Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine efficiencies of media delivery across platforms are disclosed. An example method includes obtaining a first effectiveness metric for a first platform, obtaining a first reach of the first platform with respect for a target group of audience members, and calculating a first performance metric based on the first effectiveness metric and the first reach.

Abstract: A method for dynamic allocation of companion online content segments includes receiving television content during a live television broadcast; creating a fingerprint of the received television content; and comparing the created fingerprint to a database of existing content segment fingerprints to determine if the created fingerprint matches any one of the existing content fingerprints. If a match occurs, the method includes increasing a bid price of a companion online content segment. Finally, if the price is sufficient, the method includes supplying the companion online content segment for display.

Abstract: Machines, systems and methods for identification of a consumer are provided. The method comprises capturing a unique identifier (ID) associated with a computing device, wherein the computing device is configured to access content stored on one or more content servers; and associating the unique ID with tracking data associated with the computing device, wherein when the computing device submits a request to a content server to access content, wherein in response to retrieving at least one of the unique ID or the tracking data of the computing device, the computing device is identified and content pages accessed by the computing device are tracked by a machine that is aware of the association between the unique ID and the tracking data for the computing device.

Abstract: The present invention is a system, method and computer program product for tracking and measuring digital content that is distributed on a computer network such as the Internet. The system collects online advertisement data, analyzes the data, and uses the data to calculate measurements of the prevalence of those advertisements. The system processes raw traffic data by cleansing and summarizing the traffic data prior to storing the processed data in a database. An advertisement sampling system uses site selection and definition criteria and a probe map to retrieve Web pages from the Internet, extract advertisements from those Web pages, classify each advertisement, and store the data in a database. A statistical summarization system accesses the processed raw traffic data and the advertisement data in the database to calculate advertising prevalence statistics including the advertising frequency, impressions, and spending.

Abstract: A real-time bidding system receives a notification of an available impression from an impression notification object integrated with an application executing on a client device. The real-time bidding system auctions the available impression to multiple different bidders and receives a bid response from each of the multiple different bidders. The real-time bidding system identifies a winning bid response, identifies a content requestor object indicated by the winning bid response, and generates instructions for the client device. The instructions cause the client device to use the content requestor object indicated by the winning bid response to request a third-party content item. The real-time bidding system provides the generated instructions to the client device in response to the notification of the available impression.

Abstract: A method for determining quality signals for offer campaigns comprises an offer system that receives information submitted by users, and analyzes it to learn features of each user and detect patterns. The offer system clusters the users, and transmits an offer to a limited number of users in each user cluster. It receives notification that a user interacted with the offer and determines a conversion rate for each cluster. If the conversion rate exceeds a pre-defined threshold, the offer system transmits the offer to the remaining users in the cluster. Alternatively, the features of the users are rendered into a multi-dimensional graph that plots the distribution of the users. The offer system marks a representation of each user that interacts with the offer on the graph to determine groupings of users. The offer system transmits the offer to the remaining users in each group.

Abstract: Systems and methods of the present disclosure are directed generally to evaluating performance of a content group of a content provider. In some implementations, a system receives a request to display a performance score and accesses a data structure storing keywords, a quality metric for each keyword, and an impression count for each keyword. The quality metric can include a quality score or a first page bid of a keyword. The system can identify keywords of the data structure corresponding to the content group of the content provider. The system can obtain the quality metric and the number of impressions via the data structure for each keyword. The system can determine, for the content group, a performance score using an impression-based weighted average of the quality metric and impression count of each of the keywords.

Abstract: An 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.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to detect differences between images are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include determining whether a difference between a block of pixels of a first image represented by a first signature and a block of pixels of a reference image represented by a second signature matching the first signature is resolvable using a transformation operation. Example methods disclosed herein also include, in response to determining the difference is unresolvable using the transformation operation, including the block of pixels of the first image in a difference region of the first image. Example methods disclosed herein further include generating a third signature different from the difference region of the first image to represent the difference region of the first image, and storing the third signature with version information associated with first image.

Abstract: Semantic indexing methods and systems are disclosed. One such method is directed to training a semantic indexing model by employing an expanded query. The query can be expanded by merging the query with documents that are relevant to the query for purposes of compensating for a lack of training data. In accordance with another exemplary aspect, time difference features can be incorporated into a semantic indexing model to account for changes in query distributions over time.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the categorization of websites are presented. A website is categorized using one or a combination of its domain name and its web page content. The domain name is tokenized, and the tokens compared to categories in a category structure to determine probabilities that the token belongs to each category. Combinations of tokens are similarly compared to the categories. A category may be determined with reference to a vector space in which a training set of websites having known categories is converted according to a methodology into reference vectors containing keyword frequencies. A target website is converted to a target vector using the same methodology, and a distance score of the target vector to each reference vector is calculated. The website represented by the target vector is assigned the category of the reference vector having the lowest distance score.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for establishing preferences for sites that are explicitly identified by a user by either a textual input or an acceptance in response to a recommendation, and adjusting the presentation of search results based on these preferences.

