Methods and apparatus to determine impressions using distributed demographic information

• US 8,370,489 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Mazumdar, Mainak, Geraghty, Kevin, Heffernan, Ronan, Kalus, Mark, Paparo, Ari, Splaine, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US13/513,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/221, 709/224, 709/225, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to determine impressions using distributed demographic information are disclosed. A disclosed example method to monitor media exposure involves receiving, at a first internet domain, a first request from a client computer, the first request indicative of access to the media at the client computer. The example method also involves determining if the client computer is known. If the client computer is not known, a response is sent from the first internet domain to the client computer, the response to instruct the client computer to send a second request to a second internet domain, the second request to be indicative of access to the media at the client computer. If the client computer is known, an impression of the media is logged.

Claims

1. A method to monitor media exposure, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first internet domain, a first request from a client computer, the first request indicative of access to the media at the client computer;

determining if the client computer is known;

if the client computer is not known, sending, from the first internet domain, a response to the client computer, the response to instruct the client computer to send a second request to a second internet domain, the second request to be indicative of the access to the media at the client computer;

if the client computer is known, logging an impression of the media;

receiving, at the first internet domain, a third request from a second client computer, the third request indicative of access to second media at the second client computer, the client computer being a panelist computer and the second client computer being a non-panelist computer;

storing first demographic information associated with the panelist computer in association with the logged impression of the media based on the first request, the first demographic information corresponding to a panelist member associated with the panelist computer; and

receiving, from the second internet domain, second demographic information associated with the second client computer, the second demographic information received in association with a second impression logged at the second internet domain based on the presentation of the second media at the second client computer.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, when the first request includes an identifier associated with the client computer, storing the identifier in association with the impression.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the identifier comprises a cookie set by a server of the first internet domain.

4. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

when the first request does not include the identifier, setting, via the first internet domain, the identifier in the client computer; and

storing the identifier in association with the impression.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first request is received at the first internet domain based on instructions provided with the media and executed at the client computer when the client computer accesses the media.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the instructions include at least one of Java instructions, java script, or hyper-text markup language.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first request includes at least one of a campaign identifier, a creative type identifier, or a placement identifier associated with the media, the campaign identifier indicative of an advertisement campaign, the creative type identifier indicative of a technology type of the media, and the placement identifier indicative of a position of the media on a screen of the client computer.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving identifying information associated with the media in the first request;

generating modified values corresponding to the identifying information; and

sending the modified values in place of the identifying information in the response to the client computer, the modified values to be included in the second request to the second internet domain.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising mapping the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, from the second internet domain, a third impression based on the modified values; and

determining that the third impression corresponds to the media presented at the client computer based on the modified values of the third impression and the mapping of the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the third impression from the second internet domain includes third demographic information of a user associated with the client computer.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain includes the internet address of the second internet domain.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising selecting the internet address of the second internet domain based on data indicative of which internet domain is most likely to have demographic information for a user associated with the client computer.

14. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second internet domain is associated with a social network service that collects demographic information from its registered users.

15. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the media is an advertisement.

16. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending, from the first internet domain, a second response to the client computer, the second response to instruct the client computer to send a fourth request to a third internet domain, the fourth request to be indicative of the presentation of the media at the client computer.

17. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the second response is sent to the client computer when an impression was not logged at the second internet domain.

18. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the panelist member is associated with a panel that is maintained by an audience ratings measurement entity associated with the first internet domain, and wherein a non-panelist user of the second client computer is a registered user of a registration-based service associated with the second internet domain.

19. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the second internet domain, third demographic information associated with a third impression logged at the second internet domain based on the second request.

20. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain instructs the client computer to send the second request to an intermediary.

21. An apparatus to monitor media exposure, the apparatus comprising:

a communication interface to receive, at a first internet domain, a first request from a client computer, the first request indicative of access to the media at the client computer;

a processor to determine if the client computer is known;

the communication interface to, if the client computer is not known, send, from the first internet domain, a response to the client computer, the response to instruct the client computer to send a second request to a second internet domain, the second request to be indicative of the access to the media at the client computer;

a data structure to log an impression of the media if the client computer is known;

the communication interface to receive, at the first internet domain, a third request from a second client computer, the third request indicative of access to second media at the second client computer, the client computer being a panelist computer and the second client computer being a non-panelist computer;

a second data structure to store first demographic information associated with the panelist computer in association with the logged impression of the media based on the first request, the first demographic information corresponding to a panelist member associated with the panelist computer; and

a report generator to receive, from the second internet domain, second demographic information associated with the second client computer, the second demographic information received in association with a second impression logged at the second internet domain based on the presentation of the second media at the second client computer.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the data structure stores an identifier in association with the impression when the first request includes the identifier associated with the client computer.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the identifier comprises a cookie set by a server of the first internet domain.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the communication interface is to, when the first request does not include the identifier, set, via the first internet domain, the identifier in the client computer, and the data structure to store the identifier in association with the impression after the communication interfaces sets the identifier in the client computer.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the first request is received at the first internet domain based on instructions provided with the media and executed at the client computer when the client computer accesses the media.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 25, wherein the instructions include at least one of Java instructions, java script, or hyper-text markup language.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the first request includes at least one of a campaign identifier, a creative type identifier, or a placement identifier associated with the media, the campaign identifier indicative of an advertisement campaign, the creative type identifier indicative of a technology type of the media, and the placement identifier indicative of a position of the media on a screen of the client computer.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the communication interface is to:

receive identifying information associated with the media in the first request; and

send modified values in place of the identifying information in the response to the client computer, the modified values to be included in the second request to the second internet domain.

