Systems and methods that may be used to generate and use a social graph generated by user financial transaction data (i.e., a financial transaction-based social graph). Connections and other data within the financial transaction-based social graph can be used for targeted product offerings, other offerings, and or advertisements via e.g., collaborative filtering and user segmentation and profiling.

The present disclosure describes a method of integrating information, including real-time information, into a virtual thematic environment using a computer system, including accessing the stored information from a database or downloading the real-time information from a source external to the thematic environment; inserting the real-time information into the thematic environment; and displaying the information to a user within the thematic environment. In one embodiment, the computer system is connected to a holographic projection system such that the images from the thematic environment can be projected as holographic projections. The computer system includes an interactive software application platform having at least one thematic/publishing logic module which contains thematic environment rules; and at least one quantum imaging environment (QIE) module which interprets content such that the content is manipulated and accessed by any device.

To improve monetization of electronic advertisement placement, a profile owner company operates an automatic system for identifying media properties that have interests in specific profiles or profiles of a specified category or kind. The profile owner recognizes a collected visitor profile as one that a media property has previously requested or one that is within a category that a media property has previously requested and arranges for the visitor to be tagged with a tag readable by the media property that requested such a profile. The media property can use the tag in displaying customized advertising to the visitor. Using information received from the media property, the profile owner company then records usage of the profile by the media property.

Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture are disclosed herein to generate information about portable device advertising. An example apparatus includes memory and at least one processor to execute machine readable instructions to, in response to one or more commands from a simulation processor external to the at least one processor, access data via the Internet based on a usage profile, the usage profile representative of portable device usage by persons having similar usage characteristics, sample portions of the data to distinguish an advertisement from non-advertising content, determine an attribute of the advertisement; and transmit the attribute to the simulation processor.

A system for transmitting information related to a network-based marketplace includes identifying information that may be interesting, useful, and entertaining to the users and to the potential users of the network-based marketplace. The identified information may be other than information that is already being displayed in listings by the network-based marketplace. The identified information may be about the sellers, the buyers or other items related to the items offered for sale.

Systems and methods are provided for providing targeted marketing to goods and services provides and consumer resource management services to consumers. An example system and method for targeted marketing comprises collecting transaction data from point-of-sale (POS) terminals and using a consumer identifier in the transaction data to access stored information about the consumer. This information may be used to target offers and advertisement to the consumer. In an example system for consumer resource management, a consumer may configure a consumer account on the enterprise infrastructure via a web-site. The consumer may use the consumer account to purchase and configure gift cards that may be used for purchasing goods and services. A universal transaction identifier may be associated with the consumer account and used to purchase goods and services from more than one selected goods and services providers.

A method, which comprises determining a logical identifier used for communication over a network portion managed by a service provider and transmitting to a computing apparatus adapted to effect online transactions involving a payer and a payee an indication of the service provider having agreed to act as the payer for at least one online transaction requested by a requesting device that uses the logical identifier. Also, a method, which comprises determining a logical identifier used to identify a device during a request for an online transaction; identifying, based on the logical identifier, a third party that has agreed to act as a payer for the online transaction; providing a user of the device with an opportunity to confirm the third party as the payer for the online transaction; and completing the online transaction based on input from the user.

A method and system for generating electronic advertisements, such as banner ads, based on user profile information, location information and proximity preferences are disclosed. An online promotion service may receive profile information, location information and other information from a user. The user may also define a proximity preference which may include a range of distance the user is willing to travel to redeem one or more promotions. A service or product provider or other authorized entity may define a proximity preference which may include a target range of advertisement exposure. The online promotion service may present advertisements for incentives and other promotions based on user profile information as well as proximity preference information where the proximity preference is defined by the user, the provider, or both.

A method of targeted advertisement distribution based on persona data derived from a social network, wherein the social network includes a plurality of content streams, each content stream associated with a user and a user summary. The method includes the steps of receiving an advertisement request from a third party environment with associated content, identifying a content stream that includes a reference to the third party content, identifying a persona based on the user associated with the identified content stream, and serving an advertisement to the third party environment based on the identified persona.

Provided is a method for presenting images with embedded links for multi-channel redemption in a user interface. The method includes displaying an image including a first selectable portion and a second selectable portion, wherein a first link is embedded in the first selectable portion and points to a portal under control of a transaction handler, the first link identifying an offer for a merchant including at least one condition, and wherein a second link is embedded in the second selectable portion and points to the merchant. The method further includes, in response to a user selecting the first selectable portion of the image and following the first link, identifying, by the transaction handler and/or the portal, the user and an account of the user, and associating, by the transaction handler and/or the portal under control of the transaction handler, the offer with the account of the user.