Abstract: An 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.

Abstract: Example techniques for generating customized content may include the following operations: receiving a search query from a computing device associated with a user; performing a search of electronic content based on the search query; obtaining a search result based on the search of electronic content; obtaining configurable content that relates to the search query, where the configurable content includes a field that is configurable; identifying user-specific content based on the search query; configuring the field of the configurable content based on the user-specific content to thereby produce configured content; and outputting data corresponding to the search result and the configured content for use in generating a Web page containing the search result and the configured content.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention comprise a method and apparatus for planning a schedule of a multimedia advertisement across one or more broadcasting channels is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes accessing user data, processing survey data using the user data, generating a file having a list of one or more broadcasting channels using analyzed survey data, and scheduling a multimedia advertisement across the one or more broadcasting channels. Additionally, the file includes one or more inventory spots associated with the one or more broadcasting channels. The method further includes assigning the multimedia advertisement to the one or more inventory spots associated with the one or more broadcasting channels.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing conversion path performance measures and reports. In one aspect, user interaction data are obtained, were the user interaction data specify user interactions for a plurality of conversions. User interactions that are associated with each conversion are selected from the user interaction data, where the associated user interactions for each conversion are user interactions with a converting user during the conversion cycle for the conversion. Using the user interaction data for the selected user interactions, a quantity of user interactions that are associated with each conversion and occurred during the conversion cycle for the conversion are determined. In turn, conversion path performance measures are computed and reports specifying the conversion path performance measures are generated.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to provide access to advertisement database through an application programming interface. One embodiment includes receiving a request according to an application program interface over a network connection; and in response to the request, providing at least a portion of an advertisement according to the application programming interface. The advertisement is designed to generate communication leads for a party; and the party is to be charged for the advertisement according to a count of communication leads generated for the party via the advertisement.

Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments relate to systems and/or methods for managing “show-rooming” practices of consumers, e.g., where consumers interact with a product at a sometimes convenient brick-and-mortar location, only to later purchase the product from a different (and typically online) provider. Distinct special offers (e.g., in the form of price adjustments) may be presented to potential show-rooming consumers, e.g., via a mobile device operated by those consumers. In certain exemplary embodiments, the distinct special offers may be generated based on, for example, pricing information gathered from competitors, rules specified by the brick-and-mortar location, characteristics or habits of a particular consumer using a particular device, recent trends, etc. The rate at which browsing consumers buy products for which they are presented with special offers, etc., may be monitored and fed back into the system, e.g., to help provide a more finely tuned special offer that helps preserve profit for the seller.

Abstract: A system and method for allocating credit for an advertising conversion among various advertising touchpoints encounter by the consumer is provided. The system and method comprise receiving data pertaining to touchpoints and conversions of an advertising campaign across multiple channels. Users are correlated across the channels and the various conversions, touchpoints, and touchpoint attributes are identified. Each touchpoint attribute and touchpoint attribute value is assigned a weight. An attribution algorithm is selected, and coefficients are calculated using the assigned weights. The algorithm is executed and true scores corresponding to the touchpoints encountered by each converting user are computed.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method and system for tracking one or more portable communication devices in a radio communication network in a facility. The system comprises two or more sensors and a server. Each of the two or more sensors is configured to record a radio signal strength corresponding to each of one or more radio signal probes from each of the one or more portable communication devices, by utilizing a corresponding media access control address of each of the one or more portable communication devices. The server is configured to determine a location coordinate of each of the one or more portable communication devices using the recorded radio signal strengths and an adaptive supervised machine learning system. A learning cycle of the adaptive supervised machine learning system is configured to initiate when a variation in one or more technical attributes of the radio communication network in the facility is detected.

Abstract: A location-related entity ranking technique is described that allows a user see the ranking of location-related entities near a desired location in response to a query. The technique can leverage the searches performed by a community of mobile device users at a given location and at a given time to infer the location-related entities that are popular at this specific location and time window. The technique can also filter out or re-rank these location-related entities based on the personal preferences of the person that submits the query and group preferences of a group to which the user belongs. The personal preferences can also be context specific (i.e. different restaurant preferences for lunch and dinner times).

Abstract: This specification describes methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage device, for determining expansion rates for events related to expandable content items.

