Abstract: By distributing the algorithms for ad selection into two server tiers, an ad server platform provides a way to leverage the computing power of a commercial CDN, such as Akamai, and perform processing on the CDN's edge side servers, thus reducing the number of servers in its own data centers and increasing service availability. The ad serving platform implements a distributed processing methodology that leverages under-utilized server resources located on the edge side of the CDN by running edge side include (ESI) code on the CDN's edge servers.

Abstract: Through the utilization of group delivery, group counting and group pacing, an ad serving platform treats a grouping of ads as a standard unit despite the multiple ad unit components. The ad server platform paces and manages the flight of that grouped set of ads as a single entity. The ad server platform guarantees quality of delivery by only counting a qualified impression event when the group delivery has been successful, thereby opening this type of highly impactful advertising experience up to non-standard inventory sources, rather than relying on highly controlled content environments.

Abstract: An ad serving platform utilizes real time dynamic page awareness for ad serving. For every new digital content URL, the ad serving platform reviews the layout and relative position of ad placements in a content environment and stores a “map” of this information, which is accessible to the ad server in real time for use in ad selection, and is refreshed periodically (e.g., every three minutes) to account for changes. As a result, without control of the page, the ad server platform can make complex serving decisions based upon relative page position of advertising placements.