U.S. patent application number 12/247069 was filed with the patent office on 2011-07-28 for generating reach and frequency data for television advertisements.
This patent application is currently assigned to Google Inc.. Invention is credited to John Hawkins, Simon Rowe.
Application Number | 20110185382 12/247069 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41403980 |
Filed Date | 2011-07-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110185382 |
Kind Code |
A2 |
Hawkins; John ; et
al. |
July 28, 2011 |
GENERATING REACH AND FREQUENCY DATA FOR TELEVISION
ADVERTISEMENTS
Abstract
Television reporting records are accessed and processed to
generate frequency specific reach values and device frequencies for
creatives (e.g., television advertisements). The device frequencies
indicating the number of times a creative was presented by use of a
particular viewing device. The frequency specific reach values
indicating the number of unique viewing devices that were used to
present the creative a specified number of times. Estimating
frequency specific reach values and device frequencies for a
creative for a viewing population. The estimated frequency specific
reach values and device frequencies for the viewing population are
based on known viewing pattern data for multiple creative airings
from a sample of the viewing population (e.g., a subset of the
viewing population) and estimated viewing pattern data for the
airings for the viewing population.
Inventors: |
Hawkins; John; (London,
UK) ; Rowe; Simon; (Finchampstead, UK) |
Assignee: |
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View
CA
94043
|
Prior
Publication: |
|
Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20100088719 A1 |
April 8, 2010 |
|
|
Family ID: |
41403980 |
Appl. No.: |
12/247069 |
Filed: |
October 7, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/34 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20130101;
H04H 60/66 20130101; H04N 21/2407 20130101; H04N 21/6582 20130101;
H04N 21/812 20130101; H04N 7/16 20130101; H04N 21/26603 20130101;
H04N 21/25891 20130101; H04N 21/4667 20130101; H04H 20/14
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/034 |
International
Class: |
H04N 7/025 20060101
H04N007/025 |
Claims
1. A system, comprising: one or more processing devices; and
software stored on a computer readable medium comprising
instructions executable by the one or more processing devices and
upon such execution cause the one or more processing devices to
perform operations comprising: access television reporting data,
the television reporting data including: viewing identifiers
identifying viewing devices; creative identifiers identifying
creatives that were presented by use of the viewing devices; time
data identifying times at which the creatives were presented by use
of the viewing devices; wherein the viewing identifiers, creative
identifiers and time data are associated to identify, for each
viewing device, the creatives presented by use of the viewing
device and the times at which the creatives were presented; and
define a plurality of frequency bins, each frequency bin
corresponding to a frequency at which a creative is presented by
use of a unique viewing device; process the television reporting
data to generate device frequency data and frequency specific reach
data; wherein: the device frequency data include device frequencies
that quantify, for each viewing device, a frequency that each
creative was presented by use of that viewing device during a
reporting period; the frequency specific reach data include
frequency specific reach values that quantify, for each creative
and each frequency bin, a number of viewing devices that were used
to present the creative at a frequency corresponding to the
frequency bin; and generate reach and frequency reporting data
including the frequency specific reach data and the device
frequency data; and provide access to the reach and frequency
reporting data to television advertisers.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein each frequency bin is an integer
frequency value.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein each frequency bin defines a
minimum frequency value and a maximum frequency value, and the
number of viewing devices quantified for the frequency specific
reach value is the number of viewing devices that were used to
present the creative at least the minimum frequency value and not
in excess of the maximum frequency value.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the software stored on the
computer readable medium comprising the instructions executable by
the one or more processing devices and upon such execution cause
the one or more processing devices to perform operations further
comprising: for each creative, aggregate the number of the viewing
devices quantified for each frequency specific reach value to
determine creative reach data identifying a number of unique
viewing devices that were used to present the creative.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the software stored on the
computer readable medium comprising the instructions executable by
the one or more processing devices and upon such execution cause
the one or more processing devices to perform operations further
comprising: access campaign data including campaign identifiers
identifying advertising campaigns, each campaign identifier
associated with one or more of the creative identifiers to identify
creatives associated with the advertising campaign; process the
device frequency data to generate device frequencies that quantify,
for each viewing device, a frequency that each advertising campaign
was presented by use of that viewing device during the reporting
period; and process the frequency specific reach data to generate
frequency specific reach values that quantify, for each advertising
campaign and each frequency bin, the number of viewing devices that
were used to present the advertising campaign at a frequency
corresponding to the frequency bin.
6. A computer-implemented method, comprising: accessing television
reporting records from a television reporting data store, each
television reporting record including: a viewing identifier
identifying a viewing device; a creative identifier identifying a
creative that was presented by use of the viewing device; time data
identifying times at which the creative was presented by use of the
viewing device; wherein the viewing identifier, creative identifier
and time data are associated to identify the creatives presented by
use of the viewing device and the times at which the creative was
presented; defining a plurality of frequency bins, each frequency
bin corresponding to a frequency at which a creative is presented
by use of a unique viewing device; processing the television
reporting records to generate device frequency data and frequency
specific reach data; wherein: the device frequency data include
device frequencies that quantify, for each viewing device, a
frequency that each creative was presented by use of that viewing
device during a reporting period; and the frequency specific reach
data include frequency specific reach values that quantify, for
each creative and each frequency bin, a number of viewing devices
that were used to present the creative at a frequency corresponding
to the frequency bin; and generating reach and frequency reporting
data, the reach and frequency reporting data including the
frequency specific reach data and the device frequency data; and
providing access to the reach and frequency reporting data to
television advertisers.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: for each creative,
aggregating the number of the viewing devices quantified for each
frequency specific reach value to determine creative reach data
identifying a number of unique viewing devices that were used to
present the creative.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein each frequency bin is an integer
frequency value.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein each frequency bin defines a
minimum frequency value and a maximum frequency value, and the
number of viewing devices quantified for the frequency specific
reach value is the number of viewing devices that were used to
present the creative at least the minimum frequency value and not
in excess of the maximum frequency value.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein processing the television
reporting records to generate device frequency data and frequency
specific reach data comprises: selecting a television reporting
record; identifying a viewing device and creative from the viewing
identifier and creative identifier in the selected television
reporting record, respectively; identifying a current device
frequency for the viewing device; determining if the current device
frequency indicates that the viewing device has been used to
present the creative; if the current device frequency indicates
that the viewing device has been used to present the creative,
then: identifying a first frequency bin corresponding to the
current device frequency; decrementing the frequency specific reach
value associated with the first frequency bin; incrementing the
current device frequency; identifying a second frequency bin
corresponding to the incremented current device frequency; and
incrementing the frequency specific reach value associated with the
second frequency bin; and if the current device frequency indicates
that the viewing device has not been used to present the creative,
then: incrementing the current device frequency; identifying a
frequency bin corresponding to the incremented current device
frequency; and incrementing the frequency specific reach value
associated with the frequency bin.
11. The method of claim 6, wherein the reporting period is a
rolling thirty-day period.
12. The method of claim 6, wherein the reporting period is a
rolling seven-day period.
13. The method of claim 6 further comprising: accessing campaign
data including: campaign identifiers identifying advertising
campaigns, each campaign identifier associated with one or more of
the creative identifiers to identify creatives associated with the
advertising campaign; and processing the device frequency data and
the frequency specific reach data to generate device frequencies
and frequency specific reach values, respectively, according to the
campaign data.
14. A system, comprising: one or more processing devices; and
software stored on a computer readable medium comprising
instructions executable by the one or more processing devices and
upon such execution cause the one or more processing devices to
perform operations comprising: access television viewing records,
each record including: a viewing identifier identifying a viewing
device, a creative identifier identifying a creative, and time data
identifying a time at which the creative was presented by use of
the viewing device; identify a plurality of frequency bins, each
frequency bin defining a number of presentations of one creative by
use of one viewing device based on the television viewing records;
for each viewing device, quantify a number of times that each
creative was presented by use of the viewing device based on the
television viewing records; for each frequency bin and each
creative, quantify a number of viewing devices that were used to
present the creative according to the number of presentations
defined by the frequency bin; generate reach and frequency
reporting data, the reach and frequency reporting data including
the quantifications for each viewing device and the quantifications
for each frequency bin and each creative; and provide access to the
reach and frequency reporting data to television advertisers.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the software stored on the
computer readable medium comprising the instructions executable by
the one or more processing devices and upon such execution cause
the one or more processing devices to perform operations further
comprising: access campaign data including: campaign identifiers
identifying advertising campaigns, each advertising campaign
identifier associated with one or more of the creative identifiers
to identify creatives associated with the advertising campaign; for
each viewing device, quantify a number of times that each
advertising campaign was presented by use of that viewing device
based on the television viewing records and the campaign data; and
for each frequency bin and each advertising campaign, quantify a
number of viewing devices that were used to present the advertising
campaign according to the number of presentations defined by the
frequency bin.
