U.S. patent application number 11/773673 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-14 for system and method for category-based contextual advertisement generation and management.
Invention is credited to Wouter Haak, Roelof Lettinga, Bob van Dijk.
Application Number | 20080040218 11/773673 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38895220 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080040218 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
van Dijk; Bob ; et
al. |
February 14, 2008 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CATEGORY-BASED CONTEXTUAL ADVERTISEMENT
GENERATION AND MANAGEMENT
Abstract
A computer-implemented system and method for category-based
contextual advertisement generation and management are disclosed.
The system in an example embodiment includes an advertisement
processor to allocate a first display region for displaying a
combination of variable revenue ads and fixed price ads, the
variable revenue ads and the fixed price ads being category-based,
sort the variable revenue ads based in part on a user entered
variable revenue value, and sort the fixed price ads based on a
rotation.
Inventors: |
van Dijk; Bob; (Amsterdam,
NL) ; Haak; Wouter; (Amsterdam, NL) ;
Lettinga; Roelof; (Amsterdam, NL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SCHWEGMAN, LUNDBERG & WOESSNER/EBAY
P.O. BOX 2938
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Family ID: |
38895220 |
Appl. No.: |
11/773673 |
Filed: |
July 5, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60806558 |
Jul 5, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.46 ;
705/14.69 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0254 20130101;
G06Q 30/0273 20130101; G06Q 30/0247 20130101; G06Q 30/0249
20130101; G06Q 40/12 20131203; G06Q 30/02 20130101; G06Q 30/0277
20130101; G06Q 30/0283 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/014 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: allocating a first display region for
displaying a combination of variable revenue ads and fixed price
ads, the variable revenue ads and the fixed price ads being
category-based; allocating a second display region for displaying
other ads; sorting the variable revenue ads based in part on a user
entered variable revenue value; and sorting the fixed price ads
based on a rotation.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the variable revenue
ads are displayed more prominently than the fixed price ads in the
first display region.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 including sorting the variable
revenue ads based (but not solely based on) on a current revenue
value generated by each variable revenue ad.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1 including sorting the variable
revenue ads based in part on user activity.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the user activity
includes clicking on an ad.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1 including displaying a view
item page associated with an ad when a user clicks on the ad.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rotation includes
rotating a plurality of fixed price ads through a portion of the
first display region.
8. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-readable storage
medium having machine executable instructions embedded thereon,
which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to: allocate a
first display region for displaying a combination of variable
revenue ads and fixed price ads, the variable revenue ads and the
fixed price ads being category-based; allocate a second display
region for displaying other ads; sort the variable revenue ads
based in part on a user entered variable revenue value; and sort
the fixed price ads based on a rotation.
9. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 8 being further
configured to display the variable revenue ads more prominently
than the fixed price ads in the first display region.
10. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 8 being further
configured to sort the variable revenue ads based on current
revenue generated by each variable revenue ad.
11. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 8 being further
configured to sort the variable revenue ads based in part on user
activity.
12. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 wherein the
user activity includes clicking on an ad.
13. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 8 being further
configured to display a view item page associated with an ad when a
user clicks on the ad.
14. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 8 wherein the
rotation includes rotating a plurality of fixed price ads through a
portion of the first display region.
15. A system comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the
processor to store information related to an advertisement; and an
advertisement processor to allocate a first display region for
displaying a combination of variable revenue ads and fixed price
ads, the variable revenue ads and the fixed price ads being
category-based, sort the variable revenue ads based in part on a
user entered variable revenue value, and sort the fixed price ads
based on a rotation.
16. The system as claimed in claim 15 being further configured to
display the variable revenue ads more prominently than the fixed
price ads in the first display region.
17. The system as claimed in claim 15 being further configured to
sort the variable revenue ads based on current revenue generated by
each variable revenue ad.
18. The system as claimed in claim 15 being further configured to
sort the variable revenue ads based in part on user activity.
19. The system as claimed in claim 18 wherein the user activity
includes clicking on an ad.
20. The system as claimed in claim 15 being further configured to
display a view item page associated with an ad when a user clicks
on the ad.
21. The system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the rotation includes
rotating a plurality of fixed price ads through a portion of the
first display region.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of the filing
date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/806,558,
filed Jul. 5, 2006, and entitled, "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
CATEGORY-BASED CONTEXTUAL ADVERTISEMENT GENERATION AND
BIDDING".
