Customized Distribution of Advertising Impressions

• US 20090037267A1
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Robison, Davi K., Gardner, Robert D., Ketchum, Russell K., Duggal, Jagpreet S., Smolyanov, Alexandr Y.
• Application Number:
  US11/832,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037267A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.480
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0249 based upon budgets or funds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule

Abstract

Among other things, a computer-implemented method for customizing the distribution of advertising impressions includes generating a target number of advertising impressions for one or more advertising categories based, at least in part, on a non-uniform percentage distribution of advertising impressions for an advertising campaign, the percentage distribution corresponding to the one or more advertising categories. A determination is made on whether enough advertising inventory is available to fulfill the target number of advertising impressions. When a shortage of available inventory is detected in the one or more advertising categories, an actual number of advertising impressions for the one or more advertising categories is generated.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating a target number of advertising impressions for one or more advertising categories based, at least in part, on a non-uniform percentage distribution of advertising impressions for an advertising campaign, the percentage distribution corresponding to the one or more advertising categories;

determining whether enough advertising inventory is available to fulfill the target number of advertising impressions; and

when a shortage of available inventory is detected in the one or more advertising categories, generating an actual number of advertising impressions for the one or more advertising categories.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining the non-uniform percentage distribution of advertising impressions from an advertiser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the actual number of advertising impressions for the one or more advertising categories comprises modifying the non-uniform percentage distribution based on an overflow parameter.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising obtaining the overflow parameter from an advertiser.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the target number against the actual number of advertising impressions; and

based on the comparison, applying at least one compensation scheme to minimize a difference between the target number and the actual number.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein applying at least one compensation scheme comprises at least one of:

setting the target number of impressions as a maximum number of target impressions;

modifying the non-uniform percentage distribution; and

reducing a maximum number of target impressions.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the obtaining a non-uniform percentage distribution corresponding to one or more advertising categories comprises:

enabling the advertiser to select the one or more advertising categories from a group that includes station tiers, station formats, listener demographics, geographical markets, dayparts, and days of a week; and

enabling the advertiser to select the non-uniform percentage distribution that corresponds to the selected one or more advertising categories.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein enabling the advertiser to select the one or more advertising categories from a group that includes geographical markets, dayparts, and days of a week comprises:

enabling the advertiser to select one geographical market and two or more dayparts for the selected geographical market;

or

enabling the advertiser to select two or more geographical markets and one or more dayparts for each selected geographical market.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising enabling the advertiser to select one or more days of a week for each selected geographical market.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reserving an initial number of impressions for each advertising category, wherein the initial number is less than the target number; and

incrementally increasing the initial number until the shortage in inventory is detected or the target number is reached.

11. A system comprising:

a user input device; and

one or more computer systems coupled to the user input device, the one or more computer systems including a display and a processor configured to provide a graphical user interface that includes

an input selector operable to obtain a user selection of one or more advertising categories and a non-uniform percentage distribution of advertising impressions for an advertising campaign, the obtained percentage distribution corresponding to the selected one or more advertising categories; and

a display region operable to display a target number of advertising impressions generated for the one or more advertising categories based, at least in part, on the obtained percentage;

wherein the one or more computer systems are configured to

determine whether enough advertising inventory is available to fulfill the target number of advertising impressions; and

when a shortage of available inventory is detected in the one or more advertising categories, generate an actual number of advertising impressions for the one or more advertising categories.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein

the input selector of the graphical user interface is further operable to obtain a overflow parameter that modifies the non-uniform percentage distribution when activated;

and

the one or more computer systems are further configured to

detect a shortage of available advertising inventory in the one or more advertising categories;

activate the obtained overflow parameter to modify the non-uniform percentage distribution based on the detected shortage; and

generate the actual number of advertising impressions based on the modified non-uniform percentage distribution.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computer systems are further configured to

compare the target number against the actual number of advertising impressions;