16. A computer-implemented method, comprising: accessing device
frequency data that include device frequencies and frequency
specific reach data that include frequency specific reach values
from a reach and frequency data store, the device frequencies and
the frequency specific reach values based on multiple airings of a
creative, each airing defining a unique creative time slot in which
the creative was aired; calculating a number of total reported
impressions of the creative for all airings based on the device
frequencies and the frequency specific reach values; for each
airing, calculating a number of estimated impressions of the
creative; calculating a number of total estimated impressions for
all airings based on the numbers of estimated impressions for each
airing; calculating a scale factor based on the number of total
estimated impressions and the number of total reported impressions;
adjusting the device frequency data and frequency specific reach
data according to the scale factor; generating adjusted reach and
frequency reporting data including the adjusted frequency specific
reach data and the adjusted device frequency data; and providing
access to the adjusted reach and frequency reporting data to
television advertisers.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein calculating the scale factor
comprises dividing the number of total estimated impressions by the
number of total reported impressions.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the device frequency data and
frequency specific reach data are derived from reporting records
for all airings, each reporting record relating to an airing, and
for each airing calculating the number of estimated impressions
comprises multiplying a number of a viewing population by a ratio
of a number of reported impressions for that airing to a number of
reporting records for that airing.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein calculating the number of total
estimated impressions for all airings comprises summing the numbers
of estimated impressions for each airing.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein adjusting the device frequency
data and frequency specific reach data comprises multiplying the
frequency specific reach values by the scale factor.
21. A system, comprising: one or more processing devices; and
software stored on a computer readable medium comprising
instructions executable by the one or more processing devices and
upon such execution cause the one or more processing devices to
perform operations comprising: access device frequency data that
include device frequencies and frequency specific reach data that
include frequency specific reach values, the device frequencies and
the frequency specific reach values based on multiple airings of a
creative, each airing defining a unique creative time slot in which
the creative was aired; calculate a number of total reported
impressions of the creative for all airings based on the device
frequencies and the frequency specific reach values; for each
airing, calculate a number of estimated impressions of the
creative; calculate a number of total estimated impressions for all
airings based on the numbers of estimated impressions for each
airing; calculate a scale factor based on the number of total
estimated impressions and the number of total reported impressions;
adjust the device frequency data and frequency specific reach data
according to the scale factor; generate adjusted reach and
frequency reporting data including the adjusted frequency specific
reach data and the adjusted device frequency data; and provide
access to the adjusted reach and frequency reporting data to
television advertisers.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein the scale factor is based on
the number of total estimated impressions divided by the number of
total reported impressions.
23. The system of claim 21, wherein the device frequency data and
frequency specific reach data are derived from reporting records
for all airings, each reporting record relating to an airing, and
for each airing the number of estimated impressions is based on a
number of a viewing population multiplied by a ratio of a number of
reported impressions for that airing to a number of reporting
records for that airing.
24. The system of claim 21, wherein the number of total estimated
impressions for all airings is based on a sum of the numbers of
estimated impressions for each airing.
25. The system of claim 21, wherein the adjusted device frequency
data and frequency specific reach data are based on the frequency
specific reach values multiplied by the scale factor.
26. A computer-implemented method, comprising: accessing device
frequency data that include device frequencies and frequency
specific reach data that include frequency specific reach values
from a reach and frequency data store, the device frequencies and
the frequency specific reach values based on multiple airings of a
creative, each airing defining a unique creative time slot in which
the creative was aired; calculating a number of total reported
impressions of the creative for all airings based on the device
frequencies and the frequency specific reach values; accessing a
number of total estimated impressions for all airings based on
numbers of estimated impressions for each airing; calculating a
scale factor based on the number of total estimated impressions and
the number of total reported impressions; adjusting the device
frequency data and frequency specific reach data according to the
scale factor; generating adjusted reach and frequency reporting
data including the adjusted frequency specific reach data and the
adjusted device frequency data; and providing access to the
adjusted reach and frequency reporting data to television
advertisers.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein adjusting the device frequency
data and the frequency specific reach data comprises multiplying
the frequency specific reach values by the scale factor.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein calculating the scale factor
comprises dividing the number of total estimated impressions by the
number of total reported impressions.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] This disclosure relates to television advertising.
[0002] Viewing information about creatives, e.g., television
advertisements, presented by display devices, e.g., televisions,
can be collected by viewing surveys in which members of a viewing
population provide information about their viewing patterns; or by
viewing devices, e.g., set top boxes, that automatically collect
and transmit viewing pattern information to a collection entity.
For example, for multiple airings of a particular creative, the
number of times the creative was presented (impressions) can be
determined based on anonymized viewing information collected
through viewing surveys and/or viewing devices, and creative airing
information (e.g., creative airing times and corresponding airing
channels). To gauge the exposure of the creative or advertising
campaign, e.g., a group of related creatives, to the viewing
population advertisers look to viewership metrics such as
impression figures, the number of times a particular device was
used to present the creative ("device frequency"); and, for each
unique device frequency (or group of unique device frequencies),
the number of devices having that unique device frequency
("frequency specific reach value"); collectively referred to as
"exposure data."
[0003] Typically, the viewing information collected from the viewer
surveys and/or the viewing devices represents the viewing patterns
of only a fraction of the viewing population. When viewing
information is available only from a sample group of the viewing
population, exposure data for the entire viewing population can be
estimated based on the exposure data derived from the known viewing
information of the sample group. Such estimation provides
advertisers a more complete representation of the actual exposure
of the creative. However, the accuracy of the estimated exposure
data for the viewing population is dependent on both the accuracy
of the exposure data for the sample group and the technique
employed to estimate the data from the sample group to the viewing
population.
SUMMARY
[0004] In general, the subject matter of this specification relates
to systems and methods for determining frequency specific reach
values and device frequencies for creatives.
[0005] One aspect of the subject matter described in this
specification can be embodied in a system having a processing
device and software stored on a computer readable medium which has
instructions that can be executed by the processing device.
Execution of the instructions cause the processing device to access
television reporting data. The television reporting data includes
viewing identifiers identifying viewing devices; creative
identifiers identifying creatives that were presented by use of the
viewing devices; and time data identifying times at which the
creatives were presented by use of the viewing devices. The viewing
identifiers, creative identifiers and time data are associated to
identify, for each viewing device, the creatives presented by use
of the viewing device and the times at which the creatives were
presented. Execution of the instructions also cause the processing
device to define frequency bins, each frequency bin corresponding
to a frequency at which a creative is presented by use of a unique
viewing device; and cause the processing device to process the
television reporting data to generate device frequency data and
frequency specific reach data. The device frequency data include
device frequencies that quantify, for each viewing device, a
frequency that each creative was presented by use of that viewing
device during a reporting period. The frequency specific reach data
include frequency specific reach values that quantify, for each
creative and each frequency bin, a number of viewing devices that
were used to present the creative at a frequency corresponding to
the frequency bin. Execution of the instructions also cause reach
and frequency reporting data to be generated, the reach and
frequency reporting data detail creative exposure and include the
frequency specific reach data and the device frequency data. Access
to the reach and frequency reporting data is provided to television
advertisers.
[0006] Another aspect of the subject matter described in this
specification can be embodied in a method that includes the actions
of accessing television reporting records from a television
reporting data store. Each television reporting record including a
viewing identifier identifying a viewing device; a creative
identifier identifying a creative that was presented by use of the
viewing device; and time data identifying times at which the
creative was presented by use of the viewing device. The viewing
identifier, creative identifier and time data are associated to
identify the creatives presented by use of the viewing device and
the times at which the creative was presented. The method also
includes defining frequency bins, each frequency bin corresponding
to a frequency at which a creative is presented by use of a unique
viewing device. The method further includes processing the
television reporting records to generate device frequency data and
frequency specific reach data. The device frequency data include
device frequencies that quantify, for each viewing device, a
frequency that each creative was presented by use of that viewing
device during a reporting period. The frequency specific reach data
include frequency specific reach values that quantify, for each
creative and each frequency bin, a number of viewing devices that
were used to present the creative at a frequency corresponding to
the frequency bin. The method also includes generating reach and
frequency reporting data that include the frequency specific reach
data and the device frequency data detailing creative exposure. The
method further includes providing access to the reach and frequency
reporting data to television advertisers.
