U.S. patent application number 10/083901 was filed with the patent office on 2002-08-01 for system and method for targeted advertising and marketing.
This patent application is currently assigned to DSD COMMUNICATIONS, INC.. Invention is credited to Dharssi, Fatehali.
Application Number | 20020100254 10/083901 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27765309 |
Filed Date | 2002-08-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020100254 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dharssi, Fatehali |
August 1, 2002 |
System and method for targeted advertising and marketing
Abstract
A method for distributing promotional material is disclosed. The
method, which may be practiced as a fully-automated process, calls
for the use of packages of bread as unique vehicles for
retailer-specific targeting of promotional material. The invention
achieves its objectives by connecting a network of entities and
computer systems, wherein information regarding bakeries'
production schedules, specific retailers' purchase orders, and
advertisers' specifications are collected and processed to provide
instructions for bagging and/or coupon-targeting systems to include
specified wrappers and promotional material with each loaf, or
groups of loaves, of bread. A cart-marking system ensures that each
retailer's order is placed on a separate cart, with the packages of
bread containing promotional material that is tailored for that
retailer.
Inventors: |
Dharssi, Fatehali;
(Vancouver, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Keyvan Davoudian
PILLSBURY WINTHROP LLP
Suite 1200
725 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles
CA
90017
US
|
Assignee: |
DSD COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
1001 Fourth Aenue Plaza, Suite 3200
Seattle
WA
98154
|
Family ID: |
27765309 |
Appl. No.: |
10/083901 |
Filed: |
February 27, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10083901 |
Feb 27, 2002 |
|
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09689540 |
Oct 12, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
53/415 ;
53/445 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20130101;
G09F 23/00 20130101; B65B 61/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/415 ;
53/445 |
International
Class: |
B65B 061/20 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for distributing promotional material with a package of
bread from a baking facility in which loaves of bread are baked,
sliced, and packaged, said method comprising: a. receiving, at a
system operator central computer, a first data record containing
promotional specifications for generating promotional materials; b.
receiving, at the system operator central computer, a second data
record containing a purchase order for a specific retailer; c.
generating a first set of instructions for coordinating the baking
facility's daily production and packaging; d. based on one or more
of said first and second data records and first set of
instructions, generating a second set of instructions for packaging
said loaves of bread; and e. based on one or more of said first and
second data records and first set of instructions, generating a
third set of instructions for including promotional materials with
said package of bread.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step (d), said second set of
instructions is transmitted to a bagging-system computer at the
baking facility, wherein said bagging-system computer uses said
second set of instructions to automatically control the operation
of a bagging system located at the baking facility.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein, in step (e), said third set of
instructions is transmitted to a coupon-targeting system computer,
wherein said coupon-targeting system computer uses said third set
of instructions to automatically control the operation of a
coupon-targeting system for including promotional materials with
said package of bread.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein said package of bread is placed
on a cart for delivery to a specific retailer having a specific
retail destination, the method further comprising transmitting a
fourth set of instructions to a cart-marking system computer, said
cart-marking system computer using said fourth set of instructions
to generate an identification mark to be placed on said cart.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said identification mark includes
one or more members selected from the group consisting of the
number of bread packages to be placed on said cart, the type of
bread to be placed on said cart, and the retail destination for
said cart.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the identification mark is a bar
code.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step (c), said first set of
instructions is generated by an onsite computer at the baking
facility.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step (c), said first set of
instructions is generated by a baking facility central computer
system.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data record is
transmitted from a client's computer, and the system operator's
central computer processes said first and second data records to
generate said first set of instructions.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second data record is
transmitted from a route driver's computer.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of instructions
includes data to specify the wrapper to be used for bagging each
loaf of bread.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the third set of instructions
includes data that is used by the coupon-targeting system to
automatically include a packet with each said package at the baking
facility based on one or more factors selected from the group
consisting of the specific type of bread to be packaged and a
retail destination of said package of bread, wherein each said
packet contains one or more pieces of said promotional
material.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said packet is placed inside
said package of bread.
