GB2404751A

GB2404751A - System for providing user targeted adverts

Info

Publication number: GB2404751A
Application number: GB0318502A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Guy Sneesby
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-08-07
Filing date: 2003-08-07
Publication date: 2005-02-09
Also published as: GB0318502D0

Abstract

The system comprises a server which builds custom Internet adverts on the fly in response to a call from a traditional advert server based on demographic data held by any host web site. Each meta ad is multi-facted and contains numerous arrays of data with numerous data in each array. Data arrays include, but are not limited to: product data, product images, product pricing, personal salutations, maps of retail outlets, direct links to specific products at specific retailers. The server arbitrates between the demographic data held by the host web site, the query architecture of the host's traditional advert server and the specific campaign data in each meta data array, to deliver an advert that is perfectly tailored to the demographic of the user viewing the advert.

Description

DESCRIPTION -Internet meta ad format and meta ad server architecture Most Internet advertisements are delivered by dedicated ad server networks that are loosely coupled to their client sites by means of ad tags. Ad server networks can serve a wide range of Internet ad formats and treatments, and target them fairly accurately to particular users by context. The limitation of these server networks is that while they can usually target specific ads to specific groups of users on specific sites, the number of paying ads served is restricted by the number of ads scheduled and the targeting criteria that has been applied to them. That is, their targeting works by restricting distribution, rather than broadening it. Internet meta ads work very differently. By examining the demographic profile of each user as they visit a site and, for each campaign, building dynamic ad creatives on-the-fly that are tailored to that particular user, the degree of targeting can be increased without severely limiting the size of the audience that receives the ads. The Internet meta ad server builds dynamic Internet ads on the fly in response to a call from a traditional ad server based on demographic data held by any host web site. Each meta ad campaign is multi-faceted and contains numerous arrays of data with numerous data in each array. Data arrays include, but are not limited to, product data, product images, product pricing, product demographics, personal salutations, maps of retail outlets, and direct links to specific products at specific retailers. The meta ad server arbitrates between the demographic data held by the host web site, the query structure of the host's traditional ad server, the product demographic profiles of the meta ad campaign,and the specific campaign data in each meta data array, to deliver a creative that is perfectly tailored to the user viewing the ad. The essential features of the meta ad format are: it combines a single, meta campaign design template with multiple, disparate data to create an ad type with coherent branding and design values but with many different creative permutations. the targeting granularity is very small, but the catchment for each creative remains very large so long as the advertiser is promoting a range of products, each with a known, optimum demographic. it allows multiple targeting for multiple products from the same vendor without the need for multiple insertions into a traditional ad server Other features of the meta ad format and meta ad server are: personal salution: where the user's firstname and/or surname is known to the host site privacy: no personal data is passed from the host site to the traditional ad server How it works ' The meta ad format depends entirely on the meta ad server to perform as described. The meta ad server is a so-called third-party ad server that works in conjunction with the host sites core/traditional ad server. ' The meta ad design template, campaign data and product targeting profiles are set up as a campaign on the meta ad server. The host site has been set up in such a way that it sets a cookie - the data cookie containing encrypted user demographic data onto the users machine. It also sets another cookie -the validon cookie - that defines which demographic data fields are held, without showing the actual data. Only the data owner can receive the data cookie and the valid on cookie. A meta ad script (JavaScript ad tag) has been inserted into the host site such that if the validon cookie is set, a call is made to the traditional ad server. No personal data are passed to the traditional ad server. But the query does parse the data in the validon cookie that identifies which data fields are held by the data cookie. ' The traditional ad server arbitrates between various meta campaigns and other, traditional campaigns based on the data fields inferred from the validon cookie and more mainstream criteria, such as number of insertions booked, current delivery rate, frequency capping etc. These mainstream criteria represent typical traditional ad server functionality They are not unique to the meta ad server and not integral to its operation. But it is important that meta ads work seamlessly within the ad scheduling framework of the media owner The traditional ad server determines if a meta ad campaign is to be served and makes the appropriate call the meta ad server, in turn, via a redirect.The meta ad server delivers the next scheduled meta ad campaign by interrogating the user data cookie and calling in the appropriate assets to build the correctly tailored ad.

Claims

CLAIMS - Internet meta ad format and meta ad server architecture Distinctive technical features of the meta ad fonnat AND integral meta ad server are:

1. enable multiple, highly targeted Internet ad creatives to be delivered from a single meta ad insertion

2. combine a single, meta campaign design template with multiple, disparate data to create an advert with coherent branding and design values but with many different permutations.

3. enable targeting by a wide range of demographics so the targeting granularity is very small, but the catchment for each creative remains very large so long as the advertiser is promoting a range of products, each with a known, optimum demographic.

4. allow multiple targeting for multiple products from the same vendor without the need for multiple insertions into a traditional ad server

6. personal salution: where the user's firstname and/or surname are known to the host site

7. privacy: no personal data is passed from the host site to the traditional ad server