[0007] Still another aspect of the subject matter described in this
specification can be embodied in a method that includes the actions
of accessing device frequency data that include device frequencies
and frequency specific reach data that include frequency specific
reach values from a reach and frequency data store. The device
frequencies and the frequency specific reach values are based on
multiple airings of a creative, each airing defining a unique
creative time slot in which the creative was aired. The method
includes calculating the number of total reported impressions of
the creative for all airings based on the device frequencies and
the frequency specific reach values. The method further includes
for each airing, calculating the number of estimated impressions of
the creative and calculating a number of total estimated
impressions for all airings based on the numbers of estimated
impressions for each airing. The method also includes calculating a
scale factor based on the number of total estimated impressions and
the number of total reported impressions and adjusting the device
frequency data and frequency specific reach data according to the
scale factor. The method further includes generating adjusted reach
and frequency reporting data including the adjusted frequency
specific reach data and the adjusted device frequency, and
providing access to the adjusted reach and frequency reporting data
to television advertisers.
[0008] Yet another aspect of the subject matter described in this
specification can be embodied in a system having a processing
device and software stored on a computer readable medium having
instructions executable by the processing device. Execution of the
instructions cause the processing device to access device frequency
data that include device frequencies and frequency specific reach
data that include frequency specific reach values. The device
frequencies and the frequency specific reach values are based on
multiple airings of a creative, each airing defining a unique
creative time slot in which the creative was aired. Execution of
the instructions also cause the processing device to calculate a
number of total reported impressions of the creative for all
airings based on the device frequencies and the frequency specific
reach values. For each airing, the number of estimated impressions
of the creative are calculated. Execution of the instructions
further cause the processing device to calculate the number of
total estimated impressions for all airings based on the numbers of
estimated impressions for each airing, to calculate a scale factor
based on the number of total estimated impressions and the number
of total reported impressions, and to adjust the device frequency
data and frequency specific reach data according to the scale
factor. Adjusted reach and frequency reporting data that include
the adjusted frequency specific reach data and the adjusted device
frequency data detailing creative exposure are generated. Execution
of the instructions also cause access to the adjusted reach and
frequency reporting data to be provided to television
advertisers.
[0009] The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter
described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying
drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and
advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the
description, the drawings, and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example television
advertisement system.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example television
advertisement reach and frequency processing system used in the
television advertisement system of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 3A shows example content of device frequency data.
[0013] FIG. 3B shows example content of frequency specific reach
data.
[0014] FIG. 4 shows example data reported by viewing devices for
use by the television advertisement reach and frequency processing
system of FIG. 2.
[0015] FIG. 5 is an example histogram based on frequency specific
reach data and device frequency data.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an example process for
generating frequency specific reach data and device frequency
data.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example process for
processing television reporting records to generate frequency
specific reach data and device frequency data.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an example process for
estimating frequency specific reach data and device frequency
data.
[0019] Like reference numbers and designations in the various
drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
.sctn.1.0 Television Advertisement System Overview
[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example television
advertisement system 100. The television advertisement system 100
can, for example, deliver relevant content items, e.g., television
advertisements/creatives, to viewers to facilitate operator
monetization of programming and quantification of advertisement
delivery to target markets. A creative can be, for example, a video
portion of a television advertisement. The video portion of the
advertisement can include audio and text. The creative can be shown
separately from a television program in the form of a television
commercial, or can be shown concurrently with a television program
in the form of an overlay or text stream on a portion of a
television display. For convenience, advertisements and creatives
are collectively referred to as "advertisements" herein.
[0021] The television advertisement system 100 can, for example, be
implemented on one or computer servers, and can provide and receive
data over a network. Example networks include local area networks
(LANs), wide area networks (WANs), telephonic networks, and
wireless networks (e.g., 802.11x compliant networks, satellite
networks, cellular networks, etc.). Additionally, the television
advertisement system 100 can, for example, communicate over several
different types of networks, e.g., the Internet, a satellite
network, and a telephonic network.
[0022] In general, the television advertisement system 100 can
receive television advertisements and advertisement campaign data
from an advertiser 140, e.g. an entity that provides television
advertisements, such as a commercial entity that sells products or
services, an advertising agency, or a person. The television
advertisement system 100 can facilitate the provisioning of
television advertisements to a television provider 120, e.g., an
entity that facilitates the delivery of a television broadcast to
viewers, such as cable provider, a digital satellite provider, a
streaming media provider, or some other media provider.
[0023] The television advertisement system 100 can also, for
example, obtain anonymized impression data related to viewing
devices 130a-130n. Example viewing devices 130 include set top
boxes, digital video recorders and tuners, and other television
processing devices that facilitate the viewing of the television
signal on a television device. For example, logs related to viewing
device 130 activity, e.g., set top box logs, can be anonymized to
remove personal information related to viewing activities and
provided to the television advertisement system 100. In another
implementation, such information can be provided by the provider
120, or by a third party.
[0024] Impressions can, for example, be measured statistically. An
impression can be a household impression, e.g., the airing of an
advertisement in household and independent of the number of
televisions in a household. If the advertisement is presented by
use of a viewing device in the household, one household impression
can be recorded. Other impression types can also be used. For
example, impressions can be generated by a program rating
percentage, e.g., a percentage of viewership in measurable
households; or by a program share percentage, e.g., a percentage of
viewership in active measured homes; or by some other statistical
measurement.
[0025] By way of another example, impressions can be measured by an
analysis of activity logs of the viewing devices 130. For example,
a household may have three viewing devices 130, and at a given time
two of the devices 130 may be tuned to a first channel and the
third device may be tuned to a second channel. If a first
advertisement airs on the first channel and a second advertisement
airs on the second channel, impressions can be generated for each
viewing device 130.
[0026] An impression can be dependent on a television channel tune
status when an advertisement airs on a channel. For example, an
impression can occur when a viewing device 130 is tuned to a
broadcast stream in which an advertisement is inserted, and the
viewing device 130 remains tuned to the broadcast stream for N
consecutive seconds during the actual display time of the
insertion. For example, an impression can be defined as a viewing
device 130 remaining tuned to a broadcast stream for five seconds
after the advertisement begins to air. Alternatively, an impression
can be defined as a viewing device 130 tuned to a broadcast stream
when an advertisement is airing and remaining tuned to the
broadcast stream for five seconds after tuning to the broadcast
stream. Other tune times can also be used.
[0027] Likewise, other impression types can also be used. For
example, an impression can be based on an advertisement exposure,
e.g., a brief exposure of an advertisement, or a full viewing of
the advertisement, of a threshold viewing in between, e.g., five
seconds, or five seconds of the first fifteen seconds; or a
percentage of the advertisement viewed, etc.
[0028] In an implementation, the television advertisement system
100 can also include one or more data stores to store television
advertisements and associated data, e.g., performance data related
to the television advertisements, log data from the viewing devices
related to the viewing patterns of the audience, etc. In one
implementation, the television advertisement system 100 includes a
television advertisement data store 102, a campaign data store 104,
and a viewing device log data store 106.
[0029] The television advertisement data store 102 can, for
example, include advertisements that can be broadcast or aired
during an advertisement spot. Example television advertisements
include video advertisements, banner advertisements, overlay
advertisements, such as logos, URLs, dynamic pricing information
for an advertisement, etc., and other advertisements that can be
used to convey information visually and/or aurally during a
television broadcast.
[0030] The campaign data store 104 can include, for example,
advertising campaign information for multiple advertisers. Each
campaign may include, for example, a campaign identifier
identifying an advertising campaign. Each campaign identifier can
be associated with one or more advertisement identifiers (creative
identifiers) to identify advertisements associated with the
advertising campaign. For example, a game system manufacturer may
have a holiday season game console advertising campaign with two
advertisements, one advertisement for a handheld gaming console and
one advertisement for a desktop gaming console.