14. A method for distributing promotional material with packages of
bread from a baking facility in which loaves of bread are baked,
sliced, and packaged, said method comprising: a. receiving a first
data record from a client containing promotional specifications for
generating promotional materials; b. receiving a second data record
containing a purchase order for a specific retailer; c. based on
one or more of said first and second data records, generating and
transmitting a set of instructions to a bagging-system computer at
the baking facility, wherein said bagging-system computer uses said
set of instructions to automatically control the operation of a
bagging system located at the baking facility; d. according to said
instructions, enclosing a plurality of loaves of bread with
respective, individual wrappers so as to result in a plurality of
separate packages of bread; and e. according to said instructions,
enclosing two or more of said plurality of separate packages of
bread with a third wrapper.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising instructing a
coupon-targeting system computer, which automatically controls the
operation of a coupon-targeting system at the baking facility, to
include promotional materials with each of said plurality of
separate packages of bread.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein said promotional materials are
placed inside said separate packages of bread.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising including additional
promotional materials with said third wrapper.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein said additional promotional
materials are placed inside said third wrapper.
19. The method of claim 14, further comprising instructing a
coupon-targeting system computer, which automatically controls the
operation of a coupon-targeting system at the baking facility, to
include promotional materials with said third wrapper.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein said promotional materials are
placed inside said third wrapper.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.
09/689,540, filed Oct. 12, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention is in the field of marketing and promotional
advertising and, more particularly, directed to an automated,
networked system and method for providing promotional material,
such as coupons, advertisements, samples, food recipes,
publications, informational sheets, and other promotional items,
such as refrigerator-door magnets, in combination with single or
multiple packages of sliced bread, on a retailerspecific basis, in
such a way as to capitalize on the specific retailer's customer
traffic in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
[0004] 2. Art Background
[0005] Product "couponing" dates back to the late 1890's, when C.W.
Post developed penny tokens that were redeemable on his then new
"Grape-Nuts" breakfast cereal. Realizing the effectiveness of
couponing as a means to generate trial, as well as encourage repeat
purchases, companies such as Coca Cola, Procter & Gamble, and
Hershey quickly adopted this marketing innovation. Today, couponing
is the dominant promotion marketing tool employed by
consumer-driven companies to stimulate consumer behavior in
multiple channels of distribution. Whereas, at one point in time,
couponing was employed almost exclusively by the consumer package
goods (CPG) industry, it is now utilized extensively by companies
such as Blockbuster Video, Pizza Hut, and Lenscrafters.
[0006] Currently, the predominant methods of coupon delivery are
Shared Mail, which delivers national and local coupons wrapped in a
supermarket retailer's weekly flyer, direct mail and Sunday Free
Standing Inserts (FSI), which are four color, multi-page inserts
distributed through Sunday newspapers. Currently, couponing is
dominated by FSIs, which were introduced in 1972. In 1999, FSIs
accounted for 92% of the 288 billion coupons distributed, as well
as 71% of all redemptions.
[0007] However, the shear number of coupons distributed provides
only a partial indication of the level of success achieved by any
couponing scheme; success also depends on the frequency with which
the distributed coupons are actually redeemed by consumers. In this
regard, while the FSI share of distribution has increased slightly
since the mid-1990's, declining coupon redemption rates have led
advertisers to explore alternative avenues to improve cost
efficiency and effectiveness. As such, in the past several years,
coupon distribution has declined as the search for more effective
promotional schemes has prompted marketers to divert promotional
spending from FSIs and redirect it towards targeted, in-store
methods in order to reach consumers who are most likely to use
coupons, as well as those users who are amenable to product trial
and brand switching.