Abstract: A casino gaming system includes gaming machines which are configured to accept and read tickets. The ticket may comprise cash-value tickets or non-cash value tickets. The tickets may also include secondary feature triggering indicia. A player may obtain a ticket from a system kiosk. The player may then present that ticket to a gaming machine, such as by inserting it into a media reader such as a bill acceptor. Associated monetary value or non-monetary credits may be credited to the machine. In addition, if the ticket includes a feature triggering indicia, when such an indicia is detected, the gaming machine preferably triggers or initiates the feature.

Abstract: An exemplary method includes a computer-implemented media clip sharing system receiving, from an end-user of a media distribution service that distributes a media program, a request to share a clip of the media program to a social network and, in response to the request to share the clip of the media program to the social network, identifying a sponsor of the media program in the media distribution service and sharing the clip of the media program and data representative of the identified sponsor to the social network. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure include methods, systems, and computer-readable storage mediums for improving keyword searches for enterprise services receiving user input, processing the user input to identify a set of terms, querying a knowledge base based on each term of the set of terms to define a first set of facts, each fact of the first set of facts including instance data associated with a concept, generating a query based on the first set of facts, processing the query to generate search results, the search results including one or more enterprise services stored in an enterprise service repository, and transmitting information associated with each of the one or more enterprise services for display to a user.

Abstract: This present patent builds on 61/494,133 by providing specifics on the advertiser/marketer interface, advertisement feedback and reports on the advertising campaign effectiveness. The marketer interface allows the advertiser/marketer to set up an advertising campaign, link data to their 4P key words/phrases and generate reports to show the effectiveness of their advertising efforts.

Abstract: Configurations for targeting nearby geographic locations for managing content are disclosed. The subject technology identifies one or more geographic locations for targeting content from a campaign for delivery to users and the campaign associated with a content sponsor. One or more geographic locations that are nearby the one or more geographic locations associated with the campaign are automatically presented to the content sponsor, including presenting candidate nearby geographic locations and estimated reach information along with each candidate geographic location. The subject technology receives a selection of one or more candidate geographic locations for inclusion in the campaign, and adds the selection to the campaign.

Abstract: Mental state data is gathered from a plurality of people and analyzed in order to determine mental state information. Metrics are generated based on the mental state information gathered as the people view media presentations. Norms, defined as the quantitative measures of the mental states of a plurality of people as they view the media presentation, are determined based on the mental state information metrics. The norms can be determined based on various viewer criteria including country of residence, demographic group, or device type on which the media presentation is viewed. Responses to new media are then compared against norms to determine the effectiveness of the new media presentations.

Abstract: Method, system, and programs for online advertising are disclosed. One or more targets associated with an entity are identified based on a first piece of information related to each target and a second piece of information related to the entity. The one or more targets are considered as likely being interested in content that can be made available by the entity. A connection is established between the entity and each identified target through a bi-directional communication channel. Activities between the entity and each target through the bi-directional communication channel are monitored. The entity delivers the content to an identified target through the bi-directional communication channel established between the entity and the identified target. In response to the delivered content, the identified target is able to provide a feedback to the entity through the bi-directional communication channel.

Abstract: A method includes detecting a signal strength of a signal of a mobile device. The method includes determining that the mobile device is in a vicinity of the device when the signal strength satisfies a threshold. The method includes sending an advertisement from the device to a display device in response to determining that the mobile device is in the vicinity of the device. The advertisement is selected based on a user profile associated with the mobile device. The method includes determining a reaction to the advertisement from a person associated with the mobile device. The method also includes sending information associated with the advertisement to the mobile device in response to a positive reaction from the person.

Abstract: An online system identifies a conversion of an advertisement when a client device associated with an online system user is within a threshold distance of a physical location associated with the advertisement. The client device sends obfuscated information identifying the user associated with the client device and the location of the client device to an independent third party when the client device is within a threshold distance of the physical location associated with the advertisement. Using information from the client device, the third party requests information from the online system identifying one or more groups including the user. Based on information identifying groups including various online system users, the third party generates information identifying conversions associated with different groups. The online system may determine effectiveness of various advertisements using the information from the third party identifying conversions associated with different groups.

