Abstract: Advertising revenue may be optimized by selecting an advertisement to display to a user based at least in part on the user's browsing history and a revenue model associated with the advertisement. For example, if the user has a relatively high clicking frequency on advertisements, then pay-per-click advertisements may be selected for presentation to the user rather than pay-per-impression advertisements. Revenue model-based advertisement selection may be combined with other advertising techniques, such as targeting.

Abstract: A system for identifying a same user of multiple communication devices is configured to perform the steps of: (a) receiving first data relating to a first device operated by a user; (b) receiving second data relating to a second device operated by a user; (c) determining that the user of the first device is the user of the second device based on identifying that the first data is substantially the same as the second data; and (d) selecting and transmitting a sponsored content to the second device for display thereon, wherein the sponsored content has a relevance to the first and second data and/or a user characteristic datum associated with the user.

Abstract: Methods and systems for paying with loyalty currency at a store merchant by a user using a mobile app are provided. The user is presented with the loyalty currency balance information and one or more store merchants located in proximity of the user. The user may select a store merchant from the one or more store merchants. Thereafter, user is presented with one or more transaction rules associated with the selected store and an activation button for activating pay with points. The user may opt for activating pay with points for upcoming purchase transaction at the selected store based on the one or more transaction rules, thereby redeeming the loyalty currency.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the disclosure, provided are methods of providing user requested printed material, including one or more targeted communications to the user. According to one exemplary embodiment, the targeted communications are associated with an auction, whereby an optimal reserve price is determined to maximize profits.

Abstract: User action in the form of movement of a tracking device on a webpage, represented by cursor gestures on the webpage, is used to detect if a user intends to leave the webpage. Upon detection of an intent to leave the webpage, an advertisement may be displayed to a user. The advertisement may be targeted to the user and/or based on the content the user was viewing on the webpage.

Abstract: An Internet advertisement method and system that issues an authentication key for enabling selected target customers to receive a commercial sample at a membership-based offline store by performing an advertisement in the form of a banner on a web page of an online market, such as an Internet shopping mall, such that an advertiser can conveniently satisfy needs of customers desiring to purchase goods after receiving the sample without delivering the sample, a targeting goods advertisement can be effectively performed, membership-based offline stores can be publicized, and increasing visits from customers can lead to an increase in sales. The Internet advertisement method includes providing an advertisement including information on providing a sample, and generating an authentication key for enabling a customer terminal selecting the advertisement and requesting a sample of advertised goods to receive the sample at an offline store.

Abstract: A use history that at least associates a use subject identifier for identifying a user or a terminal device a user has used with a used item identifier, which is an item identifier for identifying an item used by a user, based on use information is stored in a use history storage section. Based on the use history, a degree of similarity between two item identifiers is calculated and using the degree of similarity, associated data causing a base item identifier, which is an item identifier of a base item, and an associated item identifier, which is an item identifier of an associated item similar to the base item to correspond to each other is created. A change value to change a point value managed for each use subject identifier is calculated.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to arranging for free or discounted transportation to an advertiser's business location. More specifically, the invention involves automatically comparing the cost of transportation and the potential profit from a completed transaction using a number of real-time calculations. For example, the calculation may consider various factors including a consumer's current location, the consumer's most likely route and form of transportation (such as train, personal car, taxi, rental car, or shared vehicle), the consumer's daily agenda, the price competing advertisers are willing to pay for the customer to be delivered to alternate locations, and other costs. In this regard, the customer's obstacles to entering a business location are reduced while routing and cost calculations are automatically handled based on the demand for the advertiser's goods and potential profit margins.

Abstract: A campaign is received, at a micro-segmentation system, from an offer provider. The micro-segmentation system is a third-party system. The campaign indicates a set of target attributes and one or more offers corresponding to the set of target attributes. A set of user attributes pertaining to each of the plurality of users is received at the micro-segmentation system. The set of attributes is defined by an attribute knowledge structure. Permission is received at the micro-segmentation system from each of the plurality of users to receive an offer from the micro-segmentation system. Data associated with the micro-segment classification is provided from the micro-segmentation system without user information to the offer provider.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for selecting thumbnail images to display with text advertisements. In one aspect, a method includes identifying landing page non-textual content items from a landing page to which the textual content item links and which a user device requests when the textual content item is selected at the user device; for each landing page non-textual content item, determining a relevance measure that measures the relevance of the landing page non-textual content item to the content of the landing page; selecting one or more of the landing page non-textual content items for display with the textual content item based on the relevance measures of the landing page non-textual content items; and storing, in a data storage system, data associating the selected landing page non-textual contents with the textual content items.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of targeting electronic messages to travelers, comprising performing processing associated with: utilizing geographic information comprising itinerary information, to determine where the travelers are currently and/or are projected to be during a given time period; creating a list of travelers which categorizes the geographic information and/or traveler information about the travelers on the list; electronically notifying a merchant with information related to the list and the current geographic information and/or current traveler information of the travelers on the list; receiving an electronic request from the merchant to transmit an electronic targeted message to some or all of the travelers on the list; and transmitting the electronic targeted message to some or all of the travelers on the list.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that select advertisements for placement on a series of consecutively-accessed web pages, such as consecutively-accessed web search results pages generated in response to a particular search. The systems and methods perform a separate advertisement ranking process to select advertisements for placement on each web page in the series of consecutively-accessed web pages at the time the web page is accessed. For web pages that follow the first web page in the series, the systems and methods utilize an advertisement ranking technique that calculates a probability that a user will select an advertisement based on certain user selection feedback features. The user selection feedback features for an advertisement are determined by comparing attributes of the advertisement to attributes of user-selectable items that were presented on one or more of the previously-accessed web pages in the series that are known to have been selected or not selected by the user.

