Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a bid for use in a content auction include providing brand-related content to a client device for presentation with first-party content. The method also includes receiving activity data indicative of online activity regarding the brand and analyzing the activity data to determine a brand impact score. The method further includes generating a content auction bid using the brand impact score.

Abstract: The present application relates to systems and computer-implemented methods for conducting a second price auction associated with an opportunity to realize an online advertisement. In some implementations, advertisers may be informed with the opportunity to realize the online advertisement, and may be provided with information associated with a user that may view the opportunity to realize the online advertisement; an individual reserve price may then be determined for each advertiser, based on the advertiser's individual bidding preference and the information associated with the user; and then the auction may be conducted to determine a winning bidder among candidate advertisers whose bidding price is higher than the individual reserve price associated therewith, using second price method.

Abstract: A system and method to facilitate matching of content to advertising information in a network are described. A request for advertising information is received over a network, the advertising information to be displayed for a user entity in association with content information within a web page requested by the user entity. Advertising information related to one or more themes of the content information on the web page is further determined, the themes representing subject matter contextually related to the content information. Advertisements are further selected from the advertising information based on keywords and metadata stored within the web page and based on a set of predetermined parameters stored within the data storage module. The selected advertisements are further ranked to obtain a ranked list of advertisements.

Abstract: A system and method for formulating a bid on an impression for an Internet advertising campaign using market forecast data are provided. The system and method comprise determining a bid policy using an advertiser goal type, an advertiser payment type, and a budget parameter. Historical impression data pertaining to the advertising campaign is sampled using any applicable sampling technique. The sampled data is used to derive forecast data that predicts the future state of the market. The bid policy and the forecast data are used to derive a spend curve, from which an optimal bid is formulated that results in a proper and efficient allocation of the advertiser's budget.

Abstract: An improved system and method is provided for using sampling for scheduling advertisements in slots of different quality in an online auction with budget and time constraints. A multi-armed bandit engine may be provided for sampling new advertisements by allocating advertisements for web page placements of different quality and optimizing payments to maximize the welfare of the advertisers while remaining within advertiser's budget and time constraints. Advertisers may report their private information including arrival time, departure time, value per click, and budget. And the multi-armed bandit mechanism may approximate the maximal welfare that may be achieved under budget and time constraints by bounding the possible gain from any possible lie an advertiser might submit in reporting private information.

Abstract: A computerized auction system is used for collecting bids from a plurality of producers. The bids are placed on individual components of a multi-component ensemble. Bids from separate marketers are added and affect the rank of a single ensemble within a potential consumer's ensemble search result. The bids are cooperative as the separate bids on the components are added to form the single bid on the ensemble. The bids are anonymous such that each bidding marketer is kept unaware of whether another marketer's bid was combined with the bidding marketer's bid.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a map server provides online maps with advertisements corresponding to map features included in the online maps. The map server holds an auction to determine which advertisers can display their associated advertisements in an online map. In one embodiment, the map server selects which advertisers with collocated advertisements in the online map can display their advertisements and calculates a price paid by the selected advertisers for the display of the advertisements.

Abstract: The information processing apparatus includes: an extracting unit configured to extract predetermined feature information from an image; an order-information generating unit configured to generate order information for ordering competitive bidding for selecting output information, by using the feature information extracted by the extracting unit; a competitive-bidding unit configured to conduct the competitive bidding to select output information on the basis of the order information generated by the order-information generating unit; and an output unit configured to output the output information selected in the competitive bidding conducted by the competitive-bidding unit.

Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to smoothing budgets of advertisers in online advertising. Information that indicates respective budgets of advertisers for online advertising during a time period and bids for auctions during the time period from the advertisers can be received. Moreover, a determination concerning whether to either throttle an advertiser from an auction or permit the advertiser to participate in the auction can be effectuated for each of the auctions during the time period and for each of the advertisers. The determination satisfies equilibrium conditions between the advertisers based on the respective budgets of the advertisers and the bids of the auctions. Moreover, winning bids for the auctions during the time period are determined. The winning bids can be determined from the bids of the advertisers respectively permitted to participate in each of the auctions.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a mediator device is operable to receive a request for permission to serve a first advertisement associated with a first advertiser to a display device. The mediator device can set a lock indicator to an active state in response to receiving the request and send an indication of approval to serve the first advertisement. The mediator device can receive, at a later time, a request for permission to serve a second advertisement to the display device. The mediator device can decline to send an indication of approval to serve the second advertisement when the lock indicator is in the active state.