Abstract: In various example embodiments, a system and method for testing marketing strategies and approximate simulators offline for lifetime value marketing. In example embodiments, real world data, simulated data, and one or more policies that resulted in the simulated data are obtained. Errors between the real world data and the simulated data are determined. Using the determined errors, bounds are determined. Simulators are ranked based on the determined bounds, whereby a lower bound indicates a first simulator providing simulated data closer to the real world data then a second simulator having a higher bound.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for measuring effectiveness of content items included in a campaign. One example method includes providing a corpus of campaigns, where a campaign defines parameters for presentation that specify circumstances under which content items are presented to users in response to requests. The corpus is filtered by identifying one or more candidate campaigns, where each of the identified candidate campaigns is associated with a geographic region and includes one or more constraints that permit pausing distribution of content items without compromising campaign goals. For each candidate campaign, one or more experimental geographic locations included in the geographic region are determined that are substantially representative of the region. Presentation of at least one of the content items is paused for a time period, and content item effectiveness is measured by comparing resource conversions for experimental and control geographic locations.

Abstract: Various embodiments described herein facilitate multi-lingual communications. The systems and methods of some embodiments enable multi-lingual communications through different modes of communication including, for example, Internet-based chat, e-mail, text-based mobile phone communications, postings to online forums, postings to online social media services, and the like. Certain embodiments implement communication systems and methods that translate text between two or more languages. Users of the systems and methods may be incentivized to submit corrections for inaccurate or erroneous translations, and may receive a reward for these submissions. Systems and methods for assessing the accuracy of translations are described.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for measuring the effectiveness of a marketing and advertising campaign directed at consumers. The systems and methods receive data corresponding to consumers that were served impressions in the campaign, and match the data to identifiers for credit records of the consumers. Credit record activity information in the credit records related to products and services of the campaign can be retrieved and potentially depersonalized. The credit record activity information can be the basis of a campaign report for adjusting and optimizing the campaign, in the case of an in-flight campaign report, or future campaigns, in the case of a post-campaign report. More accurate measurement of the effectiveness of the campaign can be obtained due to linking of a consumer's activity with the campaign.

Abstract: Graph based evaluation by a computing device or system is described. In some example techniques, one or more subgraph nodes of a relationship subgraph may be generated based at least in part on a presenting of one or more items associated with the one or more associated subgraph nodes to a client. A click indication may be received that indicates the client has selected one of the presented items associated with the nodes. One or more edges of the relationship subgraph may be generated that begin at one or more respective unselected subgraph nodes associated with items presented concurrently with the selected item and end at a subgraph node associated with the selected item.

Abstract: In an exemplary embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes identifying at least a portion of an image as a taggable product appearing in the image. A tag is generated, by a computer processor, for the taggable product. The tag is associated with the identified portion of the image and includes information about the taggable product, where generating the tag converts the taggable product into a tagged product. A first ad is prioritized over a plurality of other ads for display on a web page in conjunction with the image, where the prioritization is based at least in part on the first ad being related to the tagged product.

Abstract: Methods and systems for user, activity and application profiling for a mobile device are provided. According to one embodiment, activity stream data is received by an activity monitoring module running on a mobile device. The activity stream data includes information regarding usage of one or more applications installed on the mobile device. The activity stream data is provided by the activity monitoring module to a central server that collects activity stream data from multiple mobile devices, including the mobile device. The collected activity stream data is processed by the central server in conjunction with auxiliary data to create derived mobile user activity profiles for users of the mobile devices.

Abstract: Monetizing brand integration within online content may be facilitated. Parameter values for parameters describing characteristics of online content, access points, and/or producers may be obtained. The user may define search queries specifying parameter values of one or more parameters. In response to the user defined search query, the system may identify online content and/or access points having parameter values that satisfy the user defined search queries. The user may specify tasks for the identified content and/or access points. The user identified tasks may be related to brand integration. The system may effectuate presentation of the user specified tasks to producers that generate a portion of the identified online content and/or access points. Performance of the user specified tasks may be evaluated to determine an outcome. The outcome may include a quantity of a desired result and/or action. The system may distribute compensation to one or more producers based on the outcome.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method for providing user information for a customized content provision service which enables a content distributor to collect action plans of the past, present, and future established by users and to use the collected action plans during a search for a target user. According to the present invention, there is no need to collect personal information on the users to predict the future actions of the users. Therefore, the invention is effective at protecting the privacy of the users and improving the accuracy and reliability of the customized content provision service.

Abstract: A system for serving localized advertisements receives data that defines an advertisement from an advertiser and determines a geographic location of the advertiser. The system also receives a request to serve an advertisement from a browser operated by a user and determines a geographic location associated with the user. The system communicates the advertisement to the browser if the geographic location associated with the user matches the geographic location of the advertiser.

Abstract: A system and method is provided to enhance marketing having a monitoring engine to collect data relating to a campaign, an analysis engine to analyze the data and generate information, and an interface to access the information. The system may be accessible via a network. The system may analyze the data, provide information, and manipulate a marketing campaign in approximately real-time.

