Abstract: Systems and methods for managing and/or controlling tagged data in media content are disclosed herein. A tagging component assigns a tag to a content element in a media item. A bidding component determines a sponsor for the content element. A presentation component presents the tag with information regarding the content element. The information regarding the content element is determined by the sponsor.

Abstract: A method for enabling services and functionalities across device types and service providers within a communication device includes processing a first device function type, a first service type, and a first cost function from the device, obtaining a first firmware and communicating the first firmware to the communication device for execution, activating a first set of service enabling instructions to enable a first service and a first functionality associated with the first firmware when the first firmware is executed on the communication device, processing a second device function type, a second service type, and a second cost function from the device, obtaining a second firmware to be executed on the device, communicating the second firmware to the device, and activating a second set of service enabling instructions to enable a second service and a second functionality associated with the second firmware when the second firmware is executed on the device.

Abstract: A system and method for implementing electronic advertising which provides content to users based on observing behavior of certain trendsetters within a member population. The trendsetters are determined by studying historical adoption behavior of individuals within the member population, or by reference to known indicia.

Abstract: The invention described here is a system and method for efficiently presenting sponsored messages to the user of a participating information site or service, based on the level of interest recently expressed in those messages by other visitors to the same site. Presentation of sponsored messages may also be based on the level of interest expressed by other visitors across the network who are in the individual user's geographic region.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for verifying a consumer's cognitive awareness of an advertisement. Aspects of the invention provide a method of receiving a request for services from a consumer, presenting at least one advertisement to the consumer, presenting at least one verification question to the consumer, receiving at least one verification response from the consumer, and determining whether the at least one verification response matches at least one correct response. If the at least one verification response matches the correct response, then access to the service is granted. If the at least one verification response does not match the correct response, then access to the service is not granted. In some embodiments of the invention, the consumer is allowed to repeat the verification process if the verification response does not match the correct response.

Abstract: A method for providing a video player for a network of multiple live video sources includes: causing to be included in a webpage a first program line embedding a universal resource locator wherein, when the webpage is received into a web browser running on a computing device, the first code line causes the web browser to retrieve a file specified by the universal resource locator, the file executed within the web browser; including in the file a program code wherein, when the program code is executed at the web browser, the program code provides in the web browser a video player having capability to communicate messages between the video player and an application server; serving the file to the web browser when the web browser retrieves the executable file at the universal locator; and at the application server, handling message communication between the video player and the application server.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media processor having a controller to receive from a media communication system metadata describing one or more marketable items depicted in a media program supplied by the media communication system, present images of the media program at a media presentation device without highlighting the one or more marketable items, present an icon at least at one of a remote controller managing operations of the media processor or the media presentation device to indicate a presence of the one or more marketable items in one or more of the images presented at the media presentation device, detect a selection of the icon, and highlight the one or more marketable items. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: An interactive system includes an interactive society involving places and products being simulated as a real social network, and an user interactive module adapted for a user to configure a virtual character and to play a role in the interactive society, and a business module implanting different advertisements into places and products in the interactive society to interact with the user.

Abstract: Network-based advertising systems and methods for providing dynamic advertising information are provided. The system may include an advertising campaign management server configured, in an advertising campaign input phase, to serve an advertising client graphical user interface via an advertiser client. The interface may include a static advertising data input tool configured to receive static advertising data including advertisement text and a static advertisement link. The interface may further include a dynamic advertising data input tool configured to receive a dynamic data link to dynamic advertising data stored in an advertiser data source. The advertising campaign management server is configured to store the static advertising data and the dynamic data link in an associated advertisement data store for later retrieval by an advertising delivery server during an advertising delivery phase.

Abstract: Systems and methods of identifying ad elements of web pages via a computer network are provided. A script configured to identify an ad slot on a web page can be obtained by at least one data processing system having an ad slot evaluation module. The script can be executed to obtain advertisement parameters of the ad slot and web page parameters of the ad slot and generate a unique identifier of the ad slot. The generated unique identifier is associated with a URL identifier of the web page. The data processing system evaluates at least one database to determine one of a presence and an absence of the historical ad slot data. The data processing system provides content for display in the ad slot of the web page based at least in part on a result of the evaluation of the database.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for dynamically adjusting advertisement (“ad”) time for a multicast channel. In one embodiment, a variable ad insertion function operates to receive one or more multicasts of media content from a core distribution network, insert ad timeslots into the media content, and optionally perform late-binding of ads to the ad timeslots. The media content including the inserted ad timeslots and late-binded ads, if any, is then multicast to associated client devices over a feeder network using corresponding multicast channels. For each multicast channel, insertion of ad timeslots into the associated media content is dynamically controlled based on the number of users currently consuming or predicted to consume the multicast channel, the number of client devices receiving or predicted to receive the multicast channel, or both.

