertisements and other types of electronic information are distributed based on user profiles and in particular, collections of widgets. User profiles may be generated based on a combination of user entered information and information inferred or derived from user behavior and interaction patterns. The use and collection of various widgets may also be recorded by a user profile to determine a user's preferences and interests. An advertisement may be distributed by segmenting a user population according to user profile information and one or more attributes of the advertisement. Users may further interact with the widgets in a variety of ways including requesting additional information about the advertised product or service and/or requesting communications with an advertiser without compromising their privacy.

A dimensional translator may automatically translate a dimension from an entity to a different dimension of another entity. The dimensional translator may do so by comparing attributes of the input dimension (the dimension to be translated) to attributes of a target data structure. An attribute may include, for example, hierarchy of a data structure, relationships of a data structure, a keyword associated with a data structure, and a data value associated with the data structure. The dimensional translator may automatically determine how a target entity would categorize the item. In particular, a Universal Product Code dimension of an item provided by an entity may be translated into a data structure of a target entity such as a retailer in order to determine how an item identified by the UPC will be categorized by the retailer.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media for electronic security systems for preventing theft of returned goods may be provided. Embodiments may include an electronic article surveillance (EAS) gate in an establishment and at least one receiver configured to receive transmissions from wirelessly transmitting tags. Embodiments may also include at least one processor configured to receive, from a mobile communications device associated with a previous purchaser, a notification of intent to return a previously purchased product to the establishment; identify a unique tag ID of a specific wirelessly transmitting tag associated with the previously purchased product; update a data structure to indicate that the previously purchased product was returned to the establishment; and enable an ability to initiate an alarm when the at least one receiver receives a transmission from the specific tag associated with the previously purchased product in proximity to the EAS gate.

Methods and systems are provided for allowing users to recommend advertisements displayed in a third-party application running on a user device while not granting the third-party application privileges to send such recommendations on behalf of the user. A social network application installed on the user device, and separate from the third-party application, acts as a proxy for advertisement recommendation requests (e.g., indications that a user wishes to recommend an advertisement displayed), and a user is required to confirm all such recommendation actions. In this manner, a third-party application (e.g., a “malicious third-party application) cannot send advertisement recommendation requests, and/or requests to undo such recommendations, on its own as if it were the user.

A wearable apparatus and method are provided for capturing image data. In one implementation, a wearable apparatus for capturing image data is provided. The wearable apparatus includes at least one image sensor for capturing image data of an environment of a user, wherein a field of view of the image sensor includes a chin of the user. The wearable apparatus includes two or more microphones, and an attachment mechanism configured to enable the image sensor and microphones to be worn by the user. The wearable apparatus includes a processing device programmed to capture at least one image, identify the chin of the user to obtain a location of the chin, select a microphone from the two or more microphones based on the location, process input from the selected microphone using a first processing scheme, and process input from a microphone that is not selected using a second processing scheme.

Techniques described herein are directed to interactive elements displayed in multimedia content. In an example, it is determined that multimedia content displays an item offered for sale by a merchant. Based on so determining, an interactive element is rendered that displays a representation of the item offered for sale by the merchant in place of a portion of the multimedia content. When an interaction by a user with the interactive element is detected, a graphical user interface is displayed that is configured to allow the user to purchase the item.

A method of matching geographic information to a requester including matching users subscribed to a service with devices used by the users; receiving and storing geographic information corresponding to locations of the users; receiving content selectively authorized by the users to be shared, and matching the content with the geographic information corresponding to the locations of the users; receiving from a requester a request specific to a location indicated on an electronic map and identifying from the content selectively authorized by the users and based on matched geographic information that matches the location indicated on the electronic map, a subset of the content to provide to the requester in response to the request; and providing, over a communications network, the subset of the content to provide to the requester in response to the request and based on the geographic information that matches the location indicated on the electronic map.

An online system receives a content item from a content provider, the content item having a bid price and including a link to a messaging application. The link is configured to initiate a direct message in the messaging application between the content provider and a user who interacts with the content item. The online system receives a request for content items from a target user and determines a compatibility score between the target user and the content item based on one or more sets of criteria. A first set of criteria indicates a compatibility between the user and the messaging application. The online system determines a subsidy for the content item based on the compatibility score. The online system adjusts the bid price with the determined subsidy to determine an auction price and includes the content item with the auction price in a selection process for presentation to the user of the online system.