Method and apparatus for generating an electronic communication

An apparatus comprising at least one processor and a memory, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to configure the apparatus to:

• receiving a request to provide, via a network, an electronic communication, the electronic communication comprising a plurality of content slots, wherein each content slot of the plurality of content slots is defined as a particular region of the electronic communication, interaction with which triggering a specific computer operation;
• based on a particular medium of the electronic communication, select an electronic communication template, the electronic communication template comprising slot definition data identifying a physical location, type, and size of each of a plurality of available content slots to be populated with content, wherein each of the plurality of available content slots is configured to receive and display at least a portion of content received from a content generator;
• maintain a database comprising a plurality of content generators, each of the plurality of content generators comprising respective, independently executing, content selection logic and assignment preference logic, wherein each of the plurality of content generators configured to target generated content of the electronic communication to a particular user or group of users, to promote a particular promotion, set of promotions, or type of promotion;
• determine, using a processor and before creation or selection of content, in real-time, on a slot-by-slot basis, a particular content generator of the plurality of content generators for respectively supplying corresponding content for a particular content slot of the plurality of available content slots of the electronic communication, wherein non-promotion content selected by a non-promotion content generator is determined by examining which information is present for a particular consumer indicated by the selection parameters, determining which consumer information is missing, determining which missing information, if possessed, would most improve future electronic communications targeted to the consumer particular, and generating the non-promotion content to request the missing information with the highest expected value;
• receive, subsequent to the determination of the particular content generator of the plurality of content generators, from the particular content generator of the plurality of content generators, content selected by the particular content generator of the plurality of content generators, wherein reception is in parallel to reception of other content from at least one other content generator, and wherein the content selected based at least in part on the content selection logic of the particular content generator;
• and generate the electronic communication, the electronic communication displaying the content selected by the particular content generator.

A non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to configure an apparatus to:

• receive a request to provide, via a network, an electronic communication, the electronic communication comprising a plurality of content slots, wherein each content slot of the plurality of content slots is defined as a particular region of the electronic communication, interaction with which triggering a specific computer operation;
• based on a particular medium of the electronic communication, select an electronic communication template, the electronic communication template comprising slot definition data identifying a physical location, type, and size of each of a plurality of available content slots to be populated with content, wherein each of the plurality of available content slots is configured to receive and display at least a portion of content received from a content generator;
• maintain a database comprising a plurality of content generators, each of the plurality of content generators comprising respective, independently executing, content selection logic and assignment preference logic, wherein each of the plurality of content generators configured to target generated content of the electronic communication to a particular user or group of users, to promote a particular promotion, set of promotions, or type of promotion;
• determine, using a processor and before creation or selection of content, in real-time, on a slot-by-slot basis, a particular content generator of the plurality of content generators for respectively supplying corresponding content for a particular content slot of the plurality of available content slots of the electronic communication, wherein non-promotion content selected by a non-promotion content generator is determined by examining which information is present for a particular consumer indicated by the selection parameters, determining which consumer information is missing, determining which missing information, if possessed, would roost improve future electronic communications targeted to the consumer particular, and generating the non-promotion content to request the missing information with the highest expected value;
• receive, subsequent to the determination of the particular content generator of the plurality of content generators, from the particular content generator of the plurality of content generators, content selected by the particular content generator of the plurality of content generators, wherein reception is in parallel to reception of other content from at least one other content generator, and wherein the content selected based at least in part on the content selection logic of the particular content generator;
• and generate the electronic communication, the electronic communication displaying the content selected by the particular content generator.