Abstract: A system and method to facilitate classification and storage of events in a network are described. An event and associated content information are received from an entity over a network. The content information is further analyzed to determine one or more themes representing subject matter related to the content information. The event is further classified according to the themes into one or more corresponding categories. Finally, the event is stored into one or more corresponding databases of a data storage module according to the one or more corresponding categories.

Abstract: An improved system and method is provided for using sampling for scheduling advertisements in an online auction with budget and time constraints. A multi-armed bandit engine may be provided for sampling new advertisements by allocating advertisements for web page placements of equal quality and optimizing payments to maximize the welfare of the advertisers while remaining within advertiser's budget and time constraints. Advertisers may report their private information including arrival time, departure time, value per click, and budget. And the multi-armed bandit mechanism may approximate the maximal welfare that may be achieved under budget and time constraints by bounding the possible gain from any possible lie an advertiser might submit in reporting private information. Advertisers departing from the online auction may be charged using a payment method that may provide truthful guarantees on budget, arrivals, departures, and valuations for a budget-constrained online auction.

Abstract: A single advertisement may provide benefits to multiple parties. The results discussed herein show that an ad auctioneer may improve both his own revenue and consumers' welfare by implementing an ad auction that allows cooperation among advertisers in a single ad while maintaining competition between ads. This may be called a “coopetitive” ad auction. An auction system may be configured to implement a coopetitive approach in which bids express complex preferences over ads. In particular, multiple bidders may be allowed to value a single ad, and a single bidder may be allowed to value multiple ads. Accordingly, an advertiser can derive value from clicks on multiple ads.

Abstract: A system and methods for generating dynamic market pricing that is fair for both publishers and advertisers and the use of the pricing in real-time auctions. When a user views content over the internet, an online publisher provides content to the user with executable instructions, which notify an advertisement source that there is an impression for filling by an advertiser. The impression is submitted to a real-time bidding market for competing advertisers to bid to fill the impression with an advertisement. The system and methods generate dynamic pricing for the individual competing advertisers and use the dynamic pricing to compare advertiser bids to determine a highest or winning bid and a clearing price associated with the highest or winning bid.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products provide for presentation of product offers in conjunction with a live video stream that includes images of the product or images associated with the product. The invention identifies products located proximate to a mobile communication, for example using real-time object recognition techniques, product codes, wireless communication or the like to identify products. Once the products are identified, related offers are determined and offer indicators are presented proximate to the location of the image in the live video stream.

Abstract: A method and system for identifying advertisement and search term combinations for placing advertisements along with search results. The advertisement system includes multiple advertisement generators that automatically create advertisement sets that each contain one or more advertisements, one or more search terms, and a link to an advertised item. The advertisement system also includes an advertisement manager that receives the advertisement sets from the advertisement generators, identifies a fee to be associated with each advertisement set, and selects which advertisement sets are to be submitted to various search engine services. The advertisement system may also include a fee calculator that generates a fee amount or bid for each advertisement set.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention present an approach to conversion rate estimation which relies on using past performance observations along user, publisher, and advertiser data hierarchies. More specifically, embodiments of the invention model the conversion event at different select hierarchical levels with separate binomial distributions and estimate the distribution parameters individually. It is shown how to combine these individual estimators using logistic regression to identify conversion events accurately. Embodiments of the invention can also handle many practical issues, such as data imbalance, missing data, and output probability calibration, which render this estimation problem more difficult for a real-world implementation of the approach.

Abstract: A tool for off-line experimentation with auction parameters for auctions for an ad space. The tool computes, using historical bid information, values per click to advertisers competing for the ad space. The tool applies a homotopy algorithm, using these values, to predict equilibrium bids based on the values to the advertisers. In computing the equilibrium bids, the bid of each advertiser is assumed to stay fixed over multiple auction cycles, but each advertiser is assumed to face uncertainty about quality scores used by the advertising platform in selecting bids and the rank of their bid with respect to others. The quality scores also are assumed to vary between auctions.