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] This disclosure relates to methods and systems supporting
online advertising and online transactions by a user. More
particularly, the present disclosure relates to category-based
contextual advertisement generation and management.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] An increasingly popular way of delivering Internet
advertisements is to tie the presentation of advertisements to
particular user behaviors and/or user profiles, and/or user
demographics. Such user behaviors include user access to a
particular web page, user selection (also called mouse-clicking or
clicking) of a particular location on a web page, user entry of a
particular search string or keyword, and the like. In order to
target advertising accurately, advertisers or vendors pay to have
their advertisements presented in response to certain kinds of
events--that is, their advertisements are presented when particular
user behaviors warrant such presentation. If a particular
advertisement (ad) leads to some user action, an advertiser may
receive remuneration for the ad.
[0006] Using other systems and processes on the Web, users can
search for goods and services via the Internet and shop or make
purchases of goods or services over the Internet. Unfortunately,
conventional systems have not been able to create an effective way
of using on-line product/service category definitions to create and
enable bidding on contextual advertisements that may lead to a user
purchase transaction.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,061 discloses methods and apparatuses
for targeting the delivery of advertisements over a network such as
the Internet. 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
advertisements based upon profiling of users and networks. However,
the '061 patent does not describe or suggest using on-line
product/service category definitions to create and enable bidding
on contextual advertisements.
[0008] Thus, a system and method for category-based contextual
advertisement generation and management is needed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Embodiments illustrated by way of example and not limitation
in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment in which an example
of a host site web page is shown.
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment in which a
visitor/user is viewing the example host site web page, which
includes a first display region and a second display region.
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of part of the view item page,
with which the visitor/user can be offered one of several options
to purchase/lease/bid on or otherwise initiate a transaction
associated with a selected item.
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of multiple host site web
pages.
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a gallery view (i.e. a
picture view) of a categorized list of product ads in an example
embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment showing a rotation
of fixed price ads among the positions allocated to fixed price ads
in the first display region in multiple pages.
[0016] FIG. 7 illustrates an initial user interface screen in the
creation of a fixed price ad in an example embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface screen
displayed in the creation of a fixed price ad in an example
embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates three user interface screens in the
creation of a variable revenue ad in an example embodiment.
[0019] FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate detailed results reports in a
particular embodiment that enable a merchant/advertiser to view a
set of metrics related to each advertisement (variable revenue or
fixed price) the advertiser has created in the system of a
particular embodiment.
[0020] FIG. 12 is a processing flow diagram that illustrates the
processing flow in an example embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a network system on which an
embodiment may operate.
[0022] FIGS. 14 and 15 are block diagrams of a computer system on
which an embodiment may operate.
[0023] FIG. 16 illustrates an example embodiment in which an
example of a host site web page is shown and some advantages are
identified.
[0024] FIG. 17 illustrates another example embodiment in which an
example of a host site web page is shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] A computer-implemented system and method for category-based
contextual advertisement generation and management are disclosed.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set
forth. However, it is understood that embodiments may be practiced
without these specific details. In other instances, well-known
processes, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail
in order not to obscure the clarity of this description.
[0026] As described further below, according to various example
embodiments of the disclosed subject matter described and claimed
herein, there is provided a computer-implemented system and method
for category-based contextual advertisement generation and
management. The system includes an advertisement processor to
allocate a first display region for displaying a combination of
variable revenue ads and fixed price ads, the variable revenue ads
and the fixed price ads being category-based, sort the variable
revenue ads based in part on a user entered variable revenue value,
and sort the fixed price ads based on a rotation. Various
embodiments are described below in connection with the figures
provided herein.
DEFINITIONS
[0027] Functionality for various embodiments is described below.
Some definitions follow. [0028] An advertisement (ad) can be a
product or service listing item, a purchase/lease/bid solicitation,
or a display object related to a product or service. [0029] A view
is a serving of the View item page (VIP), the page that shows the
advertisement (ad), and is the same as a click (from the result set
to the VIP) [0030] An impression is when an ad is shown in the
result set (e.g. in browse or in a search function) The following
acronyms are defined as follows. [0031] SYI--Sell your item, the
flow where users build their ad. [0032] RYI--Revise your item, the
flow where users edit their existing ad. [0033] VIP--View item
page, the page that shows the ad. [0034] CSV--comma separated
value, filetype (industry standard), used to export the performance
data of the ad. [0035] LTS--Live to site means content that is live
(i.e. available) on the site for the users. [0036] CPC--Cost per
click, the amount the advertisers pay for a click. A click is
counted when the VIP is served to a visitor of a host site. [0037]
CTR--Click through rate, the ratio of the user being exposed to the
ad and actually clicking to see the ad. [0038] RPM--RPM stands for
`Revenue per Thousand` (`M` being the Roman numeral for 1,000). RPM
is how much revenue is generated per thousand impressions. RPM can
be calculated as a function of CPC and CTR. [0039] RMC--RMC
represents a 3.sup.rd party billing service to which billing
processes of various embodiments can be outsourced. The 3.sup.rd
party billing service can be sent a file with all the (cumulative)
amounts and 3.sup.rd party billing service forwards an invoice.