[0031] The viewing device log data store 106 can include, for
example, data logs from viewing devices 130, e.g., set top boxes,
satellite receivers, etc. The log data store 106 can include
reporting data that identifies channel tunes, e.g., a channel
identifier to which the viewing device was tuned, such as may occur
when the viewing device 130 is processing video data to record
and/or display, and channel tune times, e.g., the times that the
viewing device was tuned to a channel. Other data can also be
included, e.g., key presses of remote devices associated with the
viewing devices 130, commands received by the viewing devices 130,
etc. For example, if the viewing device 130 is a digital video
recorder, the log data can include a list of recorded programs, and
for each recorded program a record that indicates whether the
recorded program has been played back, and the actions taken during
playback, such as fast forwarding or skipping commercials can be
included.
[0032] The television advertisement data store 102, campaign data
store 104, and viewing device log data store 106 can be implemented
separately or in combination. For example, in one implementation,
the advertisement data store 102, campaign data store 104 and log
data store 106 can be implemented in a single advertisement
database. Other combinations and/or subcombinations can also be
used.
[0033] The television advertisement system 100 can include an
advertisement distribution engine 110, a reporting engine 112, and
a reach and frequency engine 114. The advertisement distribution
engine 110, reporting engine 112, and reach and frequency engine
114 can, for example, be distributed among a plurality of computer
devices, e.g. server computers communicating over a network, or can
be implemented on a single computer, e.g., as multiple threads on a
server computer. Other implementation architectures can also be
used. The advertisement distribution engine 110, reporting engine
112, and reach and frequency engine 114 can, for example, be
implemented in software, such as executable object code,
interpreted script instructions, or in combinations of executable
and interpreted instructions. Other software and/or hardware
implementations can also be used.
[0034] The advertisement distribution engine 110 can, for example,
be configured to provide approved advertisements to the television
provider 120. In one implementation, the advertisements are
provided to the television provider 120 in advance of airing the
advertisements. In some implementations, after receiving a request
for any new advertisements to be downloaded for airing by the
provider 120, the television advertisement system 100 can, for
example, label the download with a particular ID that can be used
later to identify the advertisement and the distribution engine 110
can deliver the advertisement to the appropriate provider 120.
[0035] The reporting engine 112 can, for example, receive
advertisement report information from the provider 120 and
determine whether the selected television advertisement aired based
on the advertisement report information. For example, an
advertisement may not air due to a programming irregularity, e.g.,
a sporting event going beyond a scheduled broadcast, an
interruption to scheduled programming due to breaking news, etc. In
an implementation, the reporting engine 112 can process reporting
logs, e.g., set top box logs, from viewing devices 130 to determine
advertisement impressions and/or false positive impressions.
[0036] The reach and frequency engine 114 can, for example,
generate frequency specific reach values and device frequencies for
advertisements and/or advertising campaigns, and generate reach and
frequency reporting data (e.g., reports that graphically and/or
textually represent the frequency specific reach data and device
frequency data).
[0037] For example, the reach and frequency engine 114 can derive
frequency specific reach values and device frequencies based, in
part, on the anonymized viewing pattern information from the
viewing devices 130 included in the log data 106 and/or from the
processed reporting logs from the reporting engine 112. The reach
and frequency engine 114 can also, for example, estimate frequency
specific reach values and device frequencies for viewing
populations with incomplete reporting records, e.g., a viewing
population having a number of viewing devices that do not report
viewing pattern information.
[0038] The derivation of device frequencies and frequency specific
reach values from the log data 106 is explained with reference to
Table 1, which is populated with data derived from the viewing
pattern information reported by three viewing devices 1, 2, and 3:
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Viewing Viewing Viewing Device 1 Device 2
Device 3 Airing A X X Airing B X X X Airing C X X
[0039] An airing is a unique advertisement time slot for a
particular channel in which an advertisement is aired. Table 1
includes data for one advertisement that was aired three times:
airings A, B, and C and according to Table 1, viewing devices 1 and
2 were used to present the advertisement three times (each
presented the advertisement for airings A, B, and C) and viewing
device 3 was used to present the advertisement one time (airing B).
The device frequency of a viewing device is the number of times
that an advertisement was presented by use of that viewing device
during a reporting period. Based on the information in Table 1 for
the three-airing reporting period, the device frequency for viewing
devices 1 and 2 is three and the device frequency for viewing
device 3 is one, as shown on Table 2: TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2
Viewing Viewing Viewing Device 1 Device 2 Device 3 Device Frequency
3 3 1
[0040] A frequency specific reach value is the number of viewing
devices that were used to present an advertisement at frequency
corresponding to a frequency bin. A frequency bin corresponds to a
frequency, e.g. number of times, at which an advertisement is
presented by use of a unique viewing device 130. For example, based
on the information in Table 3, the frequency specific reach value
associated with frequency bin 1, corresponding to a frequency of
one, is one. Thus only one unique viewing device (viewing device 3)
was used to present the advertisement only one time. The frequency
specific reach value associated with frequency bin 2, corresponding
to a frequency of two, is zero. Thus no viewing devices were used
to present the advertisement only two times. The frequency specific
reach value associated with frequency bin 3, corresponding to a
frequency of three, is two. Thus two unique viewing devices
(viewing devices 1 and 2) were used to present the advertisement
only three times. TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Frequency Frequency
Frequency Bin 1 Bin 2 Bin 3 Frequency specific 1 0 2 reach
value
.sctn.2.0 Example Detailed Reach and Frequency System Architecture
and Operation
[0041] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example television
advertisement reach and frequency processing system 200 used in the
television advertisement system of FIG. 1.
[0042] The reach and frequency processing system 200 can facilitate
access to television reporting data stored in a television
reporting data store 210. The television reporting data can, for
example, be derived from the log data 106 and/or impression
information from the reporting engine 112; or accessed through a
third party that provides the data.
[0043] The television reporting data include television reporting
records that include viewing identifiers 220 identifying viewing
devices 130; advertisement identifiers 230 identifying
advertisements that were presented by use of the viewing devices
130; and time data 240 identifying times at which the
advertisements were presented by use of the viewing devices 130.
The television reporting records can be based on data from the
viewing device log data store 106 and advertisement airing
information including times during which advertisements were aired
and the corresponding channels which aired the advertisements. For
example, a television reporting record may include: TABLE-US-00004
V_ID00001111:OperatorID=1243.HeadendID=22.InsertionZone=243.
InsertionID =53432934.Channel=123.Start=4:04:52pm.End=4:06:39pm
[0044] where V_ID00001111 is an anonymized viewing identifier 220,
OperatorID, HeadendID, and InsertionZone are identifiers related to
a particular operator 120 and corresponding geographic location,
InsertionID is an advertisement identifier 230, Channel is a
channel identifier, Start is a first tune time indicating when the
viewing device 130 tuned to the channel identified by the channel
identifier, and End is a second tune time indicating when the
viewing device 130 tuned out of the channel identified by the
channel identifier. In part, the InsertionID identifies an
advertisement that was aired during the time between the first and
second tune times by use of the viewing device 130 identified by
the viewing identifier 220.
[0045] Thus, the viewing identifiers 220, advertisement identifiers
230 and time data 240 can be associated to identify, for each
viewing device 130, the advertisements presented by use of the
viewing device 130 and the times at which the advertisements were
presented. For example, for a reporting period it can be determined
from the television reporting data (e.g. stored in the television
reporting data store 210), the number of impressions for a
particular advertisement resulting from the use a particular
viewing device 130.
[0046] The television reporting records can also indicate that a
television advertisement was not presented by use of a viewing
device 130 if the television reporting record indicates that the
viewing device was tuned to a different channel during the airing
of an advertisement. For example, a television reporting record can
indicate that a particular viewing device was tuned to channel 59
during a time period that included the start time 4:04:52 PM and
end time 4:06:39 PM, and thus the advertisement identified by the
advertisement identifier 53432934 was not shown by use of the
viewing device.
[0047] The reach and frequency engine 114 can also be configured to
define frequency bins, as discussed with reference to Table 3. In
some implementations, frequency bins are not restricted to an
integer frequency value and may correspond to a range of
frequencies, e.g., a frequency bin may define a minimum frequency
value and a maximum frequency value. For example, a frequency bin
may define a minimum frequency value of fifty-one and a maximum
frequency value of fifty-five. Thus all viewing devices used to
present the advertisement at least fifty-one times and not in
excess of fifty-five times during a reporting period are associated
with the frequency bin.