Abstract: An advertiser may be provided with fast and accurate estimates of the future performance of at least one of their advertisements. These estimates may be broken down by keyword, thereby providing, up-front, useful information to the advertiser about how different keywords will affect the performance and cost of their ad campaign. Estimates and/or suggestions for a set of keywords, given additional campaign parameters, may be generated by using historical search traffic (or some other ad serving trigger) data to predict future inventory and to find useful keyword (or some other serving constraint) variations. Current data on competing ads may be used to simulate the competitions (e.g., real-time auctions) that the given ads will participate in.

Abstract: Documents or document sets may be scored to reflect a value of an action, such as a selection for example, when an ad is served with the document (or a document belonging to a document set). A cost associated with the action with respect to an ad that was served with a document may then be adjusted using the score. For example, ad scores may be accepted or determined, and a document may be scored using the ad scores when served with the document and ad scores across a collection of documents to generate a document score. Each of the ad scores may indicate a value of an action with respect to an ad, such as a conversion rate, or a return on investment for an ad selection for example. Document scores used in this way may help advertisers get a more consistent cost per conversion, or return on investment, without requiring them to enter and manage various offers for various documents and/or various ad serving systems having various conversion rates or returns on investment.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes receiving a computer-implemented model to process parameters of a content delivery campaign and a bid price for delivery of content in content delivery slots. The price to be paid is based on a losing bid. Processing the parameters and bid price determines an estimated price to be paid for the delivery of content and a metric describing an estimated result of the content delivery campaign. The method also includes receiving parameters of the content delivery campaign and the price to be bid for delivery of content. The method also includes processing the model and the price to be bid to determine the estimated price to be paid and the metric describing the estimated result of the content delivery campaign. The method also includes providing information about the estimated price and the estimated result to a content provider to facilitate selection of a final bid price.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a commercial game that poses questions to a user related to advertisements that the user views or listens to using a multimedia device such as a computer connected to the Internet. Points may be awarded to the user based on the number of questions answered correctly, the number of advertisements viewed, the length of time advertisements are viewed, the number of attempts at answering each question before providing the correct answer, or other advertiser-selected criteria. Points earned by the user are immediately redeemable for services such as subscription services, movies downloads, Pay-Per-View credits, or for any other tangible or intangible good, service, or reward representing a monetary value. If the user provides an incorrect answer to a question, the user is permitted to watch the advertisement multiple times until a correct answer is provided and points are awarded.

Abstract: Methods for bid optimization and inventory scoring are provided. The method comprises receiving a definition of a success event associated with a campaign that has a set of campaign parameters. The method also comprises calculating an impact estimate for a performance measure of the success event. The impact estimate is calculated based on a set of auction parameters and a set of historical data associated with a browser. The method further comprises defining a bidding function based on the impact estimate, a set of characteristics of the browser, and the set of campaign parameters. The method also comprises calculating, after calculating the impact estimate and defining the bidding function, a bid value using the bidding function. The method also comprises sending a signal having the bid value to a real-time bidding exchange.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, in which one or more webpages are identified based on one or more signals associated with an advertisement, a content of each of the webpages, and a property associated with the advertisement, and a performance measure is determined for the advertisement for each of the webpages. An auction score is calculated for the advertisement for each of the webpages based on the performance measure and a bid associated with the advertisement.

Abstract: A rules evaluation engine operable to select optimal content for presentation to the viewer at each presentation opportunity. The engine evaluates segmentation rules associated with each particular content item in parallel, and then selects the best content to be presented. Priorities determined during evaluation sort out which content items will be presented. Real time dynamic enrichment of the decision making context occurs by retrieving additional information required to evaluate the rules. Logging and administrative processes for managing the segmentation rules are also realized.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, and including a method for predicting visibility of web pages. The method comprises identifying web pages that include slots for presenting content. The method further comprises, for each slot, creating a fingerprint based on a URL associated with the page and structural information associated with the slot's location on the page, determining a likelihood of the slot being visible when the web page is initially presented, the likelihood in the form of a predictive model, and saving the fingerprint and predictive model in a data structure. The method further comprises receiving a request for content from a web page, creating fingerprints associated with the web page, and comparing the fingerprints to fingerprints in the data structure. When a matching fingerprint is located, prediction data is used that is associated with a matching fingerprint for the web page.

