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The United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Diebold Inc. seven patents for its Campaign Office software, which enables bank ATMs to target cardholders with specific marketing messages. Campaign Office operates on Diebold's Agilis software platform, which enables ATMs to identify individual users by their card numbers. The software's server includes a database containing customer information and a table that defines marketing screens and messages for noncustomers, Diebold says. Bank employees tag the cards for special offers tied to cardholders' histories of paying on time, their bank balances or their credit scores, Lyndsey Rojas, Diebold marketing manager for software, tells CardLine Global sister publication ATM&Debit News. Banks' offers include student loans, car loans and renewal rates for customers with expiring certificates of deposit. The machine then directs the customer to a bank employee who can provide further assistance. Campaign Office allows banks to differentiate themselves from the competition and to increase customer loyalty, says Charles E. Ducey Jr., Diebold senior vice president, global development and services. Government agencies also are using ATMs to deliver messages to cardholders. Scotland's government, for example, is using the nation's ATM network to dispense advice on avoiding debt during the holiday season, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's deputy first minister, says in a statement. Government officials did not say how many ATMs it would promote the campaign, called "The National Debtline."
