System and method for segmenting and targeting audience members

• US 7,805,332 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2003
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilson, Joseph G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boveja; Namrata
• Application Number:
  US10/669,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20050027593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,560 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/14.66
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for delivering content to an audience member via one or more mediums based on an audience member profile are disclosed. Profile data for audience members may be initially collected from an offline source, such as a registration or subscription database. The profile data may be stored in a dedicated database. The initial profile data may be supplemented periodically with data reflecting online activity by the audience member. The combined offline and online profile data may be used to group the audience members into segments. Audience member segments may be used to identify audience members who are targeted to receive like content. An audience member'"'"'s inclusion in a segment may be indicated by storing a segment-targeting cookie on the audience member computer. Content may be delivered to the audience member based on identification of the segment in the segment-targeting cookie.

Claims

1. A method of delivering content in an HTTP client-server computer system, comprising the steps of:

receiving an image request from a client computer in response to transmission of a website page to the client computer, wherein said client computer includes a browser;

assigning a domain cookie containing a unique identifier for the browser of the client computer in response to receiving the image request;

storing profile data for the client in a database;

identifying the unique identifier for the client computer browser in the domain cookie;

accessing the profile data for the client from the database in response to identification of the unique identifier for the client computer browser;

associating the client computer with a segment of client computers based on the profile data;

transmitting a segment-targeting cookie, which includes a segment identifier for the segment of client computers, to the client computer, wherein said segment identifier is separate from said unique identifier;

receiving a request for a website page from the client computer; and

delivering content to the client computer audience member based on the segment identifier in response to receiving the request for the website page.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining the absence of a domain cookie with a unique identifier for the client computer browser in response to a request for transmission of a second website page to the client computer;

assigning a second domain cookie containing a unique identifier to the browser; and

transmitting the second domain cookie to the client computer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the client computer is associated with a default segment of client computers as a result of transmitting the second domain cookie to the client computer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a primary website domain that is related to a domain associated with the website page;

providing the computer with a primary website cookie associated with the primary website domain, said primary website cookie having the unique identifier for the client computer; and

modifying the domain cookie transmitted to the client computer in response to receiving the image request to contain the unique identifier for the client computer browser in response to transmission of the primary website cookie to the client computer.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

collecting profile data relating to the client; and

storing the collected profile data for the client in the database.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of collecting profile data includes collecting data from one or more sources selected from the group consisting of:

a database, website page requests, advertisement requests, user survey data, direct response data, and website search requests.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the segment of client computers is defined by rules that recognize any common affinity between two or more client computers.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is delivered to the client computer by a server selected from the group consisting of:

an advertisement server, an email server, a streaming media server, and a website server.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of associating the client computer with a segment of client computers further comprises the steps of:

comparing the profile data of a plurality of clients; and

forming a segment of client computers based on the comparison of client profile data.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

periodically collecting additional profile data for the client; and

periodically determining which client computer segments the client computer is associated with, based on the profile data.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the website page is delivered over a first digital medium, and wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

providing the client access to a second digital medium;

associating the client computer with the profile data such that the profile data is common for both the first and second digital mediums;

associating the client computer with a segment of client computers based on the common profile data; and

delivering additional content to the client computer via the first and second digital mediums based on the association of the client computer with the segment of client computers.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said segment-targeting cookie includes more than one segment identifier.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is an advertisement.

11. A method of delivering content to a client computer associated with a client based on client profile data, comprising the steps of:

storing client profile data in a database;

assigning a domain cookie containing a unique identifier to a browser associated with the client computer;

accessing profile data for the client stored in the database in response to identification of the unique identifier in the domain cookie;

associating the client computer with a segment of client computers based on the profile data;

identifying the segment of client computers at with a segment identifier included in a segment-targeting cookie, wherein said segment identifier is separate from said unique identifier;

transmitting the segment-targeting cookie to the client computer; and

delivering content to the client computer based on the segment identifier.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the profile data includes information from one or more sources selected from the group consisting of:

a database, website page requests, advertisement requests, user survey data, direct response data, and website search requests.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of associating the client computer with a segment of client computers further comprises the steps of:

comparing the profile data of a plurality of client computers; and

forming a segment of client computers based on the comparison of client profile data.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

periodically collecting additional profile data for the client; and

periodically determining which client computer segments the client computer is associated with based on the profile data.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the content is delivered to the client computer by a server selected from the group consisting of:

an advertisement server, an email server, a streaming media server, and a website page server.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the client computer segments are identified with segment identifiers included in the segment-targeting cookie.

20. A method of delivering targeted advertisements in an HTTP client-server computer system comprising:

receiving a request for content from a client computer;

transmitting the content to the client computer;

receiving a first cookie having client computer identifier data;

identifying the client computer from among a plurality of different client computers using the client computer identifier data included in the first cookie;

receiving a second cookie having content segment identifier data based on the content requested by the client computer, the content segment identifier data of the second cookie being different from the client identifier data of the first cookie;

classifying the client computer within at least one of a plurality of different client content segments based on the identification of the client computer using the client identifier data included in the first cookie and based on a plurality of client profile data stored in a database;

identifying a targeted advertisement from among a plurality of advertisements based on the classification of the client computer within the at least one of the plurality of different client content segments; and

transmitting the identified targeted advertisement to the client computer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the content segment identifier data identifies client computers that are to receive the same targeted advertisement based on the client profile data.