Abstract: A social networking system (SNS) provides sponsored stories and organic stories about actions taken by other SNS users to a viewing user. Organic stories are selected based on the likelihood the viewing user is interested in their content. While advertisers compensate the SNS for presentation of sponsored stories, the sponsored stories also include information about actions by other SNS users. To increase the likelihood the viewing user interacts with sponsored stories, a common communication channel is used to present both the sponsored stories and the organic stories. To simplify selection of organic stories and sponsored stories, the SNS determines a common unit of measurement for both and makes selections based on the common unit of measurement.

Abstract: In both an on-line and a conventional auction, an auctioneer may encourage competitive bidding behavior through the provision of rewards to those bidders whose bids meet predetermined criteria. For example, a bidder may be rewarded if her bid exceeds a prior bid by a threshold value. An auctioneer may further discourage non-competitive bidding behavior by penalizing those bidders whose bids fall below predetermined standards.

Abstract: A system and method for acquiring domain visitor on a parking service and redirecting the visitor to two or more optimal advertisers is disclosed. The system comprises a processor, and a partner module comprising a first set of software instructions executing on the processor, wherein said first set of instructions are configured to determine a computed bid to acquire a domain visitor for a domain at a rate of profitability. The first set of instructions are further configured to break down the domain into a keyword cloud, and to select at least one of said advertisers based on the computed bid and the keyword cloud. The first set of instructions are further configured to redirect the visitor to a uniform resource locator for the selected advertiser.

Abstract: An automated exchange system is provided which includes a smart electronic double auction for allocating audience items among prospective buyers and sellers and for calculating a set of prices for the audience items based on buyer bids from the buyers and seller offers from the sellers, including remote terminals for initiating and transmitting data including buyer bids and seller offers; and a central trade exchange system including a trading means for receiving buyer bids and seller offers from said remote terminals, simultaneously processing the buyer bids and the seller offers, identifying a set of trades in audience items between buyers and sellers which optimize gains obtained by buyers and sellers from the set of trades in audience items based on the bids and offers received by said trading means, and calculating a price for each audience item in the set of trades, and identifying rejected buyer bids and rejected seller offers.

Abstract: A method and system for resolving disputes between parties involved in a network-based transaction is described. One aspect of the present invention seeks to automatically facilitate the restitution of value to parties of the transaction, for example, facilitated by a network-based commerce platform or involving a network-based payment service, where a dispute has arisen with respect to the transaction.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing applications are provided. A method for providing applications may include determining a ranking for each of a plurality of applications based on an auction value of each corresponding application. In some cases, auction values may be determined by application provider bids. The method may also include determining a ranked placement of the applications based on the application rankings. The method may further include displaying the ranked placement according to a first user selection associated with the applications. The method may then include launching a selected application of the ranked placement in response to a second user selection. A system for providing applications may include an application ranker, an application placer and an application launcher.

Abstract: The present application relates to systems and computer-implemented methods for determining a future bidding strategy regarding auctions associated with realization of an online advertisement. In some implementations, a server may be used to determine an optimized bid pacing parameter for an online advertisement based on a current bid pacing parameter associated with the online advertisement and an online advertisement supply information for a time period so that based on the optimized bid pacing, realization of the online advertisement over the time period substantially confirms to a spending strategy associated with the online advertisement during the time period. As such, the systems and computer-implemented methods may allow advertisers to control their spending strategy accurately during an advertising campaign.

Abstract: A method holding an auction for impressions in an online advertising platform includes defining auction tiers, with each tier having associated attributes. The tier attributes include a tier priority, an eligible bidder list, and a minimum bid threshold. Bids for the impressions are received from impression buyers, each bid being associated with an impression bidder and a bid value. For each received bid, the highest priority tier for which the tier attributes are satisfied by the bid attributes is determined, and that tier is associated with the bid. After assigning each bid to a tier, the highest priority tier with at least one bid is selected as the active auction tier. The winner of the auction is then determined based on the bids associated with the active tier.

