Microsoft Invents Price-Gouging the Least Influential

theodp writes "In the world envisioned by Microsoft's just-published patent application for Social Marketing, monopolists will maximize revenue by charging prices inversely related to the perceived influence an individual has on others. Microsoft gives an example of a pricing model that charges different people $0, $5, $10, $20, or $25 for the identical item based on the influence the purchaser wields. A presentation describing the revenue optimization scheme earned one of the three inventors applause (MS-Research video), and the so-called 'influence and exploit' strategies were also featured at WWW 2008 (PDF). The invention jibes nicely with Bill Gates's pending patents for identifying influencers. Welcome to the brave new world of analytics."

Comments

Works for me

[ironicsky]

Hey, works for me... Microsoft gave me a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit for hosting a Windows 7 party... I am influencial, I get free software!

Re:Works for me

[Vintermann]

The golden rule of multi-level marketing: Although friendship cannot be bought, it can still be redeemed for cash.

TOOL

[Anonymous Coward]

You sir are a tool, and apparently happy to be one.

There's only one thing to do!

[Interoperable]

Let's all friend each other on Facebook...the entire /. community. We will all be considered exceptionally influential and will therefore be given free stuff.

Re:There's only one thing to do!

[gbarules2999]

Or we could make a website where we all chill and talk about the latest news! Yeah, and we could come up with a bunch of lame meems that spread through the internet, just to show how influential we really are! Sounds kick ass to me.

Perfect.

[selven]

Now nobody else can do it. Can I have my $150 Photoshop now?

Bing

[Tom]

And someone just said yesterday that the privacy policy of Bing is better than the one for Google.

Looks like they have the next few revisions already in mind, with substantial changes.

Cool

[FlyByPC]

I, for one, welcome the new opportunity to game the system. I mean pricing scheme.

Yay!

[arun84h]

Only 5000 more rep and I'll be exalted with the Microsoft faction! Discounts abound!

This is ideal for a kick in the nuts analogy

[KickInNutsAnalogyGuy]

Consider the following: You've been tasked with junk-kicking the man business of a certain number of individuals. The parameters of your task are only concerned with the number of people junk-kicked; you decide which people's man business gets junk-kicked to meet your assigned quota. Are you going to junk-kick Vladamir Putin or Osama Bin Laden? How about Kim Jong-il? Tom Cruise? I would think not. That some of the aforementioned people might deserve a junk-kick in their man business matters not. They all have massive influence and could easily make you: disappear, die, rot in prison, or a level 5 Thetan.

The obvious targets for a junk-kick in the man business would be individuals with very little influence: Luxembourgians, educated American voters, Gary Coleman, The Jackson family sans Michael, and etc. These targets would have little recourse other than to accept a good junk-kick in the man business. In fact, some groups are repeatedly being junk-kicked in the man business (read: educated American Voters).

I think it's safe to say that a lack of influence == junk-kick in your man business.

Re:Well...

[Phrogman]

And their prices will drop accordingly :P

Re:Already an established business practice

[PopeRatzo]

undocumented common sense and intuition

I believe Microsoft holds those patents as well, although they appear to be saving them for some future occasion.

Re:Profit with no knowledge: How? Abuse.

[Nazlfrag]

No, Apples program involves tracking sales of black polo-neck jumpers.