29. An apparatus as defined in claim 28, further comprising a site identifier map to map the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 29, further comprising a report generator to:

receive, from the second internet domain, a third impression based on the modified values; and

determine that the third impression corresponds to the media presented at the client computer based on the modified values of the third impression and the mapping of the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 30, wherein the third impression from the second internet domain includes third demographic information of a user associated with the client computer.

32. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain includes the internet address of the second internet domain.

33. An apparatus as defined in claim 32, further comprising a rules engine to select the internet address of the second internet domain based on data indicative of which internet domain is most likely to have demographic information for a user associated with the client computer.

34. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the second internet domain is associated with a social network service that collects demographic information from its registered users.

35. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the media is an advertisement.

36. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the communication interface is to send from the first internet domain, a second response to the client computer, the second response to instruct the client computer to send a third request to a fourth internet domain, the fourth request to be indicative of the presentation of the media at the client computer.

37. An apparatus as defined in claim 36, wherein the second response is sent to the client computer when an impression was not logged at the second internet domain.

38. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the panelist member is associated with a panel that is maintained by an audience ratings measurement entity associated with the first internet domain, and wherein a non-panelist user of the second client computer is a registered user of a registration-based service associated with the second internet domain.

39. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, further comprising a report generator to receive, from the second internet domain, third demographic information associated with a third impression logged at the second internet domain based on the second request.

40. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain instructs the client computer to send the second request to an intermediary.

41. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive, at a first internet domain, a first request from a client computer, the first request indicative of access to media at the client computer;

determine if the client computer is known;

if the client computer is not known, send, from the first internet domain, a response to the client computer, the response to instruct the client computer to send a second request to a second internet domain, the second request to be indicative of the access to the media at the client computer;

if the client computer is known, log an impression of the media;

receive, at the first internet domain, a third request from a second client computer, the third request indicative of access to second media at the second client computer, the client computer being a panelist computer and the second client computer being a non-panelist computer;

store first demographic information associated with the panelist computer in association with the logged impression of the media based on the first request, the first demographic information corresponding to a panelist member associated with the panelist computer; and

receive, from the second internet domain, second demographic information associated with the second client computer, the second demographic information received in association with a second impression logged at the second internet domain based on the presentation of the second media at the second client computer.

42. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41 storing instructions that cause the machine to, when the first request includes an identifier associated with the client computer, store the identifier in association with the impression.

43. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 42, wherein the identifier comprises a cookie set by a server of the first internet domain.

44. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 42 storing instructions that cause the machine to:

when the first request does not include the identifier, set, via the first internet domain, the identifier in the client computer; and

store the identifier in association with the impression.

45. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41, wherein the first request is received at the first internet domain based on second instructions provided with the media and executed at the client computer when the client computer accesses the media.

46. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 45, wherein the second instructions include at least one of Java instructions, java script, or hyper-text markup language.

47. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41, wherein the first request includes at least one of a campaign identifier, a creative type identifier, or a placement identifier associated with the media, the campaign identifier indicative of an advertisement campaign, the creative type identifier indicative of a technology type of the media, and the placement identifier indicative of a position of the media on a screen of the client computer.

48. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41 storing instructions that cause the machine to:

receive identifying information associated with the media in the first request;

generate modified values corresponding to the identifying information; and

send the modified values in place of the identifying information in the response to the client computer, the modified values to be included in the second request to the second internet domain.

49. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 48 storing instructions that cause the machine to map the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

50. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 49 storing instructions that cause the machine to:

receive, from the second internet domain, a third impression based on the modified values; and

determine that the third impression corresponds to the media presented at the client computer based on the modified values of the third impression and the mapping of the modified values to the identifying information at the first internet domain.

51. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 50, wherein the third impression from the second internet domain includes third demographic information of a user associated with the client computer.

52. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain includes the internet address of the second internet domain.

53. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 52 storing instructions that cause the machine to select the internet address of the second internet domain based on data indicative of which internet domain is most likely to have demographic information for a user associated with the client computer.

54. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41, wherein the second internet domain is associated with a social network service that collects demographic information from its registered users.

55. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41, wherein the media is an advertisement.

56. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41 storing instructions that cause the machine to send, from the first internet domain, a second response to the client computer, the second response to instruct the client computer to send a third request to a fourth internet domain, the fourth request to be indicative of the presentation of the media at the client computer.

57. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 56, wherein the second response is sent to the client computer when an impression was not logged at the second internet domain.

58. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41, wherein the panelist member is associated with a panel that is maintained by an audience ratings measurement entity associated with the first internet domain, and wherein a non-panelist user of the second client computer is a registered user of a registration-based service associated with the second internet domain.

59. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41 storing instructions that cause the machine to receive, from the second internet domain, third demographic information associated with a third impression logged at the second internet domain based on the second request.

60. A machine accessible storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 41, wherein the response to instruct the client computer to send the second request to the second internet domain instructs the client computer to send the second request to an intermediary.