Abstract: A banner advertisement transfer server for transferring a banner advertisement to a plurality of sponsors which form members for the banner advertisement on a web and are connected to the server through a network includes a device for analyzing a click signal for the banner advertisement, a device for counting the click signal by each of the members registered in the server, and a device for deciding a transfer number of the banner advertisement for each of the members in response to a total number of the click signals. The transfer number of the banner advertisement for one member is calculated based on a number of the click signals by the one member for the banner advertisement of other members.

Abstract: There is disclosed a server and local device that interface for selecting advertisements to be viewed by users of an online service based upon user activity. The local device preferably maintains a targeted activity list of activity identifiers and associated advertisements. The local device monitors the activity on the local device and compares the activity to the identifiers in the targeted activity list. If the activity matches one of the identifiers, the local device plays one or more advertisements.

Abstract: A method of presenting a seller's goods or services to a consumer is provided. The method includes engaging the consumer in conversation with a representative of the seller while the consumer is accessing a webpage of the seller on an Internet browser of a consumer computing device. The method further includes directing the Internet browser to a presentation at a time selected by the representative using a representative computing device, wherein the presentation is configured to provide the consumer with information about at least one of goods and services of the seller.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for providing online advertisements, in which a fade-in type advertisement window that becomes gradually clear over a preset time is provided to a specific region of the content area of the web page. According to the method for providing advertisements using a fade-in advertisement window in accordance with the present invention, the advertisement window is provided such that the advertisement window is gradually clearly exposed to the user while the user is viewing the web page, thereby heightening the interest of the user in the advertisement.

Abstract: A progress bar for a multi media device, such as a television or a computer, can depict digital media streaming or otherwise where a progress bar operates during the media playback function. One embodiment of the present invention includes the progress bar as an advertisement including company logos. The progress bar is the advertisement and is operable to morph into various positions allowing the advertisement to develop during the playing of the video. Marketers promote their logo as the progress bar to increase brand exposure.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product provide the ability to select and display advertisements. A request for advertisements is issued to an advertisement server. An advertisement package comprised of a set of advertisements is received from the advertisement server. The set of advertisements from the advertisement package are loaded. Advertisements in the set of advertisements are delivered for display by display devices. The advertisements that are displayed are tracked in a log that is uploaded to the advertisement server.

Abstract: A method for extending direct marketing services entails utilizes an existing direct marketing network to provide direct marketing services to a company that does not have its own direct marketing network. A new compensation system is overlaid on an existing direct marketing network. The new compensation system corresponds to distribution of one or more products of the company that does not have its own direct marketing network. The new compensation system is overlaid on the existing direct marketing network without disturbing an existing compensation system for existing products already distributed through the existing direct marketing network.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and media for rating websites for safe advertising are provided. In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, the method comprises: extracting one or more features from a piece of web content; applying a plurality of statistical models to the extracted features to generate a plurality of ordinomial estimates, wherein each ordinomial estimate represents a probability that the web content is a member of one of a plurality of severity groups; determining a posterior ordinomial estimate for the web content by combining the plurality of ordinomial estimates; generating a risk rating that encodes severity and confidence based on the determined posterior ordinomial estimate, wherein the risk rating identifies whether the web content is likely to contain objectionable content of a given category; and providing the risk rating for determining whether an advertisement should be associated with the web content.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, including a method for providing content. A script is received for execution when a resource is rendered on a client device. The script is stored. A request for the resource is received that includes a token identifying a requesting source item that was interacted with by a user to generate the request. The script is executed. A determination is made as to when fixed or recyclable contact information associated with a content sponsor of the resource should be provided with the resource. When recyclable contact information should be provided, the information is requested from a service including providing the token to the service. Recyclable contact information for the content sponsor and time-out information are received and stored. The identifier is stored on the requesting device. The resource and recyclable contact information are provided responsive to the request.

Abstract: An embodiment is directed to a non-expanding advertisement that displays a video loop or a portion of a video within the advertisement. If the user interacts with the advertisement, the entire video is played within the advertisement without expanding. The user is not given the option to stop or pause the video. In addition, since the advertisement does not expand, the user is not given the option to close the video, ensuring that a complete view of the video is delivered to the user.