Abstract: The present application relates to systems and computer-implemented methods for calculating a suggested reserve price associated with an opportunity to realize an online advertisement. In some implementations, a database of historical online advertisement auctions is established; historical online advertisement auctions from the database of historical online advertisement auctions that are associated with a feature are clustered to form a cluster; a reserve price associated with the cluster of historical online advertisement auctions is calculated to generate a desired revenue; and the reserve price is stored as a suggested reserve price for the opportunity to realize the online advertisement that is associated with the feature.

Abstract: The present application relates to systems and computer-implemented methods for calculating a suggested reserve price associated with an opportunity to realize an online advertisement. In some implementations, data associated with historical online advertisement auctions are clustered based on a reference opportunity for realizing an online advertisement, wherein each historical online advertisement auction of the cluster is associated with a first bid price of higher value and a second bid price of lower value; a dominance relationship between a distribution of the first bid prices of the cluster and a distribution of the second bid prices of the cluster is determined; a reserve price associated with the cluster based on the dominance relationship is calculated; and the reserve price is stored as a suggested reserve price to realize an online advertisement, wherein the suggested reserve price is associated with the reference opportunity that is associated with the cluster.

Abstract: The present application relates to systems and computer-implemented methods for calculating a suggested market variable associated with an auction of an online advertisement realization opportunity. In some implementations, an optimization procedure may be operated, wherein the optimization procedure may comprise sending an initial market variable associated with one or more auctions to bidding agents; receiving from each of the bidding agents a response market variable associated with the initial market variable; determining according to an auction bidding rule a winning market variable from the response market variables; and substituting the initial market variable with the wining market variable. The optimization procedure may be operated repeatedly until the winning market variable stabilizes. Then the stabilized market variable may be sent to an advertiser as the suggested market variable.

Abstract: A social networking system displays a story about an object to a user accessing a page associated with the object and determines whether the user is authorized to promote the object. If the user is authorized to promote the object, a promote option is displayed next to a story about the object included in the page, which may comprise a newsfeed of stories on the page. After accessing the promote option for a particular story, the user is prompted to provide data specifying how the story associated with the accessed promote option is to be distributed to other users. For example, a promotion interface is displayed to the user for providing data such as targeting criteria, bid amounts, and budget. The result generates a request for a sponsored story, which may then be displayed to other users of the social networking system in accordance with the request.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that facilitate advertisement selection using advancement bids. In embodiments, advertisement attributes in association with an advertisement are referenced. Such advertisement attributes might include an impression bid and a click bid. For a particular advertisement, it is determined if a satisfactory click rate is available. If it is determined that the satisfactory click rate is unavailable for the advertisement, an impression bid is utilized to compete with other advertisements in an advertisement-selection auction. On the other hand, if it is determined that the satisfactory click rate is available for the advertisement, the satisfactory click rate and the click bid are utilized (e.g., via an effective impression value) to compete with the other advertisements in the advertisement-selection auction.

Abstract: Display space on web page may be allocated by bids. In one embodiment, the display space system receives bids indicating a bid amount and an advertisement. When providing a web page with the display space, the display space system selects a bid. The display space system adds the advertisement of the selected bid to the web page. The bid may specify web pages on which the advertisement may be placed, the users to whom the advertisement may be presented, and time when the advertisement may be placed. The bid amount may be in an established currency or in advertising points. Activities for which advertising points may be awarded may include listing an auction, auction bidding, or purchasing of an item. When a user advertisement is placed, the display space system reduces user advertising points. The display space system may also place bids for display space on behalf of the user.

Abstract: Various embodiments pertain to techniques for utilizing confidence indicators to adjust bidding values used to obtain impression opportunities. In various embodiments, a system clusters a plurality of ad impression opportunities according to received information regarding each of the ad impression opportunities. Information about the clusters, referred to as data spots, is calculated and utilized to classify the data spots into one or more categories. Bidding strategies are assigned to each category. When the system receives an ad impression opportunity from an impression provider, the system identifies a data spot to which the received ad impression opportunity corresponds and determines a bid for the ad impression opportunity according to the bidding strategy assigned to the category into which the identified data spot is classified.

