Optimization of targeted advertisements based on user profile information

• US 8,060,520 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koran, Joshua M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHONG H
• Application Number:
  US12/722,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 707/713, 707/759, 707/765, 707/999.003, 707/999.005, 707/769, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 707/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method to facilitate optimization of targeted advertisements based on user profile information are described. A set of event keywords associated with an event or action performed by the user or an agent of the user is identified in a data storage module. User profile information, if available, is further retrieved from the data storage module. A set of profile keywords is further identified from the retrieved user profile information and the set of profile keywords is compared to the set of event keywords based on predetermined business rules to determine a set of resulting keywords. Advertising information related to the set of resulting keywords is further retrieved from an advertising storage module. The retrieved advertisements are ranked based on one or more parameters within one or more keyword/advertisement matrices based on user, segment, or time parameters, and, finally, top ranked advertisements are transmitted to the user or the agent of the user for further display in connection with the requested content.

Claims

1. A method of targeting based on user information, the method comprising:

identifying content keywords associated with content information requested by a user over a network;

retrieving user profile keywords for said user;

retrieving at least one advertisement targeting said content keywords and a bid price corresponding to said advertisement;

determining if said bid price, exceeds a revenue threshold;

wherein if said bid price does not exceed the revenue threshold, generating modified keywords from said content keywords and said user profile keywords, wherein the modified keywords comprise the content keywords and the profile keywords;

retrieving advertising information corresponding to said modified keywords;

retrieving user profile information associated with said user, said user profile information comprising at least one matrix that comprises, for said modified keywords and said advertising information, click-through-rates (“

CTR”

) associated with said user and a bid price for said advertising information;

filtering said advertising information to select advertisements based on said bid price for said advertising information and said corresponding CTR identified in said matrix for said modified keywords; and

providing said advertising information selected to be displayed for said user in connection with said content information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said identifying the content keywords further comprises:

receiving a search query from said user; and

parsing said query to retrieve said modified keywords associated with content information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said identifying the content keywords further comprises:

receiving web page information associated with a web page accessed by said user; and

retrieving said modified keywords from said web page information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one matrix comprises a user matrix comprising CTRs for each user and a bid price for said advertising information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one matrix comprises segment-based matrices comprising CTRs for at least one of geographic, demographic or gender segments for said user and a bid price for said advertising information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one matrix comprises time-based matrices comprising CTRs for said user during predetermined periods of time.

7. A system for targeting based on user information, the system comprising:

at least one processing server, comprising a processor and memory, configured to identify content keywords associated with content information requested by a user over a network, to retrieve user profile keywords for said user, to retrieve at least one advertisement targeting said content keywords and a bid price corresponding to said advertisement, to determine if said bid price exceeds a revenue threshold, wherein if said bid price does not exceed the revenue threshold, to generate modified keywords from said content keywords and said user profile keywords wherein the modified keywords comprise the content keywords and the profile keywords , to retrieve advertising information corresponding to said keywords, and to retrieve user profile information associated with said user, said user profile information comprising at least one matrix that comprises, for said modified keywords and said advertising information, click-through-rates (“

CTR”

) associated with said user and a bid price for said advertising information; and

at least one advertising server, comprising a processor and memory, coupled to said at least one processing server to filter said advertising information to select advertisements based on said bid price for said advertising information and said corresponding CTR identified in said matrix for said set of modified keywords and to provide advertising information selected to be displayed for said user in connection with said content information.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said at least one processing server further receives a search query from said user and parses said query to retrieve said modified keywords associated with content information.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein said at least one processing server further receives web page information associated with a web page accessed by said user and retrieves said modified keywords from said web page information.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein said at least one matrix comprises a user matrix comprising CTRs for each user and a bid price for said advertising information.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein said at least one matrix comprises segment-based matrices comprising CTRs for at least one of geographic, demographic or gender segments for said user and a bid price for said advertising information.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein said at least one matrix comprises time-based matrices comprising CTRs for said user during predetermined periods of time.

13. A computer readable medium for storing executable instructions, which, when executed in a processing system, cause said processing system to perform targeting, the instructions for:

identifying content keywords associated with content information requested by a user over a network;

retrieving user profile keywords for said user;

retrieving at least one advertisement targeting said content keywords and bid price corresponding to said advertisement;

determining if said bid price exceeds a revenue threshold;

wherein if said bid price does not exceed the revenue threshold, generating modified keywords from said content keywords and said user profile keywords, wherein the modified keywords comprise the content keywords and the profile keywords;

retrieving advertising information corresponding to said modified keywords;

retrieving user profile information associated with said user, said user profile information comprising at least one matrix that comprises, for said modified keywords and said advertising information, click-through-rates (“

CTR”

) associated with said user and a bid price for said advertising information;

filtering said advertising information to select advertisements based on said bid price for said advertising information and said corresponding CTR identified in said matrix for said modified keywords; and

providing said advertising information selected to be displayed for said user in connection with said content information.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said instructions for identifying the content keywords further comprises instructions for:

receiving a search query from said user; and

parsing said query to retrieve said modified keywords associated with content information.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said instructions for identifying the content keywords further comprises instructions for:

receiving web page information associated with a web page accessed by said user; and

retrieving said modified keywords from said web page information.

16. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said at least one matrix comprises a user matrix comprising CTRs for each user and a bid price for said advertising information.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said at least one matrix comprises segment-based matrices comprising CTRs for at least one of geographic, demographic or gender segments for said user and a bid price for said advertising information.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein said at least one matrix comprises time-based matrices comprising CTRs for said user during predetermined periods of time.