ATTRIBUTION OF RESPONSES TO ADVERTISING

• US 20150324847A1
• Filed: 05/09/2014
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 2KDirect, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 2Kdirect, LLC
• Inventors: Thomas, Shane, Bonzi, Joe
• Granted Patent: US 11,157,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A facility for analyzing electronic advertising is described. The facility determines that a particular client device has been used to activate a first advertising message for a particular cause. In response, the facility identifies a second advertising message for that cause that was presented on the same client device at a time before the first advertising message was activated. In response, the facility determines that the activation of the first advertising message is at least partly attributable to the presentation of the second advertising message.

Claims

1. A method in a computing system for analyzing electronic advertising, comprising:

receiving a plurality of notifications, each notification of the plurality corresponding to activation of a search advertising message, each notification of the plurality comprising (1) an indication of a cause associated with the activated search advertising message, (2) a user identifier associated with the activation of the activated search advertising message, and (3) indications of additional advertising messages presented in connection with the user identifier at a time before the activation of the activated search advertising message, including information identifying a cause associated with each of the additional advertising messages;

for each received notification;

identifying any additional advertising messages with which are associated the same cause as is associated with the activated search advertising message; and

if at least one additional advertising message is identified, recording an indication that activation of the activated search advertising message should be at least partly attributed to presentation of the identified advertising messages.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional advertising messages are of one or more types other than search advertising messages.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional advertising messages are display advertising messages.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional advertising messages are search advertising messages.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein, in each of received plurality of notifications, (1) the indication of the cause associated with the activated search advertising message is a URL usable to retrieve a landing page for the activated search advertising message, and (2) the information identifying a cause associated with each of the additional advertising messages is, for each of the additional advertising messages, a URL usable to retrieve a landing page for the additional advertising message,

and wherein, for each received notification, identifying any additional advertising messages with which are associated the same cause as is associated with the activated search advertising message comprises identifying any additional advertising messages whose landing page URL matches the landing page URL for the activated search advertising message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each notification is received from a client device with which the user identifier of the notification is associated.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein each notification is an HTTP request, the method further comprising, for each received notification, responding to each notification with a redirect command identifying a landing page of the activated search advertising message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein, in each notification, (b) and (c) are included in a cookie portion of the notification.

9. One or more instances of computer-readable media collectively storing contents configured to perform a method for analyzing electronic advertising, the method comprising:

(a) determining that a distinguished client device has been used to activate an advertising message of a first type for a distinguished cause;

(b) in response to (a), identifying an advertising message of a second type for the distinguished cause that was presented on the distinguished client device at a time before the distinguished client device was used to activate the advertising message of the first type; and

(c) in response to (b), generating an indication that the activation of the advertising message of the first type is at least partly attributable to the presentation of the advertising message of the second type.

10. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 9 wherein the first type of advertising messages and the second type of advertising messages are different types.

11. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 9 wherein the first type of advertising messages and the second type of advertising messages are the same type.

12. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 9, further comprising receiving a notification that the distinguished client device has been used to activate the advertising message of the first type for the distinguished cause, the received notification indicating at least one advertising message of a second type that was presented on the distinguished client device at a time before the distinguished client device was used to activate the advertising message of the first type, and wherein (b) is performed using contents of the notification.

13. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving a notification that the distinguished client device has been used to activate the advertising message of the first type for the distinguished cause, the received notification containing a client identifier; and

using the client identifier contained in the received notification to retrieve from an information resource separate from the received notification indications of at least one advertising message of a second type that was presented on the distinguished client device at a time before the distinguished client device was used to activate the advertising message of the first type,

and wherein (b) is performed using the retrieved indications.

14. A method for analyzing electronic advertising, the method comprising:

(a) determining that an advertising message of a first type for a distinguished cause has been activated in connection with a distinguished user identifier;

(b) in response to (a), identifying an advertising message of a second type for the distinguished cause that was presented in connection with the distinguished user identifier at a time before activation of the advertising message of the first type; and

(c) in response to (b), generating an indication that the activation of the advertising message of the first type in connection with the distinguished user identifier is at least partly attributable to the presentation of the advertising message of the second type.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein activation of the advertising message of the first type occurred on a distinguished client device, and presentation of the advertising message of the second type also occurred on the distinguished client device.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein activation of the advertising message of the first type occurred on a first client device, and presentation of the advertising message of the second type also occurred on a second client device distinct from the first client device.

17. One or more computer memories collectively storing an advertising attribution data structure, the data structure comprising a plurality of entries, each entry comprising:

for an advertising message of a first type activated from a client device at a first time, an indication of an advertising message of a second type that was presented on the client device at a second time that is earlier than the first time, such that the contents of the data structure are adapted for use to evaluate the effect that presenting advertising messages of the second type has had on activation of advertising messages of the first type.

18. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein advertising messages of the first type are search advertising messages.

19. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein advertising messages of the second type are display advertising messages.

20. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein each entry further comprises information identifying the client device.

21. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein, in each entry, the indication of the advertising message of the second type comprises information identifying the advertising message of the second type.

22. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein, in each entry, the indication of the advertising message of the second type comprises information identifying the second type of advertising message.

23. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein, in each entry, the indication of the advertising message of the second type comprises information identifying a date on which the advertising message of the second type was presented on the client device.

24. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein, in each entry, the indication of the advertising message of the second type comprises information identifying a time on which the advertising message of the second type was presented on the client device.

25. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein each entry further comprises information identifying a date on which the advertising message of the first type was activated from the client device.

26. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein each entry further comprises information identifying a time at which the advertising message of the first type was activated from the client device.

27. The computer memories of claim 17 wherein at least one entry further comprises an indication of a plurality of advertising messages of the second type that were presented on the client device at times all earlier than the first time.