Overview of Various Embodiments
[0040] Category-based advertisement functionality of various
embodiments enables users to buy a premium position on web pages
with ad listings. As described in more detail below, various
embodiments provide category-based CPC & relevance-based
product rankings and associated listings of product advertisements.
In various embodiments, the ad listings are arranged on each web
page according to a combination of different types of ad listings.
In a particular embodiment, these types of ad listings include
fixed price ads and variable revenue ads (also denoted herein as
RPM ads). Other ads, such as standard classified ads, can also be
shown on the web page. Fixed price ads can be advertisements or
product listings that are displayed on a host site for a fixed
price paid by the merchant/advertiser or product/service provider
to the host site. Variable revenue ads (e.g. RPM ads) are
advertisements or product/service listings for which a
merchant/advertiser pays to the host site a value corresponding in
part to a CPC associated with the advertisement or product/service
listing. Based on the RPM derived from the CPC (RPM=function(CPC,
CTR), the ads are arranged on each web page by the host site
according to a sorting of the RPM corresponding to the ad (e.g. the
ad with the highest RPM displayed in the most valuable position to
the ad with lowest RPM displayed in the least valuable position).
In this manner, an advertiser can essentially bid on a position for
a variable revenue ad by paying a value for the ad that will
correspond to a CPC, which will correspond to the desired level of
RPM and thus the desired display position on the host site.
Alternatively, the advertiser can opt to use a simpler process and
pay a fixed price for the ad and obtain a fixed price ad that is
displayed in combination with variable revenue ads and other fixed
price ads in a display region separate from other ads on a host
site web page.
[0041] As will be described in more detail below for an example
embodiment, two types of ads are displayed concurrently in a first
region of the host site web page and arranged/sorted using two
different processes. Other ads are displayed in a second region of
the host site web page and arranged/sorted using a conventional
process. In the particular embodiment described, each listing page
(i.e. search/browse results within a specific product category)
shows at least two display regions; a first display region on top
(e.g. in the most valuable position) shows a mix of variable
revenue ads and fixed price ads. The second display region at the
bottom (e.g. in a less valuable position) is used to display other
standard classified ads. Within the first display region, the top
two positions (e.g. the top two most valuable positions) are used
for displaying variable revenue ads, assuming there is a sufficient
inventory of variable revenue ads. Also within the first display
region, the third position is used to display fixed price ads,
assuming there is a sufficient inventory of fixed price ads. In
general, if there is an insufficient inventory of one type of ad,
different types of ads can be moved into the display positions that
would otherwise have been allocated to ads of the type for which
the inventory was insufficient.
[0042] In a particular embodiment, merchants/advertisers/others can
purchase two different types of ad listings: [0043] 1. Fixed Price
Ad product [0044] Ads are sold at a fixed price, [0045] Ads can be
purchased for a particular product/service category, [0046]
Displayed for a fixed time period (e.g. a number of days), [0047]
Sorted and displayed in the third position of the first display
region of each listing page based on a fixed rotation schedule and
a fixed limited amount of display time at each position. [0048] 2.
Variable Revenue (e.g. RPM) Ad product [0049] Fair pricing through
bidding (e.g. on price per click), [0050] Ads can be purchased for
a particular product/service category, [0051] Sorted and displayed
in the top two positions of the first display region of each
listing page based on cost per click and user activity (e.g. RPM).
The variable revenue ads are sorted according to: [0052] Prior to
any click-throughs of the ad, a testing phase defines the RPM for
the ad as a function of CPC and CTR (of the category associated
with the ad). [0053] Upon receiving click-throughs for the ad, the
RPM for the ad is a function of CPC and CTR (for the last 24 hours
the ad was displayed).
[0054] In a particular embodiment, the host site that displays
purchased ads displays the ads depending on the different types of
ad listings. In a first display region, the variable revenue ads
are displayed in the top two positions (in one embodiment) of every
page showing variable revenue ads in a browse or search mode. Also
in the first display region, the fixed price ads are displayed in
the third position (in one embodiment) of every page showing fixed
price ads in a browse or search mode. In a second display region,
other conventional classified ads are shown on each page showing
other ads in a browse or search mode. An example of a host site web
page displaying the first and second display regions is illustrated
in FIG. 1.
[0055] FIG. 16 illustrates an example embodiment in which an
example of a host site web page is shown and some advantages of
various embodiments are identified.