[0008] As alternative marketing strategies have been sought,
numerous new advertising schemes have been introduced (and, in some
cases, subsequently vanished) over the past several years. These
include (1) Co-op direct mail programs, which can be divided into
two categories, i.e., shared and consumer direct; (2) "electronic
shelf", featuring four color coupons that are distributed at the
shelf via a plastic dispenser in supermarkets and drug/mass
merchandiser outlets; (3) "electronic checkout", where coupons are
issued at supermarket checkout based upon competitive,
complimentary, or like product scanned; (4) "in-pack/on-pack"
couponing, where coupons are inserted in or on product packages by
CPGs and are usually redeemable on a subsequent purchase of the
same product and occasionally a complimentary product; (5) "instant
redeemable coupons", which are onpack coupons that are affixed to
product packages and designed such that consumers can remove them
at a retailer's shelf for immediate redemption; (6) newspaper
R.O.P., which involves coupons printed as part of the redirect
paper or flyer itself, and can be executed as a co-op or on a solo
basis; (7) magazine couponing, which is normally executed on a solo
basis, but may be included as a four-color pop up insert in
selected magazines; (8) "interactive coupons", which typically rely
upon kiosks for distribution; (9) "XtraValu" coupons, where CPG
coupons have been distributed in "saddlebag" pouches that are
placed over the neck of one-gallon milk containers; (10) "Egg
coupons", where multi-folded coupons are inserted into cartons of
eggs--this program eventually failed due to inconsistent retailer
coverage, limited reach, and coupon damage caused by cracked eggs;
(11) "off-the-shelf" couponing, which utilizes disposable shelf
dispensers; (12) "Ad-Strip", where two- and four-color coupons are
printed on the gusset strip of supermarket and department store
plastic shopping bags; and (13) internet coupons.
[0009] Still, FSI's and shared mail continue to dominate because
they provide advertisers with a promotion and advertising medium
that delivers broad reach at an affordable rate. On the other hand,
both of these coupon-delivery methods suffer from at least two
major weaknesses: they do not have an in-store presence and they
deliver low redemption rates.
[0010] The features and advantages of the present invention will
become more apparent through the following description. It should
be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific
examples, while indicating particular embodiments of the invention,
are given by way of illustration only and various modifications may
naturally be performed without deviating from the spirit of the
present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0011] FIG. 1 shows an illustration of communication links
established among entities and/or electronic computers that may be
used in the practice of an embodiment of the invented method.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] In this application, the term coupons has been used from
time to time as an example of, or synonymously with, "promotional
material" or "advertising material". However, such use is by way of
example, and for ease of reference, only, and not by way of
limitation.
[0013] An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a
method of targeted advertising of particularized goods and/or
services, whereby one or more pieces of targeted promotional
material are included with a package of bread at about the time a
loaf of bread is placed into the package. The pieces of promotional
material generally fall into a plurality of categories, including:
(1) retailer-specific coupons (e.g., coupons that are offered by,
and are redeemable in, SafeWay stores in the Los Angeles area, for
products that generally complement bread); (2) national coupons
that are redeemable only at the same specific retailer (e.g.,
coupons from Tide, Kraft Foods, or Nabisco, which may be redeemed
only at SafeWay stores in the Los Angeles area); (3) advisory
materials (e.g., health-related material or "tip" sheets,
informational material, recipes, advertising material from other
businesses or organizations within the Los Angeles area, and other
similar information appearing in textual format); (4) product
samples; and (5) other promotional items (e.g., refrigerator-door
magnets that carry advertisements and may be used to hold up the
above-mentioned "tip" sheets).
[0014] An embodiment of the present invention is also related to a
method of distributing promotional material, in which bread is used
as a vehicle to deliver bread packages with specific promotional
materials to specific retailers (i.e., retail stores, or stores).
In one embodiment, this is achieved by creating a computerized
network that enables electronic transmission of information among
bread delivery route drivers, central and localized bread-making
facilities, advertisers/retailers, and a central system operator.
This information, which may include daily bread orders for each
retailer, production schedule for each bread-making facility,
coupon specifications from each advertiser, etc. is collected and
used by the system operator and/or the bread-making facility to
generate instructions. The latter are then used to coordinate the
operation of several systems, including bread-bagging,
coupon-targeting, and cart-marking systems, within the
baking-bagging/couponing-delivery process, thus allowing targeted
advertising to specific retailers using packages of bread as the
"delivery vehicle".