[0048] The range of frequencies corresponding to individual
frequency bins for an advertisement can also vary. For example, the
first fifty frequencies may each correspond to one frequency bin
(e.g., one integer frequency value corresponding to one frequency
bin), the next fifty frequencies may correspond to frequency bins
having a range of five frequencies, and the final 100 frequencies
may correspond frequency bins having a range of twenty-five
frequencies, as depicted on Table 4: TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 4
Frequencies frequencies/bin Number of Frequency Bins 1-50 1 50
51-100 5 10 101-200 25 4
[0049] As such, for television reporting data including a wide
frequency distribution of frequencies at which an advertisement is
presented by use of a unique viewing device 130, the frequencies
corresponding to frequency bins can be defined to limit the number
of frequency bins, e.g., for data size management.
[0050] The reach and frequency engine 114 can also be configured to
perform operations to process the television reporting data to
generate frequency specific reach data 315 and device frequency
data 300. FIG. 3A shows example content of device frequency data.
For example, the device frequency data can be generated by the
reach and frequency engine 114. FIG. 3B shows example content of
frequency specific reach data. For example, the frequency specific
reach data can be generated by the reach and frequency engine
114.
[0051] The frequency specific reach data 315 and device frequency
data 300 can be stored in reach and frequency data store 260. The
device frequency data 300 can include device frequencies for each
viewing device 130 that quantify the number of times each viewing
device 130 was used to present a particular advertisement and/or an
advertising campaign.
[0052] For example, device frequency data 300 can include device
frequencies for viewing device 1, viewing device 2, through viewing
device n indicating that viewing device 1, viewing device 2, and
viewing device n presented advertisement 1 245 times, 312 times,
and 168 times; respectively. As indicated by the hierarchical path
"Campaign 1/Advertisement 1, advertisement 1 belongs to Campaign 1.
The frequency data can be aggregated according to campaigns, for
example, if an advertising campaign is associated with multiple
advertisements then the device frequency of a particular viewing
device for the advertising campaign is the sum of the device
frequencies for that viewing device for each of the advertisements
associated with advertising campaign. In some implementations, the
device frequency data 300 can include device frequencies for
multiple advertising campaigns, such as advertising campaign 1
through advertising campaign n.
[0053] Frequency specific reach data 315 can include frequency
specific reach values for each frequency bin for a particular
advertisement and/or advertising campaign. For example, frequency
specific reach data 315 indicate that 345 viewing devices were used
to present advertisement 1 at a frequency corresponding to
frequency bin 1, 270 viewing devices were used to present
advertisement 1 at a frequency corresponding to frequency bin 2,
and 56 viewing devices were used to present advertisement 1 at a
frequency corresponding to frequency bin n.
[0054] Further, if an advertising campaign is associated with
multiple advertisements then the frequency specific reach value for
a particular frequency bin for the advertising campaign is the sum
of the frequency specific reach values for that frequency bin for
each of the advertisements associated with advertising campaign. In
some implementations, the frequency specific reach data 315 can
include frequency specific reach values for multiple advertising
campaigns, such as advertising campaign 1 through advertising
campaign n.
[0055] In various implementations the reach and frequency engine
114 can also aggregate the number of the viewing devices 130
quantified for each frequency specific reach value to determine
advertisement reach data (creative reach data) to identify a total
number of unique viewing devices that were used to present the
advertisement (creative), i.e., the overall reach of the
advertisement. The advertisement reach data can, for example, be
stored in the advertisement reach data store 250.
[0056] As mentioned above, the frequency specific reach data 315
and the device frequency data 300 can be stored in the reach and
frequency data store 260. The reach and frequency data store 260
can, for example, be a database 260 stored on a memory device such
as a computer hard drive and the frequency specific reach data and
device frequency data for a particular advertisement airing can be
stored in the database 260 according to the advertisement
identifier 230 associated with the advertisement. Further, the
frequency specific reach data and device frequency data can also be
stored according to advertising campaign identifiers.
[0057] The reach and frequency engine 114 can also be configured to
access demographic data from, for example, a demographic data store
270. The demographic data may be correlated to the television
reporting data and/or the log data 106 to relate the television
reporting data and/or log data 106 to demographic information about
the viewing population. For example, the demographic data may
relate anonymized viewing identifiers 220 to geographic profiles of
the viewing population, to age profiles of the anonymized viewers
associated with the viewing devices, etc. Based on the demographic
data, the frequency specific reach data and device frequency data
can be filtered according to desired demographics. For example, the
frequency specific reach data and device frequency data can be
filtered based on the geographic profile of the viewing population
to determine frequency specific reach values and device frequencies
for a specific geographic region.
[0058] The television reporting data may not include relations
between advertisements and advertising campaigns, as described
above with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. Thus, in some
implementations, the reach and frequency engine 114 can access the
campaign data 104 to identify campaign identifiers and associations
between campaign identifiers and advertisement identifiers. Based
on the accessed campaign data 104, the reach and frequency engine
114 can process the reporting data to generate the Example data of
FIGS. 3A and 3B.
[0059] FIG. 4 shows example data reported by viewing devices for
use by the television advertisement reach and frequency processing
system of FIG. 2.
[0060] An advertisement was aired three times; airings A, B and C.
Each airing A, B and C has a respective potential viewing
population 412, 422 and 432; a reporting population 415, 425 and
435; and an impressed population 417, 427, and 437; respectively.
The viewing population corresponds to the total number of viewing
devices 130 in a region. The reporting population corresponds to
the number of viewing devices 130 in the viewing population for
which reporting records are received correlated to the time of the
airing (regardless of whether the viewing device 130 was used to
present the advertisement). Reporting populations need not be the
same for each airing, and often differ for each airing. The
impressed population corresponds to the number of viewing devices
130 in the reporting population that were used to present the
advertisement for an airing (i.e., viewing devices 130 that account
for an impression).
[0061] For a set of n advertisement airings there are on the order
of (2 n-1) combinations of how viewing devices 130 in a viewing
population could present the advertisement. Further for airings A,
B and C each viewing device may have been in the reporting
population for one airing (A, B or C), two airings (A+B, B+C or
A+C) or all three airings (A+B+C). The number of the reporting
population for each of these combinations must be known to
determine frequency specific reach data and device frequency data
for the potential viewing population. However, each airing
combination could have a distinct reporting population, and all
airing combinations would have to be calculated individually to
estimate frequency specific reach data and device frequency
data.
[0062] For example, the reporting population for airing combination
A+B cannot be derived just by knowing the individual reporting
populations for airings A and B. To determine the reporting
population for airing combination A+B the intersection of the
reporting populations for airing A and airing B must be calculated,
i.e., the overlap in the reporting populations between airings A
and airing B. This calculation becomes prohibitive for a large
number of advertisement airings and large reporting
populations.
[0063] As discussed above, frequency specific reach data and device
frequency data can be generated based on data derived from data
logs from viewing devices 130 in a reporting population. However,
it is often desirable to estimate frequency specific reach data and
device frequency data for the potential viewing population. Because
the reporting data are not available from all viewing devices 130
in the viewing population and not all reporting records arrive at
once (there can be reporting delays up to a week), frequency
specific reach data and device frequency data from the reporting
population must be projected onto the viewing population. In other
words, the known frequency specific reach data and device frequency
data derived from the reporting population must be extrapolated to
generate frequency specific reach data and device frequency data
for the viewing population.
[0064] In various implementations, estimation of frequency specific
reach data and device frequency data for the viewing population can
be calculated, as explained below, based on a scale factor derived
from the number of total reported impressions for all airings and
the number of total estimated impressions for all airings.
[0065] First the number of total reported impressions must be
determined to derive the scale factor. The reach and frequency
engine 114 can access the frequency specific reach data and device
frequency data (for the reporting population) and calculate a
number of total reported impressions for all airings of an
advertisement (or advertising campaign) during the reporting
period. For example, the reach and frequency engine 114 can
calculate the number of total reported impressions of the
advertisement and store the results in a total reported impressions
data store 280. The number of total reported impressions can be
calculated, for example, based on the device frequency data and the
frequency specific reach data, according to Equation 1: # .times.
.times. total .times. .times. reported .times. .times. impressions
= X = 1 n .times. .times. fsrv .function. ( frequency_bin .times.