Abstract: Systems and methods for placing ads in a block on a webpage are disclosed. Generally, two ranking models are trained using a first and second ads data set. The first model predicts a first click probability for each ad in the first ads data and rank the ads based on the eCPM. The second model is trained using the second ads data set comprising a subset of the first ads data set and interaction features related to ad position in the block. The second model predicts a second click probability for each ad in the second ads data set. An overall expected revenue for each arrangement of ads in the second ads data set is then calculated. The computer system selects the arrangement with maximum computed overall expected revenue and places the ads in the block on the webpage according to the selected arrangement.

Abstract: Large groups of Web ads may, at least in part, be approved automatically. A subset of a group of ads is selected, and a manual review process is used to determine which ads in the subset are not acceptable, and perhaps the reasons for the disapprovals. A distrust score may then be determined using the ads in the subset that were disapproved. The distrust score may also use the reasons for disapproval. The distrust score may then be compared with a predetermined threshold. If the distrust score is less than the threshold, the ads in the group may be accepted. If the distrust score is equal to or greater than the threshold, the ad group is not automatically accepted.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically targeting advertising on an online social network using affinity information collected concerning members of one or more online social networks in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. One embodiment of the invention includes a targeting server configured to obtain data from at least one server that forms part of an online social network, where the obtained data describes member profiles of members of the online social network and activities performed on the online social network associated with the member profiles. In addition, the targeting server is configured to detect affinities between a member profile and keywords based upon data describing activities associated with the member profile and to provide the targeting keywords to a server that is part of the online social network so that the online social network displays the specific offer to online social network members targeted using the targeting keywords.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for determining, by a coupon distributor, a value for a coupon of a product or service that will be provided by a coupon provider. The coupon provider provides, to the coupon distributor, one or both of a budget value that indicates an amount the coupon provider is willing to pay the coupon distributor for distributing the coupon, and a redemption rate that indicates one or more target redemption rates. The coupon provider uses a coupon value equation to calculate the coupon value based on a budget value and a redemption rate. The coupon provider might estimate that no coupon value will allow the coupon provider to stay within the budget and ensure that the actual redemption rate will be close to a particular redemption rate, which may or may not be specified by the coupon distributor.

Abstract: A network content message placement management process is directed to the processing and management of messages in content displayed at a client computing device. A client computing device provides message placement configuration information to a network computing and storage provider. The network computing and storage transmits message placement requests to a content provider based on the message placement configuration information. The client computing device may subsequently directly or indirectly request content from the content provider. The content provided from the content provider may include one or more of the alternative messages provided in the message placement configuration information. Illustratively, the alternative messages may be included in place of other messages, such as advertisements, from third party message providers.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a weight module, a performance module and an allocator module. The weight module calculates a weight for each segment from a set of segments of potential advertisement placements matching a criterion. The weight for a segment is based at least partially on (1) a budget score for an advertisement campaign and (2) a number of potential placements for the segment. The performance module calculates a performance score for the advertisement campaign at each segment from the set of segments. The performance score of the segment is based on a success metric for an advertisement at the segment and a number of impressions for the segment. The allocator module presents the advertisement at a placement associated with the segment if the weight for the segment is greater than a first threshold and the performance score for the segment is greater than a second threshold.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically generating targeting information for presentation of an offer via an online social network using affinity information collected concerning members of online social networks in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed.

Abstract: System, methods and computer program products for identifying a featured product based on product information submitted by retailers and manufacturers are described. In some implementations, a retailer and a manufacturer can supply product information to an ad serving system. Based on the product information supplied by the retailer and the manufacturer, a product matching the product can be identified. The matching product can then be presented on a content of the retailer that links to a product page of the matching product.