[0015] In its various embodiments, the present invention offers
several advantages. First, it allows the specific retailer for whom
the bread is being made and packaged (e.g., SafeWay, Giant, etc.)
to obtain information about which specific national and/or store
brands are to be promoted. In a preferred embodiment, the coupon is
only redeemable at the issuing chain. This, in turn, allows the
retailer to estimate the demand for, and maintain an adequate stock
of, the items that have been promoted. In addition, the invention
encourages repeat traffic into the retailer's store. This is
especially true when the coupon is store/chain specific. Moreover,
the invention increases coupon security by nearly eliminating
instances of fraudulent redemption of the type that is prevalent
with newspaper, or similar loose, couponing schemes. For example,
it is believed that some small storeowners have clipped coupons and
submitted them for redemption even though the coupon was not
presented by a customer and no sale actually took place.
[0016] In achieving its objectives, the present invention takes
advantage of several qualities that are unique to bread as a
vehicle for advertising. First, because bread is shipped by bulk,
and not by weight, the inclusion of promotional material with the
bread bag does not increase shipping costs. This is to be
contrasted with traditional means of advertising (e.g., through
newspapers), where there is a cost associated with the distribution
of promotional materials (e.g., cost of postage and/or cost of
insertion of coupons in a newspaper).
[0017] Second, from a practical standpoint, bread is dry, so that
there is no damage to the promotional material from being packaged
with the bread. Third, as a commodity, bread is not in competition
with most other goods/products. Fourth, in contrast with other
goods/products, almost everybody buys bread, with quite regular
frequency. Fifth, in contrast with newspapers, mailings, etc., a
package of bread usually ends up, and is opened, in the kitchen.
This is normally an uncluttered environment which provides for
maximum exposure with minimum distraction. Similar to a Sunday
newspaper, the present invention permits "mass media" distribution
of coupons in a short period of time, and at a relatively low
cost.
[0018] Finally, the specific type of bread can be used to fine-tune
a retailer-specific targeting scheme so as to target
store/region-specific consumers, referred to as "targeted groups",
which have been determined to be the most likely users of the
product being advertised. Thus, for example, coupons for cheese may
be included with bags of white bread, which are directed at
children. Similarly, coupons for health foods may be included with
bags of whole-wheat bread, which would be directed at the
health-conscious consumer. These and other buying characteristics
(age, sex, income, preference of bread type, etc.) are also within
the scope of the invention.
[0019] Once the targeted group is identified, the relevant set of
coupons can be included with packages of bread that are delivered
to the retailer(s) servicing the targeted group. In one embodiment,
retailer-specific targeting is facilitated by creating a network,
such as a computerized, electronic network, whereby information
relating to the types and quantity of bread sold through each
retailer is used to automatically generate a retailer-specific
coupon-distribution scheme.
[0020] A typical bread-distribution process according to the
current state of the art may be described as follows: A route
driver delivers packages of sliced bread to specific retailers
according to a delivery schedule. At each stop, the route driver
gathers information, e.g., by inputting such information into a
hand-held computer, about the types and respective quantities of
bread to be delivered to that specific retailer the next day. This
serves as a "purchase order" for each specific retailer. At the end
of the day, this information is transmitted either to a specific,
local bakery, or to a centralized headquarters which coordinates
the operation of several local or regional bakeries.
[0021] Based on the purchase orders received (e.g., from each one
of several route drivers, from the retailer itself, etc.), each
local bakery generates a bread-production schedule for the
following day. Thus, as an example, local bakery A may receive
orders from route drivers 1 through 5 as follows: (1) route driver
1: 300 bags of sliced white bread and 150 bags of sliced wheat
bread; (2) route driver 2: 500 bags of sliced white bread; (3)
route driver 3: 200 bags of sliced white bread and 100 bags of
sliced wheat bread; (4) route driver 4: 100 bags of sliced white
bread and 300 bags of sliced wheat bread; and (5) route driver 5:
100 bags of sliced wheat bread, for a total of 1100 bags of sliced
white bread and 650 bags of sliced wheat bread.
[0022] Thus, according to the above orders, Bakery A will arrange
to prepare 1100 bags of sliced white bread and 650 bags of sliced
wheat bread for pick up and delivery by route drivers 1-5 the
following day. Once prepared, all of the bags of sliced white bread
are placed on trays which, in turn, are placed in carts containing
only white bread. Similarly, all of the bags of sliced wheat bread
are placed on trays and in carts containing only wheat bread. The
next morning, each route driver arrives at Bakery A and counts and
takes as many trays/carts as are needed to fill his orders for each
type of bread.