_X ) * frequency_X Equation .times. .times. 1 ##EQU1##
[0066] where fsrv(frequency_bin_X) is the frequency specific reach
value associated with frequency bin X and frequency_X is the
frequency that corresponds to frequency bin X. For example, with
reference to Table 3, the total number of reported impressions
according to Equation 1 is seven, e.g., (1*1)+(0*2)+(2*3)=7, as
shown in Table 5: TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 5 # reported impres-
fsrv(frequency_bin_X) frequency_X sions frequency_bin_1 1 1 1
frequency_bin_2 0 2 0 frequency_bin_3 2 3 6
[0067] Second, the number of estimated impressions must be
determined. The reach and frequency engine 114 can calculate the
number of estimated impressions for each airing, which is needed to
calculate the number of total estimated impressions for all
airings. The number of estimated impressions for each airing can be
calculated, for example, based on the number of reported
impressions for an airing (i.e., the impression generating
population), the number of reporting records for that airing (i.e.,
the reporting population), and the number of the viewing
population. The calculated number of estimated impressions for each
airing for each viewing population (there could be multiple viewing
populations) can be stored the estimated impressions data store
290.
[0068] In some implementations, the number of estimated impressions
for each airing can be calculated, for example, by multiplying the
number of the viewing population by the ratio of the number of
reported impressions for that airing divided by the number of
reporting records for that airing according to Equation 2: #
.times. .times. estimated .times. .times. impressions .times. /
.times. airing = # .times. .times. reported_impressions # .times.
.times. reporting_records * ( # .times. .times. viewing_population
) Equation .times. .times. 2 ##EQU2## If the airing of the
advertisement occurred in multiple viewing populations then the
number of estimated impressions for that airing for all viewing
populations can be determined by calculating the number of
estimated impressions for the airing for each viewing population
and then summing the estimated impressions for the airing from all
viewing populations.
[0069] The number of estimated impressions for each airing can also
be determined through other techniques. For example, the number of
estimated impressions for each airing can be determined through the
use of probability density functions. Further, a number of
estimated impressions for an airing can be selected from a
probability distribution that satisfies a particular threshold or
confidence value, i.e., a minimum probability or likelihood.
[0070] With reference to Table 1 (assuming a viewing population of
fifteen for all airings) the number of estimated impressions for
airing A is according to Equation 2, (2/3)*15=10. Further assume
two additional reporting records have been received for Airing B,
each additional record indicating the advertisement was not
presented. The numbers of estimated impressions for airings B and C
can be calculated in a similar manner. The results are depicted on
Table 6: TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 6 reported reporting viewing
estimated impressions records population impressions Airing A 2 3
15 10 Airing B 3 5 15 9 Airing C 2 3 15 10
[0071] Next, to determine the scale factor the reach and frequency
engine 114 can calculate the number of total estimated impressions
for all airings, for example, based on the numbers of estimated
impressions for each airing and store the number of total estimated
impressions for all airings in a total estimated impressions data
store 295. The number of total estimated impressions for all
airings can be calculated, for example, by summing the numbers of
estimated impressions for each airing, according to Equation 3: #
.times. .times. total .times. .times. estimated .times. .times.
impressions .times. .times. for .times. .times. all .times. .times.
airings = X = 1 n .times. .times. # .times. .times.
estimated_impressions .times. _airing .times. ( X ) Equation
.times. .times. 3 ##EQU3##
[0072] where # estimated_impressions_airing (X) is the number of
estimated impressions for a particular airing X of airings X=1-n.
With reference to Table 6, the number of total estimated
impressions can be calculated, for example, according to Equation
3, e.g., 10+9+10=29, as shown on Table 7: TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 7 #
estimated_impressions_airing(A) 10 #
estimated_impressions_airing(B) 9 # estimated_impressions_airing(C)
10 # total estimated impressions for all airings 29
[0073] Finally, the reach and frequency engine 114 can calculate
the scale factor that can be used to estimate frequency specific
reach data and device frequency data for a potential viewing
population based on the calculated frequency specific reach data
and device frequency data for the reporting population. For
example, the scale factor is the ratio of the number of total
estimated impressions for all airings divided by the number of
total reported impressions for all airings, according to Equation
4: scale .times. .times. factor = # .times. .times. total_estimated
.times. _impressions # .times. .times. total_reported .times.
_impressions Equation .times. .times. 4 ##EQU4##
[0074] For example, with reference to Tables 5 and 7, the number of
total reported impressions for all airings is seven and the number
of total estimated impressions for all airings is twenty-nine.
Accordingly, the scale factor is 29/7=4.14, as depicted on Table 8:
TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 8 scale # total_estimated_impressions #
total_reported_impressions factor 29 7 4.14
[0075] The reach and frequency engine 114 can be configured to
adjust the frequency specific reach data and device frequency data
according to the scale factor to estimate the frequency specific
reach data and device frequency data for the viewing population.
For example, the adjusted frequency specific reach data and
adjusted device frequency data for an advertisement can be
calculated by multiplying the scale factor by the frequency
specific reach value associated with each frequency bin, according
to Equation 5: adjusted frequency specific reach data and device
frequency data=scale factor*fsrv(frequency_bin.sub.--X) Equation
5
[0076] With reference to Tables 3 and 8, the adjusted frequency
specific reach data and device frequency data, for example
according to Equation 5, are 4.14 viewing devices are estimated to
have presented the advertisement one time (e.g., 4.14*1=4.14) and
8.28 viewing devices are estimated to have presented the
advertisement three times (e.g., 4.14*2=8.28), as shown on Table 9:
TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 9 fsrv adjusted R&F (frequency_bin_X)
scale factor data frequency_bin_1 1 4.14 4.14 frequency_bin_2 0
4.14 0 frequency_bin_3 2 4.14 8.28
[0077] The data set used to generate Table 9 is for exemplary
purposes and represents only a fraction of the actual data that
would be used to determine frequency specific reach data and device
frequency data in typical television advertisement systems.
[0078] FIG. 5 is an example histogram based on frequency specific
reach data and device frequency data. For example, frequency
specific reach data and device frequency data from Table 1 can be
used to construct histogram 500. In some implementations, the reach
and frequency engine 114 in the television advertisement reach and
frequency processing system 200 can generate reach and frequency
reporting data and/or adjusted reach and frequency reporting data
including the frequency specific reach data and the device
frequency data, and the adjusted frequency specific reach data and
the adjusted device frequency data, respectively. Such reporting
data can be stored in a reach and frequency reporting data store
297. The reach and frequency reporting data and/or adjusted reach
and frequency reporting data can be presented by use of histogram
500 or other types of graphical and/or textual representations (of
the underlying frequency specific reach data and the device
frequency data, and/or adjusted frequency specific reach data and
adjusted device frequency data). Further, access to the reach and
frequency reporting data and/or adjusted reach and frequency
reporting data can be provided to advertisers to illustrate the
exposure of the advertisement during the reporting period.
[0079] The reach of the advertisement can readily be determined
from the histogram 500. The reach or overall reach (the total
number of unique viewing devices that were used to present the
advertisement) can be determined, for example, according to
Equation 6: reach = X = 1 n .times. .times. fsrv .function. (
frequency_bin .times. _X ) Equation .times. .times. 6 ##EQU5## With
reference to histogram 500, the reach of the advertisement for the
reporting population is three: 1 (fsrv(frequency_bin_1))+0
(fsrv(frequency_bin_2))+2 (fsrv(frequency_bin_3)). The reach can be
stored, for example, in the advertisement reach data store 250.
[0080] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an example process for
generating frequency specific reach data and device frequency data.
For example, the process 600 can be implemented in the television
advertisement reach and frequency processing system 200 of FIG.
2.
[0081] Television reporting records are accessed (610). For
example, reach and frequency engine 114 accesses television
reporting data stored in the television reporting data store 210,
the television reporting data including television reporting
records.
[0082] A plurality of frequency bins are defined (620). For
example, reach and frequency engine 114 defines a plurality of
frequency bins, the frequency bins similar to the frequency bins
described above with reference to Table 4.
[0083] The television reporting records are processed to generate
device frequency data and frequency specific reach data (630). For
example, the reach and frequency engine 114 processes television
reporting data including television reporting records to generate
frequency specific reach data including frequency specific reach
values and device frequency data including device frequencies
similar to the data stored in reach and frequency data store
260.
[0084] Reach and frequency reporting data including the frequency
specific reach data and the device frequency data are generated
(640). For example, the reach and frequency engine 114 in the
television advertisement reach and frequency processing system 200
can generate reach and frequency reports representing and based on
the reach and frequency reporting data, similar to that stored in
reach and frequency reporting data store 297.