[0056] FIG. 17 illustrates another example embodiment in which an
example of a host site web page is shown.
[0057] Referring to FIG. 1, an example of a host site web page 2601
is shown. In a particular embodiment, the host site web page
includes a first display region 2605 and a second display region
2610. In this example, the first display region 2605 is used for
displaying a mix of the variable revenue ads in the top two
positions 2607 (in one embodiment) and fixed price ads in a third
position 2608 of the first display region 2605. The second display
region 2610 is used for displaying other conventional classified
ads. Note that it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in
the art that a greater or lesser number of ads of each type can be
displayed in the host page 2601. Further, the arrangement of the
first display region 2605 and the second display region 2610 can be
horizontal, vertical, tiled or in any other suitable arrangement on
web page 2601. Note also that there is no difference in the look
and feel of the variable revenue ad and the fixed price ad in the
first display region.
[0058] As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the three ad positions in
the first display region 2605 can be used to show a combination of
variable revenue ads and fixed price ads. In a particular
embodiment, the topmost position (e.g. most valuable position) in
the first display region 2605 is used to display the variable
revenue ad with the highest RPM. The next lower position in the
first display region 2605 is used to display the variable revenue
ad with the next highest RPM. In a particular embodiment, the third
position 2608 of the first display region is used to display a
fixed price ad based on a fixed ad rotation schedule (described in
more detail below) and a fixed limited amount of display time at a
current position on the current page. If there are not enough
variable revenue ads in the paid inventory of variable revenue ads
to fill the most valuable positions 2607 in the first display area
2605, fixed price ads can be moved into the most valuable positions
2607 of the first display region 2605 to fill empty positions that
would otherwise be occupied by variable revenue ads. Conversely, if
there are not enough fixed price ads in the paid inventory of fixed
price ads to fill positions in the first display area 2605,
variable revenue ads can be moved into positions of the first
display region 2605 to fill empty positions that would otherwise be
occupied by fixed price ads.
[0059] As also shown in the example of FIG. 1, the ad positions in
the second display region 2610 can be used to show other ads (e.g.
standard classified ads). Note that in the example shown in FIG. 1,
the mix of variable revenue ads and fixed price ads displayed in
the first display region 2605 appear similar in the look and feel
of the ads. Thus, there is no need to display the different types
of ads in a different display style (although a level of
differentiation could be employed).
[0060] Both types of ads (i.e. variable revenue ads and fixed price
ads) may or may not include links within the ad with which a user
can click the ad leave the host site and obtain more detail on the
ad listing or initiate a purchase/lease/bid transaction. However,
unlike conventional ad listings, the visitor/user who clicks on an
ad is not redirected to an advertiser or merchant website
associated with the ad. In the various embodiments described
herein, the visitor/user who clicks on an ad is directed to another
host site web page. In one embodiment, the visitor/user who clicks
on an ad is directed to a host site view item web page that shows
additional detail on the selected item. In one embodiment, the view
item web page is not hosted by the merchant/advertiser. The view
item web page is hosted by the host site. However, the view item
web page may contain a link to the merchant/advertiser site, the
merchant/advertiser site being associated with the product/service
represented in the ad clicked by the visitor/user. The visitor/user
can use this link in the view item web page to click through to the
merchant/advertiser site from the view item web page. This is
described in more detail below in connection with FIG. 2.
[0061] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment in which a visitor/user is
viewing the example host site web page 2601, which includes a first
display region 2605 (shown in FIG. 1) and a second display region
2610 (shown in FIG. 1). In this example, the visitor/user clicks on
a particular ad 2603 within page 2601. Note that ad 2603 can be
either a fixed price ad or a variable revenue ad. As a result of
clicking on ad 2603, the visitor/user is directed to a view item
page 2612 on the host site. The view item page 2612 includes
additional detailed information on the selected item associated
with the ad 2603 clicked by the visitor/user. As part of the view
item page 2612 or via another portion of the user interface, the
visitor/user can be offered (via option block 2616 shown in FIG. 3)
one of several options 2614 to purchase/lease/bid on or otherwise
initiate a transaction associated with the selected item. In a
particular embodiment, these options 2614 to purchase include an
emailed purchase request, a purchase by telephone with a host site
representative, an on-line purchase transaction via a website, or a
bid transaction. These options are shown in more detail in FIG.
3.
[0062] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of multiple host site web
pages 2601. As shown in FIG. 4, the first page (page 1) of a
categorized list of product/service ads can be used to show the
first three ads (e.g. ads 1, 2, and 3) of a set of mixed variable
revenue ads and fixed price ads in the first display region of each
page. The second page (page 2) of the categorized list of
product/service ads can be used to show the second group of three
ads (e.g. ads 4, 5, and 6) of the set of mixed variable revenue ads
and fixed price ads in the first display region of each page.