[0023] The present invention improves upon the above-described
process by creating a network, wherein the information collected by
the route drivers (and/or otherwise provided directly by the
retailer) is used by the baking facilities to determine the type of
wrapper (e.g., Webers, or Safe Way brand) that is to be used to bag
each loaf of bread. In addition, this information is transmitted to
a central system operator and, along with information and
specifications received from advertisers, is used to: (1) set the
number and type of advertising materials that are to be included
with each package of bread (i.e., according to the specific retail
store for which the package of bread is destined); and (2) mark
individual trays and/or carts according to each route driver's
purchase orders such that one or more trays/carts are prepared and
identified for delivery to each specific retail store. In this way,
on any given day, route driver 1, e.g., transmits his purchase
orders to the baking facility's central and/or onsite computer
system, and merely returns the next day to pick up trays/carts that
are filled up (according to router driver 1's purchase orders) and
marked for delivery to each of the retailers serviced by route
driver 1.
[0024] Thus, according to one aspect of the invention,
store-by-store coupon targeting is made possible by including
advertising material with loaves of bread in accordance with the
number and/or types of bread sold by each store, and according to a
second aspect of the invention, the determination as to the number
and types of advertising material to be included with each loaf of
bread is made by collecting and processing information from
advertisers and route drivers, and then coordinating with each
baking facility's production schedule. It is noted that the
purchase order information may be provided directly by a retailer,
rather than through a route driver.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention involves the flow
of information among several entities, including: (1) a system
operator having a system operator central computer 10; (2) one or
more advertisers and/or retailers, generally referred to as
"clients", having one or more computers 20; (3) one or more
bread-baking and packaging facilities, generally referred to as
"bakeries", each such bakery having an onsite computer 50; (4) the
bakery's headquarters having a central computer system 40; (5) one
or more route drivers having (usually) hand-held computers 30; (6)
a bagging system located at the bakery and having a computer 60;
(7) a coupon-targeting system located at the bakery and having a
computer 70; and (8) a tray/cart marking system having a computer
80.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the several systems are electronically
linked. Thus, for example, the bakery's onsite computer, the
system-operator central computer, the coupon-targeting system
computer, and the bagging system computer operate in concert to
produce a certain number of bags of bread (which may be private
branded for a specific retailer), of a certain type of bread, with
certain types and quantities of promotional materials accompanying
each bag. Moreover, information is transferred among the several
systems/system computers as electronically-transmitted data records
and/or instructions.
[0027] The process starts with the system operator 10 receiving
promotional specifications from its clients 20. Client
specifications generally relate to instructions for printing
coupons, tip sheets, and other textual material, and include such
information as coupon (i.e., discount) amount, the identity and
location of a retailer where a coupon may be redeemed (e.g., Los
Angeles SafeWay Stores), the identity of a specific product or
service that is advertised (e.g., Kraft sliced cheese, or SafeWay's
own brand peanut butter), and other similar information. Client
specifications may also include instructions for the inclusion of
product samples, or other promotional items, with the printed
material.
[0028] In one embodiment, the system operator 10 prints the coupons
and inserts them in one or more envelopes, or packets, for use in a
store-by-store, chain-by-chain, and/or region-by-region basis. In
another embodiment, the system operator maintains a fulltime
employee at the bakery, who organizes the promotional material
onsite (e.g., by physically receiving the coupon packets from the
system operator).
[0029] The client's specifications define, e.g., the number and
types of promotional materials that each client would like to have
included with each specific package of bread. As an example, on a
given day, SafeWay may direct the system operator to include a
coupon offering a $0.20 discount on SafeWay brand peanut butter
with every package of white sliced bread that is going to be
delivered to specific Los Angeles county SafeWay stores, and a
coupon offering a $0.40 discount on SafeWay brand peanut butter
with every package of white sliced bread that is going to be
delivered to specific Orange County SafeWay stores. In addition,
Kraft Foods may instruct the system operator to include a $0.35
coupon for Kraft cream cheese with each package of bread that is
destined for the specific Los Angeles county SafeWay stores, as
well as a $0.50 coupon for Kraft cream cheese with each package of
bread that is destined for the specific Orange county SafeWay
stores. A third specification may be provided by a chef/author (who
is promoting a book of recipes, e.g.) who instructs the system
operator to include with each package his recipe for making quick
and healthy snacks for children. As noted above, these three
coupons are inserted into a packet, and multiple packets are then
grouped and/or marked on a store-by-store, chain-by-chain, and/or
region-by-region basis.
