METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CLASSIFYING AN AUDIENCE IN A CONTENT-BASED NETWORK

• US 20110015989A1
• Filed: 07/15/2009
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Samame, Eduardo G., Santangelo, Bryan, Tidwell, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 8,935,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26225 involving billing parameters, e.g. priority for subscribers of premium services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for identifying, distributing, and/or utilizing data regarding audience qualities within an advertisement management system. In one embodiment, the methods and apparatus of the present invention provide a technique for classifying data collected about an audience, and creating and grouping qualifiers to those classifications. Methods and apparatus for managing an advertising inventory via a management system, and using the aforementioned audience data, are also disclosed. The inventory is defined in one variant by predicted secondary content insertion opportunities and a particular audience of the primary content associated with the insertion opportunity. Subscriber privacy and anonymity is also optionally maintained via e.g., hashing or encrypting data relating to the CPE and/or subscriber, thus ensuring that audience data is not traceable to a specific user account.

Claims

1. An advertising management apparatus for use in a content delivery network, comprising:

computerized apparatus comprising a processor and at least one storage device in data communication therewith, said at least one storage device storing a computer program configured to, when executed;

access first data regarding one or more target audience qualities of an advertisement;

access second data regarding one or more audiences at an insertion opportunity; and

generate data relating to the quality of a match between said first data and said second data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computerized apparatus comprises a computer or server disposed within an extant advertising insertion system of said network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second data comprises advertising inventory, said inventory comprising information relating to:

(i) said insertion opportunity; and

(ii) an audience associated with said placement opportunity.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said information relating to said audience of said second data is obtained from at least one of:

(i) records relating to one or more subscribers of said network maintained by an operator of said network, or (ii) data obtained by said operator of said network via respective CPE of said one or more subscribers.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer program is further configured to, when executed, select one or more advertisements for insertion at said opportunity based at least in part on said data relating to the quality of said match.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

said generation of said data regarding said quality of said match comprises determining, for a selected delivery platform, a projection of future demand for delivery of content via said delivery platform; and

said selection of said one or more advertisements is based at least in part on said projection.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said projection is based at least in part on a linear regression of historical usage data of said delivery platform.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said selection is based at least in part on a relationship between the subject matter of said one or more advertisements and that of at least a portion of primary content into which said one or more advertisements are being inserted.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said selection is based at least in part on one or more advertising campaign goals provided by an advertiser, said advertising campaign comprising a plurality of advertisements.

10. A method of creating and maintaining an advertisement campaign comprising:

developing one or more descriptive data files for each of a plurality of advertisements, said advertisements being associated with a single advertiser, said descriptive data files indicating;

(i) one or more characteristics of a target audience thereof, and (ii) a relative importance of each of said one or more characteristics;

creating one or more policies for the presentation of each of said plurality of advertisements, said policies based at least in part on a delivery platform for said presentation and a level of service of said advertiser;

utilizing said descriptive data files and said policies to estimate a rate of placement of said individual ones of said plurality of advertisements with respect to a predetermined set of upcoming placement opportunities;

generating a plurality of records documenting instances of placement of each of said plurality of advertisements; and

utilizing said plurality of records to determine whether placement of each of said plurality of advertisements meets a predetermined criterion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein if said criterion is not met, modifying said relative importance of individual ones of said one or more characteristics or one or more of said policies.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising utilizing said plurality of records to charge said advertiser.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said level of placement is based at least in part on a subscription level of said advertiser.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said instances of placement of each of said plurality of advertisements is based at least in part on configuration requirements of each of said plurality of advertisements.

15. An apparatus for managing a plurality of secondary content, the apparatus comprising:

a data interface adapted to receive a plurality of descriptive data regarding a plurality of secondary content;

an user interface adapted to enable a user to establish one or more rules for selection of individual ones of said plurality of secondary content; and

a processor adapted to run at least one computer program to;

determine, based at least in part on said descriptive data and said one or more rules, a likelihood of an occurrence of placement opportunities for which individual ones of said plurality of secondary content may be selected; and

if said occurrence occurs outside of a predetermined range, adjust said descriptive data or said one or more rules.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said program is further adapted to determine one or more aspects of a system configuration necessary for presentation of each of said plurality of secondary content.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said system configuration information is further utilized in determining said occurrence.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said determination of one or more aspects of a system configuration necessary for presentation of each of said plurality of secondary content comprises:

(i) determination of the type of said secondary content, and (ii) determination of whether said type of said secondary content is acceptable for use with a delivery platform selected for delivery of primary content into which said secondary content is to be inserted.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an interface for providing an estimate of said occurrence to a secondary content provider associated with said plurality of secondary content.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an interface for receiving information regarding an audience of upcoming placement opportunities, said information being used by said computer program in determining said occurrence.

21. A method of doing business in a content-based network, comprising:

obtaining data regarding a plurality of secondary content;

determining whether said plurality of secondary content is compatible with a system configuration;

establishing one or more rules for selection of individual ones of said plurality of secondary content;

estimating a frequency of selection of said individual ones of said plurality of secondary content; and

providing said estimate of said frequency to a secondary content provider associated with each of said individual ones of said plurality of secondary content.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said data regarding said plurality of secondary content comprises information regarding one or more characteristics of a target audience thereof.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each of said plurality of secondary content is associated with one or more descriptive data files, said data files comprising said data regarding each of said plurality of secondary content

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said act of determining comprises determining if said secondary content is compatible based at least in part on a geographic location of a recipient thereof.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein said act of determining comprises determining a type of secondary content to be presented based at least in part on an intended delivery platform.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said one or more rules for selection comprise MSO established rules, and wherein a set of rules are applied to more than one of said plurality of secondary content, said more than one of said plurality of secondary content comprising secondary content relating to the same advertiser.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising presenting a selected one of said plurality of secondary content to one or more users of said network.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising generating a record relating to said presentation of said individual ones of said plurality of secondary content.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein said act of estimating a frequency of selection is based at least in part on:

(i) said data regarding said plurality of secondary content, (ii) data regarding an audience of at least one upcoming insertion opportunity, and (iii) said one or more rules.

30. The method of claim 21, further comprising, if said frequency of selection is determined to be insufficient, making one or more adjustments to said data regarding said secondary content or said one or more rules.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said one or more adjustments to said data regarding said secondary content comprises adjusting a weight or variance associated with individual ones of a plurality of characteristics of a target audience of said secondary content.

32. A method of implementing an advertising campaign, comprising:

receiving first information regarding one or more parameters of said campaign;

receiving second information regarding one or more placement opportunities for advertisements;

receiving third information regarding an audience associated with said one or more placement opportunities; and

selecting one or more advertisements that;

(i) are a match for said audience;

(ii) are compatible with said placement opportunity; and

(iii) are consistent with said one or more parameters.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said receiving second information regarding one or more placement opportunities and said third information regarding said audience comprises receiving an advertising inventory data structure having both said second and third information contained therein.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein said selecting one or more advertisements that are a match for said audience comprises selecting one or more advertisements whose target audience has at least a first level of similarity to said audience associated with said one or more placement opportunities.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said selecting one or more advertisements that are compatible with said placement opportunity comprises selecting one or more advertisement that can fit into a time slot associated with said opportunity, and that are compatible with a delivery platform associated with said opportunity.