Similarly, a mix of variable revenue ads in sorted order (based on
RPM value) and fixed price ads (sorted in a rotation) are shown in
subsequent web pages in the first display region of each page until
all of the variable revenue ads and fixed price ads from the
available inventory of paid variable revenue ads and fixed price
ads have been displayed. If more variable revenue ads are available
than there are pages with fixed price ads, the last page(s) can be
filled with the remainders of variable revenue ads. Conversely, if
more fixed price ads are available than there are pages with
variable revenue ads, the last page(s) can be filled with the
remainders of fixed price ads. Hence, the last page(s) can have
only variable revenue ads or only fixed price ads in the first
display region on the page. It will be apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art that the first display region can include
more than or less than three ads of a set of mixed variable revenue
ads and fixed price ads in the first display region of each
page.
[0063] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, other ads can be displayed in
the second display region of each page below the first display
region. The first page (page 1) of the categorized list of product
ads can be used to show the first several ads of a set of other ads
in the second display region of each page. The second page (page 2)
of the categorized list of product/service ads can be used to show
the second group of several other ads of the set of other ads in
the second display region of each page. Similarly, other ads in
sorted order (e.g. based on recency) are shown in the second
display region in subsequent web pages until all of the other ads
from the available inventory of other ads have been displayed.
[0064] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a gallery view (i.e. a
picture view) of a categorized list of product ads. In similar
fashion to the categorized list of product/service ads shown in a
list view and described above, the example host site web page 2601
in gallery view, in a particular embodiment, includes a first
display region 2605 and a second display region 2610. In this
example, the first display region 2605 is used to show a mix of
variable revenue ads and fixed price ads in the top four positions
(in one embodiment). The second display region 2610 is used to show
other ads in the lower positions (in one embodiment). Note that it
will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that a
greater or lesser number of ads of each type can be displayed in
the host page 2601. Further, the arrangement of the first display
region 2605 and the second display region 2610 can be horizontal,
vertical, tiled or in any other suitable arrangement on web page
2601.
[0065] As shown in the gallery view example of FIG. 5, the four ad
positions in the first display region 2605 can be used to show a
mix of variable revenue ads and fixed price ads. In a particular
embodiment, the leftmost position in the first display region 2605
is used to display the variable revenue ad with the highest RPM.
The next position to the right in the first display region 2605 is
used to display the variable revenue ad with the next highest RPM
and so on. The last position(s) (e.g. least valuable position or
positions) of the first display region 2605 is used for displaying
fixed price ads (sorted in a rotation). If there are not enough
variable revenue ads in the paid inventory of variable revenue ads
to fill the positions in the first display area 2605, fixed price
ads can be moved into the more valuable positions in the first
display region 2605 to fill empty positions that would otherwise be
occupied by variable revenue ads.
[0066] As also shown in the example of FIG. 5, the several ad
positions in the second display region 2610 can be used to show
other ads. In a particular embodiment, the leftmost position in the
second display region 2610 is used to display the other ad most
recently placed (i.e. recency--the most recent ad). The next
position to the right in the second display region 2610 is used to
display the next most recent other ad and so on.
[0067] FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment showing a rotation
of fixed price ads among the positions allocated to fixed price ads
in the first display region in multiple pages. As illustrated, each
page of a host site listing can have a first display region 2605
and a second display region 2610. In a particular embodiment, the
first display region 2605 can be used for the displaying a mix of
variable revenue ads and fixed priced ads. Typically, the variable
revenue ads would be shown more prominently (e.g. above) the fixed
price ads in the first display region 2605. Typically, only other
ads are shown in the second display region 2610. Given that the
first display region 2605 can be used for the displaying of both
variable revenue ads and fixed priced ads, a particular embodiment
rotates the top few fixed price ads through a portion of the first
display region 2605 of each page to give these top few fixed price
ads an opportunity to be seen in the more valuable positions of the
first few pages. The top portion of the first page (i.e. page 1) is
considered the most valuable portion of the list as this portion is
most likely viewed and clicked on by a user. By rotating the top
few fixed price ads through a portion of the first display region
of the first few pages, each top fixed price ad gets shown in the
most valuable portion of the list.