[0030] As was described previously, on at least a daily basis, each
route driver transmits a purchase order (for each retailer serviced
by the route driver) to the bakery's central computer system 40,
indicating at least the number and types of bread that are to be
dropped off to each retailer on the route driver's next stop. From
time to time, the bakery's central computer system may change the
required quantity and/or type of bread requested in order to
accommodate production schedules, etc. Once finalized, this
information is then transmitted (e.g., as a set of instructions) to
the system operator central computer 10, and/or the bakery's onsite
computer 50. In alternative embodiments, the information from the
router driver's computer 30 may be communicated directly to the
system operator central computer 10, and/or the bakery's onsite
computer 50.
[0031] In one embodiment, the system operator central computer 10
accesses the bakery's onsite computer 50 in order to retrieve the
daily production schedule for each bakery. In some applications,
however, the bakery's central and onsite computer systems maybe one
and the same, such that information regarding daily production
schedules, as well as the route driver's purchase order
information, are transmitted from the same system to the central
computer of the system operator. Having each route driver's
purchase order information, each bakery's production schedule, and
each client's specifications, the system operator can now
coordinate the store-specific coupon-targeting process, in
conjunction with the bagging system 60, coupon-targeting system 70,
and cart-marking system 80 that are located at each local
bakery.
[0032] As an example, the system operator may determine that,
according to route driver A's purchase orders, retail store B will
require a large number of sliced white bread packages. At the same
time, client C's (e.g., Safe Way's) specifications may indicate
that a coupon offering a $0.20 discount on SafeWay brand peanut
butter should be included with every package of white sliced bread
that is going to be delivered to retail store B on a given day. In
addition, client D's (e.g., Kraft Foods') specifications may
instruct the system operator to include a $0.35 coupon for Kraft
cream cheese with the same package of bread, going to the same
retail store.
[0033] The system operator central computer then checks the
production schedule for bakery E (i.e., one or more bakeries that
may service retail store B) to determine whether store B is
supposed to have sliced white bread delivered the next day. If it
is, then the system operator central computer determines the number
of packages of sliced white bread that are to be delivered from
bakery E to store B the next day and, based on this information,
generates and transmits a set of instructions to a coupon-targeting
system computer 70 that is located at bakery E.
[0034] The coupon-targeting system is the system (e.g., a carousel
and magazine system) through which one or more packets of coupons
are included with each package of bread. To this end, the
coupon-targeting system computer controls the operation of the
coupon-targeting system by providing information and operational
instructions relating to the type and number of packets of coupons
that are to be included with each package of bread.
[0035] In certain embodiments, client C's (i.e., Safe Way's)
specifications may indicate that the coupons offering a $0.20
discount on SafeWay brand peanut butter should be included only
with packages of white sliced bread that are going to be bagged
with Safe Way brand wrappers. At the same time, client D's (i.e.,
Kraft Foods') specifications may instruct that the coupons offering
a $0.35 savings on Kraft cream cheese be included only with
packages of white sliced bread that are going to be bagged with
Wonder Bread brand wrappers. In such a case, the system operator
central computer 10 generates and transmits (based on the above
information) a set of instructions to a bagging-system computer 60
that is located at bakery E. In this manner, operation of the
bagging system 60 and the coupon-targeting system 70 is coordinated
such that for each package of bread, the bagging-system computer
will instruct the bagging system as to which kind of wrapper to use
for bagging each loaf of bread, and the coupon-targeting system
computer will instruct the coupon-targeting system as to the
quantity and type of coupons to include with each specific package
of bread. In certain applications, a line of communication may also
be established between the baking facility's onsite computer system
50 and the bagging system computer 60. Additionally, it is
important to note that, in one embodiment, the bagging system and
the coupon-targeting system may be one and the same and, as such,
their operation may also be controlled by one computer system.