[0085] Access to the reach and frequency reporting data are
provided to television advertisers (650). For example, the
television advertisement reach and frequency processing system 200
can provide access to reach and frequency reports to television
advertisers to inform the television advertisers about the exposure
of the creative.
[0086] Optionally, for each advertisement, the number viewing
devices quantified for each frequency specific reach value are
aggregated to determine advertisement reach data (660) for the
advertisement. The advertisement reach data identifies the number
of unique viewing devices that were used to present the
advertisement. For example, reach and frequency engine 114 can
aggregate the number of viewing devices 130 quantified for each
frequency specific reach value to determine advertisement reach
data similar to that stored in the advertisement reach data store
250. Consider Table 1, reproduced below: TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 1
Viewing Device 1 Viewing Device 2 Viewing Device 3 Airing A X X
Airing B X X X Airing C X X
[0087] The process 600 can be implemented, in part, according to
the following set of example instructions for each advertisement
airing: TABLE-US-00012 device_frequency_so_far = current_device
frequency(VD_id) if device_frequency_so_far > 0 then
fsrv(device_frequency_so_far) = fsrv(device_frequency_so_far) - 1
incremented_device_frequency = device_frequency_so_far + 1
current_device_frequency(VD_id) = incremented_device_frequency
fsrv(incremented_device_frequency) =
fsrv(incremented_device_frequency) + 1
where:
[0088] current_device_frequency(VD_id) is the current device
frequency of a viewing device associated with viewing identifier
VD_id;
[0089] device_frequency_so_far is the current device frequency of a
viewing device;
[0090] fsrv(device_frequency_so_far) is the frequency specific
reach value associated with the frequency bin corresponding to the
frequency of device_frequency_so_far; incremented_device_frequency
is the incremented value of device_frequency_so_far; and
[0091] fsrv(incremented_device_frequency) is the frequency specific
reach value associated with the frequency bin corresponding to the
frequency of incremented_device_frequency.
[0092] Processing the data on Table 1 for viewing device 1 and
airing A by the exemplary instructions recited above yields the
following results: device_frequency_so_far=0 (the current viewing
device frequency for viewing device 1 is zero as viewing device 1
has not yet been used to present the advertisement); as
device_frequency_so_far is not greater than zero the
incremented_device_frequency=0+1=1; the current_device_frequency
(VD1)=1; and the fsrv(1)=0+1=1. The results are shown on Table 10:
TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 10 current device frequency frequency specific
reach value frequen- frequen- frequen- VD1 VD2 VD3 cy 1 cy 2 cy 3
after airing 1 0 0 1 0 0 A (VD1)
[0093] Processing the television reporting data on Table 1 for
viewing device 2 and airing A by the exemplary instructions recited
above yields the following results: device_frequency_so_far=0 (the
current viewing device frequency for viewing device 2 is zero as
viewing device 2 has not yet been used to present the
advertisement); as device_frequency_so_far is not greater than zero
the incremented_device_frequency=0+1=1; the
current_device_frequency (VD2)=1; and the fsrv(1)=1+1=2. The
results are shown on Table 11: TABLE-US-00014 TABLE 11 current
device frequency frequency specific reach value frequen- frequen-
frequen- VD1 VD2 VD3 cy 1 cy 2 cy 3 after airing 1 1 0 2 0 0 A
(VD2)
[0094] Viewing device 3 did not present the advertisement for
airing A and thus the data for the advertisement is not
changed.
[0095] Processing the television reporting data on Table 1 for
viewing device 1 and airing B by the exemplary instructions recited
above yields the following results: device_frequency_so_far=1; as
device_frequency_so_far is greater than zero the
fsrv(1)=fsrv(1)-1=2-1=1; the incremented_device_frequency=1+1=2;
current_device_frequency(VD1)=2; and the fsrv(2)=0+1=1. The results
are shown on Table 12: TABLE-US-00015 TABLE 12 current device
frequency frequency specific reach value frequen- frequen- frequen-
VD1 VD2 VD3 cy 1 cy 2 cy 3 after airing 2 1 0 1 1 0 B (VD1)
[0096] Processing the television reporting data on Table 1 for
viewing device 2 and airing B by the exemplary instructions recited
above yields the following results: device_frequency_so_far=1; as
device_frequency_so_far is greater than zero the
fsrv(1)=fsrv(1)-1=1-1=0; the incremented_device frequency=1+1=2;
current_device_frequency(VD2)=2; and the fsrv(2)=1+1=2. The results
are shown on Table 13: TABLE-US-00016 TABLE 13 current device
frequency frequency specific reach value frequen- frequen- frequen-
VD1 VD2 VD3 cy 1 cy 2 cy 3 after airing 2 2 0 0 2 0 B (VD2)
[0097] Processing the television reporting data on Table 1 for
viewing device 3 and airing B by the exemplary instructions recited
above yields the following results: device_frequency_so_far=0 (the
current viewing device frequency for viewing device 3 is zero as
viewing device 3 has not yet been used to present the
advertisement); as device_frequency_so_far is not greater than zero
the incremented_device_frequency=0+1=1; the
current_device_frequency (VD3)=1; and the fsrv(1)=0+1=1. The
results are shown on Table 14: TABLE-US-00017 TABLE 14 current
device frequency frequency specific reach value frequen- frequen-
frequen- VD1 VD2 VD3 cy 1 cy 2 cy 3 after airing 2 2 1 1 2 0 B
(VD3)
[0098] After all of the data on Table 1 has been processed
according to the set of example instructions, the device frequency
for viewing devices 1 and 2 is three, and the device frequency for
viewing device 3 is one and the frequency specific reach values
associated with frequency bins 1, 2, and 3 are one, zero, and two;
respectively; as shown in Table 15: TABLE-US-00018 TABLE 15 device
frequency frequency specific reach value frequen- frequen- frequen-
VD1 VD2 VD3 cy 1 cy 2 cy 3 after all airings 3 3 1 1 0 2
[0099] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example process 700 for
processing television reporting records to generate frequency
specific reach data and device frequency data.
[0100] A television reporting record is selected (710). For
example, reach and frequency engine 114 can select a television
reporting record from television reporting data stored in the
television reporting data store 210.
[0101] A viewing device and advertisement (creative) are identified
from a viewing identifier and advertisement identifier in the
television reporting record (720). For example, reach and frequency
engine 114 identifies a viewing device 130 and advertisement based
on the viewing identifier 220 and advertisement identifier 230 from
the television reporting data.
[0102] A current device frequency for the viewing device is
identified (730). The current device frequency defines the number
of times the viewing device has been used to present the
advertisement based on the selected television reporting records.
Thus, the current device frequency will change when an existing but
yet to be selected television reporting record indicates that the
viewing device was again used to present the advertisement. For
example, reach and frequency engine 114 can identify the current
device frequency for the viewing device 130.
[0103] It is determined whether the current device frequency
indicates that the viewing device has been used to present the
advertisement (740). For example, reach and frequency engine 114
can determine if the current device frequency indicates that the
viewing device 130 has been used to previously present the
advertisement. If the current device frequency of the viewing
device 130 is, for example, greater than zero then the viewing
device 130 has been used to present the advertisement.
[0104] If the viewing device is determined to have been used to
present the advertisement, then a first frequency bin corresponding
to the current device frequency is identified (750). For example,
reach and frequency engine 114 can identify a frequency bin, e.g.,
a frequency bin discussed with reference to Table 4, associated
with a frequency corresponding to the current device frequency.
[0105] Further, the frequency specific reach value associated with
the first frequency bin will be decremented (755). For example,
reach and frequency engine 114 can decrement the frequency specific
reach value associated with the first frequency bin to indicate
that the current device frequency of the viewing device does not
correspond to the frequency associated with the first frequency
bin.
[0106] The current device frequency is incremented (760). For
example, reach and frequency engine 114 can increment the current
device frequency.
[0107] A second frequency bin corresponding to the incremented
current device frequency is identified (765). For example, reach
and frequency engine 114 can identify the second frequency bin.
[0108] The frequency specific reach value associated with the
second frequency bin is incremented (770). For example, reach and
frequency engine 114 can increment the frequency specific reach
value associated with the second frequency bin to indicate that
that the incremented current device frequency of the viewing device
corresponds to the frequency associated with the second frequency
bin.