[0068] As shown in the example of FIG. 6, the top few fixed price
ads (e.g. Fixed $ Ad 1, Fixed $ Ad 2, Fixed $ Ad 3, Fixed $ Ad 4,
Fixed $ Ad 5) are displayed in the first display region 2605 of
three pages (pages 1, 2, and 3) of a host site list. Variable
revenue ads (RPM Ads 1-4) are shown in the upper portion (e.g. more
valuable portion) of the first display region on pages 1 and 2. In
this example, there are only four variable revenue ads in the
inventory of variable revenue ads; thus, the full inventory of
variable revenue ads can be shown in the first two positions of the
first display region 2605 of the first two pages. It will be
apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that additional
pages and additional positions of the first display region 2605 of
each page can be used to display the full inventory of variable
revenue ads. In the remaining one or more positions in the first
display region 2605 of each page that are not allocated to variable
revenue ads, the top few fixed price ads (e.g. Fixed $ Ad 1, Fixed
$ Ad 2, Fixed $ Ad 3, Fixed $ Ad 4, and Fixed $ Ad 5) can be
displayed in rotating fashion. Similarly, the positions of the
first display region 2605 can all be allocated to fixed price ads
when the full inventory of variable revenue ads have been displayed
on previous pages (e.g. see page 3 shown in FIG. 6).
[0069] As shown in FIG. 6, the third position of the first display
region 2605 of page 1 is currently allocated to Fixed $ Ad 2. The
third position of the first display region 2605 of page 2 is
currently allocated to Fixed $ Ad 1. The Fixed $ Ad 1 had formerly
been allocated to the third position of the first display region
2605 of page 1 prior to the rotation of Fixed $ Ad 1 to its current
position. Fixed $ Ad 2 had formerly been allocated to the third
position of the first display region 2605 of page 3 prior to the
rotation of Fixed $ Ad 2 to its current position. The top few fixed
price ads are displayed in their current positions of the rotation
for a pre-determined time period (e.g. one hour). At the expiration
of the predetermined time period, the top few fixed price ads are
rotated to the next position. For example, in a next rotation cycle
shown in FIG. 6, Fixed $ Ad 1 will move to the top position of the
first display region 2605 of page 3. Fixed $ Ad 2 will move to the
third position of the first display region 2605 of page 2. Fixed $
Ad 3 will move to the third position of the first display region
2605 of page 1. Fixed $ Ad 4 and Fixed $ Ad 5 will move down one
position in the first display region 2605 of page 3. This rotation
pattern will continue while there are still variable revenue ads
and fixed price ads in the inventory.
[0070] When a new fixed price ad is added to the inventory, the new
fixed price ad can be immediately included in the rotation of the
top few fixed price ads at the third position of the first display
region 2605 of page 1. The new fixed price ad then continues in the
rotation described above. When a new variable revenue ad is added
to the inventory, the new variable revenue ad is allocated to a
position in the first display region according to the RPM value of
the ad. That is, the highest value variable revenue ad is allocated
to the first (i.e. top) position of the first display region 2605
of the first page. The next highest value variable revenue ad is
allocated to the second position of the first display region 2605
of the first page and so on.
[0071] The top few fixed price ads can be rotated through portions
of the first display region 2605 of each page as described above.
In the particular example shown in FIG. 6, the five most recently
created (i.e. top few) fixed price ads are rotated through portions
of the first display region 2605 of each page as described. It will
be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other
criteria can be used to define the top few fixed price ads. Other
ads can be displayed in the second display regions 2610 of each
page as shown in the example of FIG. 6.
[0072] In a particular embodiment, if the CTR on an add falls below
a certain pre-defined limit, the ad is removed from the ranking
(and appropriate messaging occurs). If an ad does not meet the
pre-defined CTR threshold, the ad can be removed from the host site
list and search index.
[0073] Category-based advertisements can have a regular ad (e.g.
other standard classified ad) as a related sibling ad. These
sibling ads can behave similarly to conventional ads.
Click-throughs of a sibling ad can be included in the count of
click-throughs for a related variable revenue ad or fixed price
ad.
[0074] FIG. 7 illustrates an initial user interface screen
displayed in the creation of a fixed price ad in an example
embodiment (user can select whether he wants to buy the fixed
priced ad feature for this ad title, there is no relationship with
payment options as such). In this screen, a user can enter the
particular details and content of the ad. In addition, a fixed
price ad can be purchased as a one click feature added to the
conventional process for buying a standard classified ad. In a
particular embodiment, the one-click feature to create the fixed
price ad is included in option block 2605 shown in FIG. 7.
[0075] FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface screen
displayed in the creation of a fixed price ad in an example
embodiment. In this screen, a user can select payment options for
particular fixed price ads in selected categories. As shown in FIG.
8, each ad (horizontal row 3301) is associated with different fixed
price costs for several categories (vertical columns 3303) in which
the ad may appear. A user can select a fixed price ad to appear in
a selected category listing by marking the associated cost checkbox
for the desired ad. As shown, a limit can be defined as a maximum
of two fixed price ads per category. If so defined, a user is
automatically prevented from selecting more ads in a category than
the limit would allow. It will be apparent to those of ordinary
skill in the art that other maximum limits can similarly be
defined.