Abstract: An improved system and method for publishing content in marketing communications across digital media is provided. Marketing communications, including marketing emails, may include information about offers and advertising information for using the offers in online advertising such as advertising channel information, monetization information, and social sharing information. Upon receiving the marketing communications, offer information and advertising information may be extracted from the marketing communications. Offers may be generated from the offer information extracted from the marketing communications, and the offers and advertising information may be stored in persistent storage. A request may be received, for instance from an advertisement server or advertisement exchange network, to serve an advertisement for an advertising channel to the user. And an offer extracted from the marketing communications sent to the user may be served as an advertisement to a device operated by the user for display.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamically sizing, structuring and operating advertisements that include a variety of content, including interaction prompts and other elements, which enable an engagement-based revenue generation model. According to one embodiment, a computer implemented method comprises storing advertising content, serving an XML file from an advertising server to an advertisement manager in order to control a player on a user computer, dynamically generating the advertisement through the player based on directions from the advertisement manager and the stored content, and tracking and reporting a user's engagement with the advertisement in order to determine compensation for the publisher.

Abstract: Targeted advertising based on trending aggregated personalized information streams is disclosed. The method of targeted advertising, which can be implemented on a system includes receiving a topic from a user, wherein the user wants to present advertisements on social media platforms related to the topic, retrieving social media messages that relates to the topic from the social media platforms, identifying trending keywords associated with the social media messages that relates to the topic, and/or presenting the advertisement including the trending keywords on the social media platforms.

Abstract: An improved system and method for publishing content in marketing communications across digital media is provided. Marketing communications, including marketing emails, may include information about offers and advertising information for using the offers in online advertising such as advertising channel information, monetization information, and social sharing information. Upon receiving the marketing communications, offer information and advertising information may be extracted from the marketing communications. Offers may be generated from the offer information extracted from the marketing communications, and the offers and advertising information may be stored in persistent storage. A request may be received, for instance from an advertisement server or advertisement exchange network, to serve an advertisement for an advertising channel to the user. And an offer extracted from the marketing communications sent to the user may be served as an advertisement to a device operated by the user for display.

Abstract: A search engine, system and method for locating and rating a plurality of electronic mentions of respective ones of a plurality of brands.

Abstract: A transaction handler receives, for forwarding to a sponsor account's issuer, a coupon authorization request message from a merchant's acquirer that identifies the sponsor account and a coupon for an item being purchased by a consumer in a transaction with the merchant. The issuer determines eligibility of the coupon for use by the consumer, and sends an authorization response message to the merchant via its acquirer and the transaction handler for the application of a corresponding discount for the item when the coupon is eligible. One or more coupon eligibilities for the purchase of the item by the consumer from the merchant can be derived from comparisons of the transaction to predetermined times, geographies, jurisdictions, sets of merchants, and/or the number of times that coupons have been used in other transactions. The transaction handler can further process the transaction for authorization the consumer's account to pay of the transaction.

Abstract: An interactive, computer network based system presents consumers with multimedia brand information via a browser-based interface called the GraffitiWall®. Consumers can use the GraffitiWall® to modify and display a sponsor's brand information in any way desired, including use of avatars. Consumer modifications are immediately communicated to the other member consumers and the advertiser/sponsor. Consumers can rate the GraffitiWall®, or portions thereof, and email the GraffitiWall®. An archive of GraffitiWalls™ is maintained by the system. Consumers participate in online focus groups, one-to-one interviews and discussions, as well as games and promotions pertaining to the brand.

Abstract: A display characteristic determination machine receives a request to display seller-related content that references an item available for sale. The display characteristic determination machine identifies a display characteristic available from a web server, determines that the seller-related content is to be displayed using the display characteristic, and communicates to the web server that the seller-related content is to be displayed using the display characteristic and with primary content. The display characteristic determination machine may function as an allocation device to allocate use of the display characteristic. This functionality may be scaled, for example, to include determining use of multiple display characteristics, available from multiple web servers, by multiple instances of seller-related content requested for display by multiple sellers of multiple items.

Abstract: A device and method for advertising a product or service are described herein. The device may take a photograph of a participant holding the product or a thing representing the service. The participant identifies a product identifier of the product or service or the device. The product identifier and the photograph are uploaded to a third-party server that subsequently uploads basic product information and the photograph to the participant's online social network for viewing by the participant's contacts. The participant has a self-interested goal of presenting only relevant products and services to his or her contacts to maintain credibility.