Abstract: A purchase-transaction-settled online consumer referral and reward system and method using real-time specific merchant sales information is provided for the advertising publishing industry. The system provides a pay per transaction platform that allows advertising publishers to monetize interactive and/or broadcast media advertising by tracking and linking ad acceptance events to consummated consumer purchases.

Abstract: A server system comprising one or more processors and memory receives, from a client device, one or more messages for use in a message campaign, where the one or more messages include a plurality of annotations indicating human-identified features in the one or more messages. The server system initiates delivery of the message campaign to a plurality of users and receives campaign-feedback data that is indicative of user interaction, during the message campaign, that corresponds the features identified by the one or more annotations. After receiving the campaign-feedback data, the server system receives, from a requestor, a request for analysis of the features during the message campaign. In response, the server system obtains a campaign report that provides information on one or more correlations between the features and user interaction with the features during the message campaign and provides the campaign report to the requestor.

Abstract: A server system comprising one or more processors and memory initiates delivery of a respective message campaign that includes one or more messages addressed to a plurality of users. The server system receives, from the plurality of users, campaign-feedback data indicative of user interaction. The campaign-feedback data includes information that enables generation of campaign reports including quantitative information about the message campaigns. After receiving the campaign-feedback data, the server system transmits, to one or more remote storage systems, campaign-tracking data that is based on the campaign-feedback data and then receives, from a requestor, a first request for analysis of the campaign-feedback information. In response to receiving the first request for analysis of the campaign-feedback information, the server system obtains a campaign report generated using the campaign-tracking data from the one or more remote storage systems; and provides the campaign report to the requestor.

Abstract: A server system comprising one or more processors and memory initiates delivery of a plurality of message campaigns to a plurality of users. A respective message campaign of the plurality of message campaigns includes one or more messages addressed to at least a subset of the plurality of users. The server system receives, from a plurality of client devices associated with the plurality of users, campaign-feedback data, where the campaign-feedback data is indicative of user interaction with the messages transmitted to the plurality of client devices as part of the plurality of message campaigns. After receiving the campaign-feedback data, the server system conditionally transmits, when a transmission criterion is satisfied, to one or more remote storage systems, campaign-tracking data that is based on the campaign-feedback data.

Abstract: A server system comprising one or more processors and memory initiates delivery of a plurality of message campaigns to a plurality of users that include a first campaign and a second campaign. The server system receives, from a plurality of client devices associated with the plurality of users, campaign-feedback data for the first campaign and the second campaign that is indicative of user interaction with the message campaigns. After receiving the campaign-feedback data, the server system directs storage of campaign-tracking data that corresponds to the campaign-feedback data and then receives, from a requestor, a request for a campaign report for a respective user. In response, the server system obtains a respective campaign report for the respective user that includes information indicative of the respective user's interactions with the first and second campaigns and the server system provides the respective campaign report to the requestor.

Abstract: A data-management server system comprising one or more processors and memory establishes separate storage areas for first and second data-collection server systems. The data-management server system receives, from the first data-collection server system, first information that corresponds to feedback from a first set of users and excludes information that reveals the identity of individual users in the first set of users and receives, from the second data-collection server system, second information that corresponds to feedback from a second set of users that excludes information that reveals the identity of individual users in the second set of users. The data-management server system stores the first information in a first storage area, stores the second information in a second storage area, and provides access to the first and second information through one or more gatekeeper processes that control access to data received from the data-collection systems.

Abstract: A server system comprising one or more processors and memory obtains user profiles for a plurality of users. In response to receiving profile-update information for a respective user, the server system updates a respective profile of the respective user in accordance with the profile-update information and initiates storage of profile-archive information that enables the server system to obtain a prior version of the respective profile. After updating the respective profile, the server system receives, from a requestor, a request for analysis of message interaction data. In response to receiving the request for analysis of the message interaction data, the server system obtains a message-interaction report that correlates the message interaction data with a set of one or more prior versions of profiles of one or more users that includes the prior version of the respective profile of the respective user and provides the message-interaction report to the requestor.

Abstract: Systems and methods for editing, testing, and measuring electronic content components are provided. An exemplary method receives an indication of a campaign including instances of a component and targeting rules, the component having events or properties mapped to data elements to be tracked by an analytics service. The component comprises a template for the instances for use in electronic content. The method displays a user interface (UI) including the instances. The UI is configured to receive modifications to the instances, rules, and component. The method provides campaign data including the instances and targeting rules, and the electronic content including the component. The content is configured to send analytics data for exposed events or properties of the component to the analytics service during use of the content. Another embodiment uploads at least a portion of the content to a test environment, and pushes modifications to campaign data to the test environment.