[0076] FIG. 9 illustrates three user interface screens in the
creation of a variable revenue ad in an example embodiment. In
these screens, a user can enter the particular details and content
of a variable revenue ad. In the first screen 3401, a user can
select one or more categories and/or subcategories associated with
the new variable revenue ad. In a second screen 3402, a user can
set various parameters for the ad and enter the content of the ad.
In a third screen 3403, a user can enter a variable revenue value
(e.g. CPC) associated with the new ad. Using the variable revenue
value, the user can establish an RPM value (which is not disclosed
to user) associated with the ad that is used as described above to
prioritize the display position for the variable revenue ad in the
host site listing. Thus, the variable revenue value can be used to
control the display position associated with the variable revenue
ad. Typically, a higher variable revenue value corresponds to a
better display position for the ad on the host site. However, a
higher variable revenue value corresponds to higher costs for the
merchant/advertiser. The costs and performance of each variable
revenue ad can be monitored using the detailed reports produced by
various embodiments as described in more detail below.
[0077] FIG. 10 illustrates a detailed results report 3500 that
enables a merchant/advertiser to view a set of metrics related to
each advertisement (variable revenue or fixed price) the
merchant/advertiser has created in the system of a particular
embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, each ad (horizontal row 3301) is
associated with several different metrics (vertical columns 3303)
associated with the corresponding ad. In an example embodiment,
these metrics include a budget associated with the ad, a daily cost
limit, a total spend value, the average page or pages on which the
ad was shown, the average CPC associated with the ad, the average
CTR associated with the ad, the number of clicks to view the view
item page, the number of clicks from the view item page to the
seller website, the number of emails related to the subject of the
ad, the number of bids related to the subject of the ad, the
date/time the ad was created or display of the ad started, and the
date/time the ad was terminated or display of the ad stopped. It
will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many
other metrics can be captured and displayed as part of the results
report 3500. These metrics enable the merchant/advertiser to manage
their portfolio of advertisements and monitor the effectiveness of
the ads on the host site.
[0078] FIG. 11 illustrates another detailed results report 3600
that includes a view of historical information related to each
advertisement (variable revenue or fixed price) the
merchant/advertiser has created in the system of a particular
embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, each ad (horizontal row 3301) is
associated with several different metrics (vertical columns 3303)
associated with the corresponding ad. In an example embodiment,
these metrics include historical information 3602 and 3604 for each
of the first two ads listed in report 3600. In a particular
embodiment, these historical metrics include a different row of
metrics for each change the merchant/advertiser made to the
configuration of an ad over the time the ad was active. These
historical metrics enable the advertiser to determine if changes to
the configuration of a particular ad were effective in increasing
the performance (note: it may not be revenue related) associated
with the ad.
[0079] FIG. 12 is a processing flow diagram that illustrates the
processing flow in an example embodiment. As shown, an example
embodiment allocates a first display region for displaying a
combination of variable revenue ads and fixed price ads, the
variable revenue ads and the fixed price ads being category-based;
allocates a second display region for displaying other ads; sorts
the variable revenue ads based in part on a user entered variable
revenue value; and sorts the fixed price ads based on a
rotation.
[0080] Referring now to FIG. 13, a diagram illustrates a network
environment in which various example embodiments may operate. In
this conventional network architecture, a server computer system
100 is coupled to a wide-area network 110. Wide-area network 110
includes the Internet, or other proprietary networks, which are
well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Wide-area network
110 may include conventional network backbones, long-haul telephone
lines, Internet service providers, various levels of network
routers, and other conventional means for routing data between
computers. Using conventional network protocols, server 100 may
communicate through wide-area network 110 to a plurality of client
computer systems 120, 130, 140 connected through wide-area network
110 in various ways. For example, client 140 is connected directly
to wide-area network 110 through direct or dial-up telephone or
other network transmission line. Alternatively, clients 130 may be
connected through wide-area network 110 using a modem pool 114. A
conventional modem pool 114 allows a plurality of client systems to
connect with a smaller set of modems in modem pool 114 for
connection through wide-area network 110. In another alternative
network topology, wide-area network 110 is connected to a gateway
computer 112. Gateway computer 112 is used to route data to clients
120 through a local area network (LAN) 116. In this manner, clients
120 can communicate with each other through local area network 116
or with server 100 through gateway 112 and wide-area network
110.