[0036] In another aspect of the process, the system operator
central computer 10 communicates with a cart-marking system
computer 80 to ensure that the packages of bread carrying
store-specific coupons are sent to the specific retail stores for
which they were produced and intended. As its name implies, the
cart-marking system generates identifying indicia, e.g., bar codes,
that identify the specific retail store to which each cart is to be
delivered by the appropriate route driver. Additional information,
such as, e.g., the number of packages of bread to be loaded on each
cart, the type of bread to be placed on each cart, etc. may also be
included.
[0037] Thus, for example, when retail store B has requested 175
bags of sliced white SafeWay brand bread, the bagging system and
the coupon-targeting system operate in conjunction with the
cart-marking system (see FIG. 1) to ensure that 175 bags of sliced
white SafeWay brand bread carrying packets of coupons designated
for retail store B are loaded on one or more carts marked for
delivery to store B and placed separately from other carts
containing sliced white bread. This process is then repeated for
each of the other retail stores which are serviced by the route
drivers working with each bakery.
[0038] Thus, in this manner, when a route driver arrives at a
bakery in the morning, he merely has to check for carts that are
bar-coded for delivery to retailers that are on his route, and load
those carts onto his truck for delivery to the retailers. It is
important to note that, in one embodiment, individual trays within
each cart may also be marked and, thus, targeted to specific
retailers.
[0039] In one embodiment of the invention, the method may employ an
optical bar-code reader, or similar device. In practice, each bread
bag that is to be filled bears a bar code, or similar data (or
indicia) that identifies the type of bread that is to be loaded
(e.g., white bread) in that bag. The optical reader is placed
underneath the table holding the bags to be filled, and can be used
to identify each bag just prior to filling with bread.
[0040] Given that most bagging systems run at the speed of about 50
bags per minute, from a practical standpoint, it is sometimes
difficult to achieve precision in every production run. More
specifically, if, for example, 500 bags of white bread are going to
be loaded, it may turn out that 503 bags are, in fact, filled. This
would mean that 3 bags might have improperly received coupon
packets that were not intended for those bags. Given this scenario,
the optical reader, in electronic communication with the
coupontargeting system, helps ensure that the 501.sup.st bag, which
bears a different bar code or bears a different label or sticker
than the 500.sup.th bag, receives its own specialized packet,
rather than a packet left over from the previous run.
[0041] In an embodiment of the invention, the method can include a
bag-marking device. In this embodiment, once a package of bread has
been filled and the proper packet of advertising materials
included, the marking device marks the outside of each package with
a label, flag, tag, or other similar attachment, that is
color-coded for the major chains, and informs consumers of the
contents of the packets (e.g., value of coupons that have been
included with the bag). In this way, the marking device is used in
the distribution of the bags and, thus, the promotional
materials.
[0042] In another embodiment of the instant invention, multiple
packages of bread are wrapped in a larger wrapper. In this
embodiment, the store-specific targeting is achieved and/or
enhanced by collaboration among the various entities and computer
systems discussed above in order to include either: (1) a packet of
coupons with each of the smaller bags only (i.e., a packet of
coupons is included with each bag of bread); (2) a packet of
coupons with the larger bag only (i.e., no packet of coupons is
included with the bags of bread themselves); or (3) a packet of
coupons with each bag of bread, as well as a packet of coupons with
the larger bag. Thus, as an example, where two bags of bread are
wrapped in a large wrapper, the entire package can be used to carry
up to three (3) different packets of coupons, which greatly
enhances the targeted marketing and advertising capabilities
offered by the instant invention.
[0043] In yet another embodiment, the packet of coupons may be
included inside each bag of bread by insertion into the bag at or
about the time when each loaf of bread is being wrapped. Thus, in a
multi-bagging application of the type described immediately above,
packets of coupons may be inserted in each of the bags of bread, as
well as the larger wrapper enclosing the bags of bread.
[0044] It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art
that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to
specific embodiments disclosed herein. Thus, the present invention
is intended to encompass all of the embodiments disclosed and
suggested herein as defined by the claims appended hereto and any
equivalents thereof
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