and

based on the comparison, apply at least one compensation scheme to minimize a difference between the target number and the actual number.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more computer systems are configured to apply the at least one compensation scheme by performing at least one of:

setting the target number of impressions as a maximum number of target impressions;

modifying the non-uniform percentage distribution; and

reducing a maximum number of target impressions.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the input selector of the graphical user interface is further operable to:

receive advertiser selection of the one or more advertising categories from a group that includes geographical markets, station tiers, station formats, listener demographics, dayparts, and days of a week; and

receive advertiser selection of the non-uniform percentage distribution that corresponds to the selected one or more advertising categories.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the input selector of the graphical user interface is further operable to receive advertiser selection of one geographical market and two or more dayparts for the selected geographical market;

or receive advertiser selection of two or more geographical markets and one or more dayparts for each selected geographical market.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the input selector of the graphical user interface is further operable to receive advertiser selection of one or more days of a week for each selected geographical market.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computer systems are configured to:

reserving an initial number of impressions for each advertising category, wherein the initial number is less than the target number; and

incrementally increasing the initial number until the shortage in inventory is detected or the target number is reached.

19. A computer program product, embodied on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

generating a target number of advertising impressions for one or more advertising categories based, at least in part, on a non-uniform percentage distribution of advertising impressions for an advertising campaign, the percentage distribution corresponding to the one or more advertising categories;

determining whether enough advertising inventory is available to fulfill the target number of advertising impressions; and

when a shortage of available inventory is detected in the one or more advertising categories, generating an actual number of advertising impressions for the one or more advertising categories.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to obtain the non-uniform percentage distribution of advertising impressions from an advertiser.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to obtain the non-uniform percentage distribution of advertising impressions from the advertiser comprising:

enabling the advertiser to select the one or more advertising categories from a group that includes geographical markets, station tiers, station format, listener demographics, dayparts, and days of a week; and

enabling the advertiser to select the non-uniform percentage distribution that corresponds to the selected one or more advertising categories.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to

enable the advertiser to select one geographical market and two or more dayparts for the selected geographical market;

or

enable the advertiser to select two or more geographical markets and one or more dayparts for each selected geographical market.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to enable the advertiser to select one or more days of a week for each selected geographical market.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to

generate the actual number of advertising impressions for the one or more advertising categories by modifying the non-uniform percentage distribution based on an overflow parameter.

25. The computer program product of claim 19, further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to

compare the target number against the actual number of advertising impressions;

and

based on the comparison, apply at least one compensation scheme to minimize a difference between the target number and the actual number.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to apply the at least one compensation scheme by performing at least one of

setting the target number of impressions as a maximum number of target impressions;

modifying the non-uniform percentage distribution; and

reducing a maximum number of target impressions.

27. The computer program product of claim 19, further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

reserving an initial number of impressions for each advertising category, wherein the initial number is less than the target number; and

incrementally increasing the initial number until the shortage in inventory is detected or the target number is reached.

28. A method comprising:

obtaining data associated with an advertising campaign, wherein the data includes at least a budget and a non-uniform percentage distribution of advertising impressions corresponding to one or more advertising categories;

reserving an initial number of advertising impressions for the one or more advertising categories;

incrementally increasing the initial number to obtain the non-uniform percentage distribution until the budget is reached or a shortage of inventory is detected.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising applying an overflow parameter when the shortage of inventory is detected.

30. A system comprising:

a display means for presenting a graphical user interface operable to

obtain a user selection of one or more advertising categories;

obtain a non-uniform percentage distribution of advertising impressions for each selected advertising categories in an advertising campaign; and

display a target number of advertising impressions generated for the one or more advertising categories based, at least in part, on the specified percentage; and

one or more computing means for

determining whether enough advertising inventory is available to fulfill the target number of advertising impressions, and

when a shortage of available inventory is detected in the one or more advertising categories, generating an actual number of advertising impressions for the one or more advertising categories.