Method and Apparatus for Administering a Bidding Language for Online Advertising

• US 20100070322A1
• Filed: 09/16/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pennock, David M., Parkes, David, Lahaie, Sebastien, Amer-Yahia, Sihem
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for administering a bidding language for online advertising. In one example, the method includes providing an expressive bidding language that allows an advertiser to specify an ad campaign in a tree structure, receiving the ad campaign that is written in the expressive bidding language, translating the ad campaign into scripts, and using the scripts to access appropriate inventory from an ad inventory database.

Claims

1. A method of administering a bidding language for online advertising, the method comprising:

providing an expressive bidding language that allows an advertiser to specify an ad campaign in a tree structure;

receiving the ad campaign that is written in the expressive bidding language;

translating the ad campaign into scripts; and

using the scripts to access to appropriate inventory in an ad inventory database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tree structure includes at least one of:

a root node that stands alone, wherein the root node represents all possible consumers; and

at least one branch to one or more leaf nodes, wherein each leaf node represents a particular consumer segment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each node is associated with at least one of:

a value as specified by the advertiser; and

a volume constraint as specified by the advertiser.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a leaf node branching from a higher level node represents a user segment that is a narrower portion of the higher level node, and wherein the root node is a highest level node.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the scripts to carry out at least one of:

an update of an advertising budget;

an update to impressions statistics;

a setting of ad pricing;

an allocation of an ad; and

a spending management algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating an appropriate change at a particular node to correspond with a desired ad campaign update; and

providing the appropriate change as feedback to the advertiser.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the expressive bidding language is extensible with respect to at least one of:

a new targeting dimension; and

a new bidding mechanism.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking for unrecognized targeting dimensions, forbidden targeting dimensions, forbidden bids and forbidden volume constraints, wherein the expressive bidding language allows the advertiser to specify targeting along dimensions that certain publishers normally do not track.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

starting at the root node;

if the at least one branch exists, traversing down the at least one branch to nodes that may apply to a particular ad; and

summing values in traversed nodes to obtain an overall valuation of attributes along a traversed path.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising

receiving a new tree structure having a new node representing a change to the tree structure, wherein the new tree structure represents a new ad campaign;

and

translating the new ad campaign into scripts.

11. An apparatus for administering a bidding language for online advertising, wherein

the apparatus is configured for:

providing an expressive bidding language that allows an advertiser to specify an ad campaign in a tree structure;

receiving the ad campaign that is written in the expressive bidding language;

translating the ad campaign into scripts; and

using the scripts to access appropriate inventory in an ad inventory database.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the tree structure includes at least one of:

a root node that stands alone, wherein the root node represents all possible consumers; and

at least one branch to one or more leaf nodes, wherein each leaf node represents a particular consumer segment.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each node is associated with at least one of:

a value as specified by the advertiser; and

a volume constraint as specified by the advertiser.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein a leaf node branching from a higher level node represents a user segment that is a narrower portion of the higher level node, and wherein the root node is a highest level node.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further configured for using the scripts to carry out at least one of:

an update of an advertising budget;

an update to impressions statistics;

a setting of ad pricing;

an allocation of an ad; and

a spending management algorithm.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further configured for:

calculating an appropriate change at a particular node to correspond with a desired ad campaign update; and

providing the appropriate change as feedback to the advertiser.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the expressive bidding language is extensible with respect to at least one of:

a new targeting dimension; and

a new bidding mechanism.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further configured for checking for unrecognized targeting dimensions, forbidden targeting dimensions, forbidden bids and forbidden volume constraints, wherein the expressive bidding language allows the advertiser to specify targeting along dimensions that certain publishers normally do not track.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further configured for:

starting at the root node;

if the at least one branch exists, traversing down the at least one branch to nodes that may apply to a particular ad; and

summing values in traversed nodes to obtain an overall valuation of attributes along a traversed path.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further configured for:

receiving a new tree structure having a new node representing a change to the tree structure, wherein the new tree structure represents a new ad campaign; and

translating the new ad campaign into scripts.

21. A computer readable medium carrying one or more instructions for administering a bidding language for online advertising, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

providing an expressive bidding language that allows an advertiser to specify an ad campaign in a tree structure;

receiving the ad campaign that is written in the expressive bidding language;

translating the ad campaign into scripts; and

using the scripts to carry out an access to appropriate inventory from an ad inventory database.