TARGETING ONLINE ADS BASED ON POLITICAL DEMOGRAPHICS

• US 20140278980A1
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audience Partners, LLC (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audience Partners, LLC (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dittus, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,092,805 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating and targeting of online ads to voters within a selected political demographic are presented. Audience targeting may be accomplished in several ways including: geo-targeting; contextual targeting; behavioral targeting; site placement; and targeted household television ads. This segment or neighborhood level targeting allows more granularity based upon, for example, hot topics and people interested in those topics based upon where populations of people live (i.e., the location of the household) and voter registration. In this manner, a candidate may delivery an ad in order to influence a select group of people in a particular location. In some embodiments, the ad is delivered by dropping and later reading a tracking cookie that associates the voter'"'"'s browser with political demographic information.

Claims

1. A method for targeting messages to voters comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of first records for a first group of voters, each including political demographic information associated with a first voter;

determining the likely identity of the first voter browsing a first website;

creating a cookie that correlates a browser of the first voter to at least a subset of the political demographic information associated with the first voter using a processor;

sending the cookie to the browser of the first voter across the internet,

wherein the cookie is configured to allow subsequent association of the political demographic information with the browser at a second website.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of causing an advertisement to be transmitted to the browser when the cookie is detected at the second website.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining if the political demographic information associated with the cookie matches as selected demographic criteria to determine whether to bid on an advertisement impression.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a unique identifier of the cookie cannot be used to determine the identity of the first voter.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a record of the cookie in a second group of records that can be shared with other partners to determine which browsers correspond to selected demographic criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the political demographic information includes apolitical party associated with the first voter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the subset of the political demographic information includes at least one voting district associated with the first voter.

8. A method for displaying a message to potential voters comprising the steps of:

receiving information from a browser that includes at least one cookie identifier that correlates a first set of political demographic information associated with a likely identity of a user of the browser with the browser;

receiving a second set of political demographic information that includes information for targeting advertisements to potential voters;

comparing-the first and the second sets of political demographic information to determine a responsive set of cookies that match the second set of political demographic criteria;

receiving a request to serve an ad impression to the browser; and

requesting, automatically using a processor, display of an ad impression to the browser if at least one of the cookies is among the responsive set of cookies.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second set of political demographic information includes at least one political district.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first set of political demographic information includes at least at a political party associated with the likely identity of the user.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising automatically generating, using the processor, a bid for the right to display the ad impression.

12. A method for targeting a message to selected potential voters comprising the steps of:

providing an electronic map interface configured to allow a user to select political demographic criteria to define a target group of voters;

determining a subset of registered voters in a database that are part of the target group;

selecting a message to display to the subset of voters; and

automatically requesting electronic display the message to users of a group of electronic devices who have a likely identity of one of the voters in the subset of voters.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of automatically requesting electronic display of a message comprises requesting display of an advertisement to a subset of cable, IPTV, mobile or satellite TV subscribers whose household includes at least one member that is in the subset of voters.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of automatically requesting electronic display of the message comprises bidding on ad impressions to be displayed on an electronic device associated with at least one member that is in the subset of voters.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of automatically requesting electronic display of the message comprises requesting display of the message as an ad impression on an electronic device, which is coupled to a cable, satellite or mobile network and associated with at least one member that is in the subset of voters.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein a user of a browser on one of the group of electronic devices is identified as matching-selected demographic criteria based on at least one tracking cookie placed on the browser.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic map interface allows a user to select the political party affiliation of voters to target with the message.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic map interface allows a user to select at least one electoral criterion, voting geography and associated media network geographies.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising bidding on an ad exchange for ad impressions associated, with a browser running on the electronic device.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of identifying at least one electronic device associated with the subset of electronic records is performed by a cable provider and the electronic device is associated with at least one cable subscriber.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the electronic device is a set top box associated with at least one household and is configured to display five TV to viewers in the household.

19. A method for targeting a message to selected potential voters comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for displaying one or more advertisements to a group of individuals, the request including selected political demographic criteria to define the group;

determining, via a processor, a subset of electronic records of a database that match the selected political demographic criteria;

identifying at least one electronic device associated with the subset of electronic records; and

transmitting the one or more advertisements to the electronic device.