[0081] Using one of a variety of network connection means, server
computer 100 can communicate with client computers 150 using
conventional means. In a particular implementation of this network
configuration, a server computer 100 may operate as a web server if
the Internet's World-Wide Web (WWW) is used for wide area network
110. Using the HTTP protocol and the HTML coding language across
wide-area network 110, web server 100 may communicate across the
World-Wide Web with clients 150. In this configuration, clients 150
use a client application program known as a web browser such as the
Internet Explorer.TM. published by Microsoft Corporation of
Redmond, Wash., the user interface of America On-Line.TM., or the
web browser or HTML renderer of any other supplier. Using such
conventional browsers and the World-Wide Web, clients 150 may
access image, graphical, and textual data provided by web server
100 or they may run Web application software. Conventional means
exist by which clients 150 may supply information to web server 100
through the World Wide Web 110 and the web server 100 may return
processed data to clients 150.
[0082] Having briefly described one embodiment of the network
environment in which an example embodiment may operate, FIGS. 14
and 15 show an example of a computer system 200 illustrating an
exemplary client 150 or server 100 computer system in which the
features of an example embodiment may be implemented. Computer
system 200 is comprised of a bus or other communications means 214
and 216 for communicating information, and a processing means such
as processor 220 coupled with bus 214 for processing information.
Computer system 200 further comprises a random access memory (RAM)
or other dynamic storage device 222 (commonly referred to as main
memory), coupled to bus 214 for storing information and
instructions to be executed by processor 220. Main memory 222 also
may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate
information during execution of instructions by processor 220.
Computer system 200 also comprises a read only memory (ROM) and/or
other static storage device 224 coupled to bus 214 for storing
static information and instructions for processor 220.
[0083] An optional data storage device 228 such as a magnetic disk
or optical disk and its corresponding drive may also be coupled to
computer system 200 for storing information and instructions.
Computer system 200 can also be coupled via bus 216 to a display
device 204, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal
display (LCD), for displaying information to a computer user. For
example, image, textual, video, or graphical depictions of
information may be presented to the user on display device 204.
Typically, an alphanumeric input device 208, including alphanumeric
and other keys is coupled to bus 216 for communicating information
and/or command selections to processor 220. Another type of user
input device is cursor control device 206, such as a conventional
mouse, trackball, or other type of cursor direction keys for
communicating direction information and command selection to
processor 220 and for controlling cursor movement on display
204.
[0084] Alternatively, the client 150 can be implemented as a
network computer or thin client device. Client 150 may also be a
laptop or palm-top computing device, such as the Palm Pilot.TM..
Client 150 could also be implemented in a robust cellular
telephone, where such devices are currently being used with
Internet micro-browsers. Such a network computer or thin client
device does not necessarily include all of the devices and features
of the above-described exemplary computer system; however, the
functionality of an example embodiment or a subset thereof may
nevertheless be implemented with such devices.
[0085] A communication device 226 is also coupled to bus 216 for
accessing remote computers or servers, such as web server 100, or
other servers via the Internet, for example. The communication
device 226 may include a modem, a network interface card, or other
well-known interface devices, such as those used for interfacing
with Ethernet, Token-ring, or other types of networks. In any
event, in this manner, the computer system 200 may be coupled to a
number of servers 100 via a conventional network infrastructure
such as the infrastructure illustrated in FIG. 13 and described
above.
[0086] The system of an example embodiment includes software,
information processing hardware, and various processing steps,
which will be described below. The features and process steps of
example embodiments may be embodied in articles of manufacture as
machine or computer executable instructions. The instructions can
be used to cause a general purpose or special purpose processor,
which is programmed with the instructions to perform the steps of
an example embodiment. Alternatively, the features or steps may be
performed by specific hardware components that contain hard-wired
logic for performing the steps, or by any combination of programmed
computer components and custom hardware components. While
embodiments are described with reference to the Internet, the
method and apparatus described herein is equally applicable to
other network infrastructures or other data communications
systems.
[0087] Various embodiments are described herein. In particular, the
use of embodiments with various types and formats of user interface
presentations and/or application programming interfaces may be
described. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the
art that alternative embodiments of the implementations described
herein can be employed and still fall within the scope of the
claimed invention. In the detail herein, various embodiments are
described as implemented in computer-implemented processing logic
denoted sometimes herein as the "Software". As described above,
however, the claimed invention is not limited to a purely software
implementation.
[0088] Thus, a computer-implemented system and method for
category-based contextual advertisement generation and management
are disclosed. While the present invention has been described in
terms of several example embodiments, those of ordinary skill in
the art will recognize that the present invention is not limited to
the embodiments described, but can be practiced with modification
and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
The description herein is thus to be regarded as illustrative
instead of limiting.
* * * * *