Abstract: An advertisement distribution apparatus of the present application includes a storage unit, a calculating unit, a determining unit, and a distributing unit. The storage unit stores a value related to degree of association with content to which advertisement information is allowed to be distributed. The calculating unit calculates degree of association between content and advertisement information upon receiving a distribution request for advertisement information to be distributed to the content. The determining unit determines whether the degree of association calculated by the calculating unit is within a range determined by the value related to the degree of association stored in the storage unit. The distributing unit distributes the advertisement information as advertisement information to be distributed to the content when the determining unit determines that the degree of association is within the range.

Abstract: A method, system and product useful for online advertisement. The method comprising: displaying a first advertisement in a web page, wherein the first advertisement is associated with a compensation model that is contingent on a user action by a user with the first advertisement; and replacing the first advertisement by a second advertisement that is associated with a serving-based compensation model. In some embodiments, the first advertisement is replaced in response to a determination that a probability that the user action will be performed by the user is below a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, the first advertisement is replaced in response to a determination that a predetermined threshold time has elapsed after said displaying the first advertisement. In some embodiments, the predetermined threshold time is computed for an ad impression relating to the first advertisement, to the user and to the web page.

Abstract: A system and method according to which an advertisement associated with a first party that contains an interactive element displayed within the advertisement is displayed to a recipient in a network communication associated with a second party, an interface option within the advertisement is displayed as a result of an interaction by the recipient with the interactive element, contact information in the interface option is received from the recipient, and the contact information is stored in a database.

Abstract: A method for directing information to a plurality of users, the method including enabling a plurality of users to access a shared web resource having multiple functional capabilities, automatically monitoring interactions of the plurality of users with the shared web resource, automatically analyzing results of the monitoring to ascertain at least one shared characteristic of the plurality of users and employing results of the analyzing to selectively direct non-user originated information to the plurality of users while the plurality of users is accessing the shared web resource.

Abstract: A method for adding a tag to a message deliverable to a communication device includes monitoring communications to the device to identify a communication with which a tag can be associated. For identified communications with which a tag can be associated, the method includes analyzing at least one of data about the content of the communication, profile data about at least one of the recipient or sender of the communication, data about a commercial relationship between an operator managing communications to the device and an Internet service provider of tags, and data about popularity of an internet site, and selecting a tag to associate with the communication based on the data analysis.

Abstract: A notification method involves creating a template via a web server interface, where the template includes a statement having at least one tag, and triggering a transmission of raw data from a mobile communications device to the web server interface. The method further involves completing the template via the web server interface using the raw data transmitted to the mobile communications device. The template is completed by substituting the tag(s) with an alphanumeric expression deduced from the raw data. The method also involves uploading the completed template onto a remotely accessible social networking page.

Abstract: An image store including images from photo agencies is established by an image management system. Marketers interact with the image management system to review images in the image store and tag objects shown in the images. The object tags identify and provide information about the objects shown in the images. The marketers define campaigns having payment conditions indicating types of engagement with the images that trigger payments by the marketers. Publishers interact with the image management system to select images and publish the selected images to clients used by consumers. The publishers also provide the consumers with tag modules that execute on the clients to display the information about the objects shown in the published images. Consumer interactions with the displayed information are reported to the image management system, and the system accounts for payments by the marketers if the payment conditions are satisfied.

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: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for transforming marketing campaign designs into a format capable of importation into a content management system using domain ontologies. A computing device can receive a model flattened domain ontology and can create a vocabulary and content types for a CMS. Additionally, the computing device can receive a model-based marketing campaign design. Using the model-based marketing campaign design, the computing device can create an instance of a domain ontology and can transform the domain ontology into a flattened domain ontology using the model flattened domain ontology. The flattened domain ontology can be used to create instances of the content types in the CMS, and the CMS can facilitate the production, storage, and access of documents formatted to present the information from the model-based marketing campaign design in a user-friendly format.

Abstract: This disclosure is related to methods and systems involving combination of sponsored advertisements with multimedia files and methods of playback. In one representative embodiment, a method of combining advertising content with multimedia content available for download by a user comprises receiving a request to download a multimedia file from a multimedia content server available through a multimedia provider service, the request originating from a client media player. The method further comprises combining the multimedia file with advertisements provided by sponsors to create a combined multimedia and advertisement file, transmitting the combined multimedia and advertisement file to the client media player, saving the combined multimedia and advertisement file for later playback, and playing the advertisements when the combined multimedia and advertisement file is played back.

