EXPANSION OF TARGETING CRITERIA BASED ON ADVERTISEMENT PERFORMANCE

• US 20160019581A1
• Filed: 07/18/2014
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wu, Gang, Cheng, Haibin, Zhang, Xiao, Arnoux, Boris Pierre, Bui, Anh Phuong
• Granted Patent: US 10,318,983 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

An online system selects advertisements for presentation a user based on characteristics of the user. The online system monitors performance of advertisements based on a goal for the advertisement and a time interval for achieving the goal. During a time period within the time interval, the online system determines an actual performance of the advertisement and compares the actual performance to a portion of the goal associated with the time period. If the actual performance does not satisfy the portion of the goal associated with the time period, the online system expands targeting criteria of the advertisement to increase a number of users eligible to be presented with the advertisement.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an advertisement request including targeting criteria specifying a target audience of users of an online system eligible to be presented with the advertisement request, the advertisement request specifying a goal and a time interval for achieving the goal;

determining an actual performance of the advertisement request during a time period within the time interval based on presentation of advertisement content included in the advertisement request to users of an online system;

comparing the actual performance of the advertisement request to a portion of the goal associated with the time period; and

responsive to the comparison determining that the actual performance of the advertisement request does not satisfy the portion of the goal associated with the time period, expanding one or more of the targeting criteria included in the advertisement request for subsequently identified opportunities to present advertisement content to increase a number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the actual performance of the advertisement request to the portion of the goal associated with the time period comprises:

determining whether the actual performance of the advertisement request is less than a threshold amount below the portion of the goal associated with the time period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the actual performance of the advertisement request does not satisfy the portion of the goal associated with the time period if the actual performance of the advertisement request is less than the threshold amount below the portion of the goal associated with the time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein expanding one or more of the targeting criteria included in the advertisement for subsequently identified opportunities to present advertisement content comprises:

identifying a user associated with a subsequently identified opportunity to present advertisement content; and

responsive to determining characteristics associated with the user do not satisfy the targeting criteria included in the advertisement request, determining a measure of affinity of the user for the advertisement content included in the advertisement request based at least in part on the characteristics associated with the user; and

determining whether the user is included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request based at least in part on the measure of affinity of the user for the advertisement included in the advertisement request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the user is included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request based at least in part on the measure of affinity of the user for the advertisement content included in the advertisement request comprises:

including the user in the target audience if the measure of affinity of the user for the advertisement content included in the advertisement request equals or exceeds a cutoff value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the goal comprises a budget.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the actual performance of the advertisement request during the time period within the time interval based on presentation of content included in the advertisement request to users of the online system comprises:

determining an average spending rate based on the time period within the time interval; and

determining a spending rate to satisfy the budget during the time interval based at least in part on the budget, the time interval, and an amount of time remaining in the time interval.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein comparing the actual performance of the advertisement request to the portion of the goal associated with the time period comprises:

determining the actual performance of the advertisement request does not satisfy the portion of the goal associated with the time period if the average spending rate is less than the spending rate by a threshold amount.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein expanding one or more of the targeting criteria included in the advertisement request for subsequently identified opportunities to present advertisement content to increase a number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request comprises:

determining a maximum ratio of an expanded number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request to an unexpanded number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request; and

expanding one or more of the targeting criteria included in the advertisement request so the number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with the advertisement content from the advertisement request is increased subject to the determined maximum ratio.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the goal comprises a number of impressions of the advertisement request.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive an advertisement request including targeting criteria specifying a target audience of users of an online system eligible to be presented with the advertisement request, the advertisement request specifying a goal and a time interval for achieving the goal;

determine an actual performance of the advertisement request during a time period within the time interval based on presentation of advertisement content included in the advertisement request to users of an online system;

compare the actual performance of the advertisement request to a portion of the goal associated with the time period; and

responsive to the comparison determining that the actual performance of the advertisement request does not satisfy the portion of the goal associated with the time period, expand one or more of the targeting criteria included in the advertisement request for subsequently identified opportunities to present advertisement content to increase a number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein compare the actual performance of the advertisement request to the portion of the goal associated with the time period comprises:

determine whether the actual performance of the advertisement request is less than a threshold amount below the portion of the goal associated with the time period.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the actual performance of the advertisement request does not satisfy the portion of the goal associated with the time period if the actual performance of the advertisement request is less than the threshold amount below the portion of the goal associated with the time period.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein expand one or more of the targeting criteria included in the advertisement for subsequently identified opportunities to present advertisement content comprises:

identify a user associated with a subsequently identified opportunity to present advertisement content; and

responsive to determining characteristics associated with the user do not satisfy the targeting criteria included in the advertisement request, determine a measure of affinity of the user for the advertisement content included in the advertisement request based at least in part on the characteristics associated with the user; and

determine whether the user is included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request based at least in part on the measure of affinity of the user for the advertisement included in the advertisement request.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein determine whether the user is included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request based at least in part on the measure of affinity of the user for the advertisement content included in the advertisement request comprises:

include the user in the target audience if the measure of affinity of the user for the advertisement content included in the advertisement request equals or exceeds a cutoff value.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the goal comprises a budget.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein determine the actual performance of the advertisement request during the time period within the time interval based on presentation of content included in the advertisement request to users of the online system comprises:

determine an average spending rate based on the time period within the time interval; and

determine a spending rate to satisfy the budget during the time interval based at least in part on the budget, the time interval, and an amount of time remaining in the time interval.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein compare the actual performance of the advertisement request to the portion of the goal associated with the time period comprises:

determine the actual performance of the advertisement request does not satisfy the portion of the goal associated with the time period if the average spending rate is less than the spending rate by a threshold amount.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein expand one or more of the targeting criteria included in the advertisement request for subsequently identified opportunities to present advertisement content to increase a number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request comprises:

determine a maximum ratio of an expanded number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request to an unexpanded number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with advertisement content from the advertisement request; and

expand one or more of the targeting criteria included in the advertisement request so the number of users included in the target audience eligible to be presented with the advertisement content from the advertisement request is increased subject to the determined maximum ratio.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the goal comprises a number of impressions of the advertisement request.