[0109] If the viewing device is determined to have not been used to
present the advertisement, then the current device frequency is
incremented (780). For example, reach and frequency engine 114 can
increment the current device frequency.
[0110] A frequency bin corresponding to the incremented current
device frequency is identified (785). For example, reach and
frequency engine 114 can identify a frequency bin corresponding to
the incremented current device frequency.
[0111] The frequency specific reach value associated with the
frequency bin is incremented (790). For example, reach and
frequency engine 114 can increment the frequency specific reach
value associated with the frequency bin.
[0112] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an example process 800 for
estimating frequency specific reach data and device frequency
data.
[0113] Device frequency data and frequency specific reach data are
accessed (810). For example, reach and frequency engine 114 can
access the device frequency data and frequency specific reach data
from reach and frequency data store 260.
[0114] The number of total reported impressions of the
advertisement for all airings is calculated based on the device
frequencies and frequency specific reach values (820). For example,
reach and frequency engine 114 can calculate the number of total
reported impressions of the advertisement for all airing based on
the device frequencies and frequency specific reach values included
in reach and frequency data store 260.
[0115] For each airing of the advertisement, the number of
estimated impressions of the advertisement is calculated (830). In
some implementations, the number of the viewing population and the
ratio of the number of reported impressions for that airing to the
number of reporting records for that airing are multiplied to
calculate the number of estimated impressions for the airing (835).
For example, reach and frequency engine 114 can calculate the
number of estimated impressions of the advertisement for each
airing and, in some implementations, can calculate the number of
estimated impressions for each airing by multiplying the number of
the viewing population and the ratio of the number of reported
impressions for that airing to the number of reporting records for
that airing.
[0116] The number of total estimated impressions for all airings of
the advertisement is calculated based on the numbers of estimated
impressions for each airing (840). In various implementations, the
number of total estimated impressions for all airings is calculated
by summing the numbers of estimated impressions for each airing
(845). For example, reach and frequency engine 114 can calculate
the number of total estimated impressions for all airings based on
the numbers of estimated impressions for each airing, and in
various implementations, can calculate the number of total
estimated impressions for all airings by summing the numbers of
estimated impressions for each airing.
[0117] In some implementations, optionally, the number of total
estimated impressions for all airings is accessed (837) instead of
calculated. For example, reach and frequency engine 114 can access
the number of total estimated impressions for all airings from, for
example, an entity that collects, reports, and/or analyzes
television viewing pattern data.
[0118] A scale factor can be calculated based on the number of
total estimated impressions and the number of total reported
impressions (850). In some implementations, the scale factor is
calculated by dividing the number of total estimated impressions by
the number of total reported impressions (855). For example, reach
and frequency engine 114 can calculate the scale factor based on
the number of total estimated impressions and the number of total
reported impressions and, in some implementations, can calculate
the scale factor by dividing the number of total estimated
impressions by the number of total reported impressions.
[0119] The device frequency data and frequency specific reach data
can be adjusted according to the scale factor (860). In some
implementations, the device frequency data and frequency specific
reach data are adjusted by multiplying the frequency specific reach
values by the scale factor (865). For example, reach and frequency
engine 114 can adjust the device frequency data and frequency
specific reach data according to the scale factor and, in some
implementations, can adjust the data by multiplying the frequency
specific reach values by the scale factor according to, for
example, Equation 5.
[0120] Adjusted reach and frequency reporting data that include the
adjusted frequency specific reach data and the adjusted device
frequency data are generated (870). For example, the reach and
frequency engine 114 in television advertisement system 100 can
generate the adjusted reach and frequency reporting data.
[0121] Access to the adjusted reach and frequency reporting data
can be provided to television advertisers (880). For example, the
television advertisement reach and frequency processing system 200
can provide access to the adjusted reach and frequency reporting
data to television advertisers to inform the advertisers about
television advertisement exposure.
[0122] The television industry typically evaluates advertisement
viewership information over rolling seven or thirty-day periods.
Thus, the frequency specific reach data and device frequency data
can be calculated for these rolling periods. For example, consider
that an advertisement has three airings; airing A on June 1st,
airing B on June 11th and airing C on June 21st. Throughout June
(and some of July), on each day a new set of thirty-day rolling
frequency specific reach data and device frequency data is
generated. For example, on June 2nd (the day after airing A)
frequency specific reach data and device frequency data are
generated for the advertisement. As there has only been one airing
the data echoes the reported impressions for airing A. Over each of
the next seven days (2nd-8th) the frequency specific reach data and
device frequency data are updated as new viewing pattern data are
reported from the viewing devices. The frequency specific reach
data and device frequency data should remain stable for three days
(9th-11th) until the day after the second airing (as all viewing
pattern data should have been received).
[0123] From the 12th to the 18th the frequency specific reach data
and device frequency data for airings A and B are gradually refined
as viewing pattern data are received. From the 19th to the 21st,
frequency specific reach data and device frequency data should
again remain stable. After the 22nd the frequency specific reach
data and device frequency data are updated and refined as viewing
pattern data are received through the 28th. The frequency specific
reach data and device frequency data should be stable until July
2nd.
[0124] After July 1st, the thirty-day period no longer includes
airing A, so from then on frequency specific reach data and device
frequency data reflect viewing pattern data for only airings B and
C. Similarly on July 12th airing B is no longer included in the
thirty-day reporting period, so the frequency specific reach data
and device frequency data only reflect viewing pattern data from
airing C. Finally by July 22nd airing C is no longer included in
the thirty-day period so frequency specific reach data and device
frequency data for the advertisement are no longer generated.
[0125] Preferably the frequency specific reach data and device
frequency data for each day are stored for a predetermined time, so
in the above illustration approximately fifty sets of daily
frequency specific reach data and device frequency data are stored
for the rolling thirty-day reporting period. In general for any
advertisement active over n days, n+30 sets of frequency specific
reach data and device frequency data are generated for the
thirty-day reporting period, and n+7 sets of frequency specific
reach data and device frequency data for the seven-day reporting
period. This permits the advertiser to review frequency specific
reach data and device frequency data generated at various points
during the reporting period.
[0126] The apparatus, methods, flow diagrams, and structure block
diagrams described in this patent document may be implemented in
computer processing systems including program code comprising
program instructions that are executable by the computer processing
system. Other implementations may also be used. Additionally, the
flow diagrams and structure block diagrams described in this patent
document, which describe particular methods and/or corresponding
acts in support of steps and corresponding functions in support of
disclosed structural means, may also be utilized to implement
corresponding software structures and algorithms, and equivalents
thereof.
[0127] Embodiments of the subject matter described in this
specification can be implemented as one or more computer program
products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program
instructions encoded on a tangible program carrier for execution
by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The
computer readable medium can be a machine readable storage device,
a machine readable storage substrate, a memory device, a
composition of matter effecting a machine readable propagated
signal, or a combination of one or more of them.
[0128] A computer program (also known as a program, software,
software application, script, or code) can be written in any form
of programming language, including compiled or interpreted
languages, or declarative or procedural languages, and it can be
deployed in any form, including as a stand alone program or as a
module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a
computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily
correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a
portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or
more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single
file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple
coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub
programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed
to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are
located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and
interconnected by a communication network.
[0129] Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program
include, by way of example, both general and special purpose
microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of
digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions
and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both.
The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing
instructions and one or more memory devices for storing
instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or
be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or
both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,
magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a
computer need not have such devices.
[0130] While this specification contains many specific
implementation details, these should not be construed as
limitations on the scope of any invention or of what may be
claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be
specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions.
Certain features that are described in this specification in the
context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in
combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features
that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also
be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any
suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be
described above as acting in certain combinations and even
initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed
combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and
the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or
variation of a subcombination.
[0131] Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in
a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that
such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in
sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed,
to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances,
multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover,
the separation of various system components in the embodiments
described above should not be understood as requiring such
separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the
described program components and systems can generally be
integrated together in a single software product or packaged into
multiple software products.
[0132] This written description sets forth the best mode of the
invention and provides examples to describe the invention and to
enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the
invention. This written description does not limit the invention to
the precise terms set forth. Thus, while the invention has been
described in detail with reference to the examples set forth above,
those of ordinary skill in the art may effect alterations,
modifications and variations to the examples without departing from
the scope of the invention.
* * * * *