Abstract: A computerized method, apparatus and system for interfacing with one or more advertisement publishers across a network. The method includes receiving an advertisement and associated metadata from a client node over the network using a general purpose application programming interface (GPAPI); determining a list of recommended publishers for the advertisement based on at least the advertisement and the associated metadata; and placing the advertisement with one or more publisher nodes of publishers selected out of the recommended publishers, wherein communication with each publisher node of the selected publishers is performed using an application programming interface (API) of a respective publisher node.

Abstract: A method for offering a promotion to a user. A stimulus is received from a broadcast directed to a user location, the stimulus having unique coded information encoded therein. The unique coded information is extracted from the stimulus by decoding this information. From the decoded information, there is determined routing information for routing over a network to a promotion location on the network, which promotion location is operable to offer a promotion. The promotion location on the network is then interconnected in accordance with the determined routing information. A promotion is then offered over the network in response to the interconnection thereof by the step of interconnecting.

Abstract: An electronic advertisement method and system for an Internet browser with a book-like page-based flipping interface. Full pages of electronic advertisements presented on the computer screen are possible without obstructing the viewing and reading of other contents. This benefits both the viewer as well as the advertiser. An advertisement matching/delivery system provides a novel method of inserting advertisements into content as well as a novel method for revenue sharing among the parties involved.

Abstract: A method for exchanging data concerning an electronic transaction between two entities, includes: a step which consists in determining and booking an origin address (TPOA) in conformity with a bidirectional mobile telephony (GSM) digital messaging service protocol (SMS); a step which consists in sending in accordance with the protocol (SMS), an offer message (OFFRE_SMS) of the transaction (TR), the offer message (OFFRE_SMS) being sent from the first entity (MW) and addressed to the second entity (CL); and a step which consists in sending, from the second entity (CL) and addressed to the first entity (MW), a reply message comprising an information (REP) representing acceptance or rejection of the transaction.

Abstract: Techniques introduced here include a system and method for determining whether to provide a user of a social networking system with candidate users (i.e., potential contacts) with whom the user does not already have any connections with. In some embodiments, the system generates a set of candidate users based on a value (e.g., to the social networking system) associated with each potential connection formed between the user and the set of candidate users. In one or more embodiments, the system ranks the candidate users based on their connection-value to the social networking system and provides the ranked candidate users as suggested new connections to the user.

Abstract: One methodology in accordance with the disclosure is a computer-implementable methodology for quantitatively assessing the impact of paid search advertising on the total visits (paid and organic search-based visits) from search engines and utilizing this assessment to improve search engine marketing performance. The methodology relies on the computation of a synergy score for each search engine keyword of interest or coefficients in a synergy equation. Once computed, the score can be used to repeatedly compute the total return on advertising spend (ROAS) and other performance metrics on a go-forward basis without the time lag inherent in computing the synergy score itself. The methodology includes specific computer-implementable methods for improving search engine marketing performance based on the total (paid plus organic) performance metrics.

Abstract: A method for tracking user actions associated with an advertisement includes receiving conversion information. The method also includes determining whether the conversion information represents a valid conversion corresponding to a user action.

Abstract: Adservers with the ability to access advertiser cookies and vice versa when both are serving from the advertiser's domain are provided, thereby avoiding the overhead and delay in backend cookie synchronization efforts. Further, advertising cookie data can be gathered regardless of whether a user is browsing a publisher's web site with an advertisement served by an adserver, or browsing the advertiser's web site, because the cookies were previously set when the user visited the advertiser's web site in the context of a first-party cookie. Even if the user has configured his or her browser to limit the setting of third-party cookies, the cookies can still be read by the adserver. By making cookie and advertising data immediately available in real time to both the advertiser and the adserver, the solution also provides for instantaneous and accurate targeting of web advertising to allow an educated ad selection process by either party.

Abstract: A dialog box management system, a user system, a dialog box exposure method and a method for configuring dialog box exposure using the same are provided. The dialog box management system includes a communication unit which receives one or more information among application information, mobile web information, and dialog box management information from a registrant terminal registering applications or mobile webs, transmits a dialog box control program to the registrant terminal, and transmits dialog box management information for each application or dialog box management information for each mobile web to a user terminal executing applications or accessing mobile webs; an information management unit which registers and manages the dialog box management information for application or the dialog box management information for each mobile web; and a unit for managing a dialog box control program which manages the dialog box control program.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for targeting the delivery of advertisements over a network such as the Internet are disclosed. Statistics are compiled on individual users and networks and the use of the advertisements is tracked to permit targeting of the advertisements of individual users. In response to requests from affiliated sites, an advertising server transmits to people accessing the page of a site an appropriate one of the advertisement based upon profiling of users and networks.