Abstract: Methods and systems for estimating the value of a contextual ad impression are provided. Requests for value-based bids for ad impressions are received from bidders and the value of the ad impression is estimated based primarily upon leveraging sell-side data (user and publisher). The estimation is highly economized through a fast implementation of k-nearest-neighbor (kNN) regression. Embodiments of the present invention further address the cold-start problem or the exploration vs. exploitation requirement by Bayesian (hierarchical) smoothing using a beta prior, and adapt to the temporal dynamics using an autoregressive model to decay importance of certain data.

Abstract: The present application is related to systems and methods for enabling information providers to influence a position for a search listing within a search result list generated by an Internet search engine. The systems and methods may provide accounts for the network information providers. Each account may contain a search listing having at least three components: a description, a search term comprising one or more keywords, and a bid amount. The network information provider may add, delete, or modify a search listing to influence the position for a search listing within a corresponding search result list. The systems and methods may send a notification to an external destination upon occurrence of a predetermined event, such as the change of position in the search listing.

Abstract: A simultaneous ascending price auction (“SAA”) can be used to allocate advertising inventory to bidders. The advertising inventory can be, for example, radio or television advertisement spots (“spots”). The bidders can be advertisers that can provide advertisements for presentation in the spots. Two or more contiguous spots can define an advertising block. Spots or advertising blocks can be allocated to advertisers by the SAA mechanism based on bid criteria. The SAA can perform simultaneous advertisement scheduling and pricing. The auction allocation can be optimized to facilitate efficient allocation of advertisements to spots or blocks.

Abstract: The present design includes a method and apparatus for programmatically providing graphic content to a user device. The method includes evaluating a target display and if the target display is configured to receive content, altering code on the target web site, storing target display information, providing target display information, including information about at least one nonstandard region, to at least one bidder, facilitating an auction of the at least one nonstandard region to the at least one bidder, and establishing a winning bidder and displaying graphical content associated with the winning bidder in the one nonstandard region on the target display on the user device. These functions may be provided using a server arrangement.

Abstract: Disclosed are computer-implemented methods and systems for advertisement of products or services within electronic games, such as brain fitness games, games of skill, or development games. In general, these methods and systems enable incorporation of advertisement images or videos as a background and/or as a major subject of the electronic games. In an example, the method may comprise receiving a user request to initiate the electronic game for a user, providing a graphical interface of the electronic game, and providing, within the graphical interface, one or more graphical objects representing the product. The graphical objects may constitute at least one subject of the electronic game or be a background image or video.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide an electronic marketplace that matches units of content from secondary content providers with suitable vacancies from primary content providers. Vacancies may constitute, or be included in, any digital transmission containers, such as a television or radio programming, web pages, and the like. Specifically, the electronic marketplace automatically matches content offered by secondary content providers with vacancies offered by primary content providers thus filling the vacancies in these containers through a real-time content trading, placement, and distribution system. To do so, attributes associated with the vacancies and with units of secondary content are used to trade and match suitable vacancies with suitable content. This invention enables both secondary content owners and vacancy owners (primary content providers) to obtain the full commercial benefit of their secondary content and containers.

Abstract: A data modeling method for modeling data for an electronic program guide (EPG) at a broadcast headend is described.

Abstract: A method and system for availability based computer marketing optimization is presented. An advertiser maps product identifiers representing products and/or services for their respective business in a campaign management system. The product identifiers are mapped to keywords and/or advertisements in the campaign management system. Competitive bidding on the keywords determines placement of the advertisements in search engine results or websites accessed by an advertisement server, in some embodiments. Rules are implemented in a campaign management system to automatically determine modifications based on the availability of a particular product identifier representing a product or service. In some embodiments, the modifications are implemented at the search engine and/or advertisement server.

Abstract: An advertising selection and placement system is provided for a social networking system. An advertising selection module identifies candidate advertisements for a user to view along with social networking content. The candidate advertisements can be placed in various slots on the user's display. The expected value of various arrangements of the candidate advertisements in the slots is determined, and advertisements may be selected and placed to optimize revenue to the system. Each advertisement is evaluated using a discount function that adjusts the price of the advertisement based on its placement.