SYSTEM FOR MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERNET BASED ADVERTISING OR MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

摘要

A system for measuring the effectiveness of an Internet-based advertisingcampaignwherein e-mail messages are sent to recipients inviting them to visit adestination web site wherefurther information is provided about the product/service being offered. Thesystem incorporatesan HTTP hypertext link in each e-mail which points to an intermediate web siteand whichincludes information pertaining to the identity of the destination web site.When the link isactuated or clicked through, the recipient's browser sends a web site requestmessage includingthe identification information to a server hosting the intermediate web site.The serverconsequently records the actuation of the link, thereby compiling statisticson the hit rate, andthen redirects the recipient's browser to the destination web site.Embodiments of the inventionalso track pass-alongs (i.e., where the original recipient passes a copy ofthe e-mail to a friend),and in the event the destination web site is an e-commerce site where theadvertisedproduct/service may be purchased, details of the purchase.