Process and apparatus for advertising component placement

Abstract

A method of digital advertising, comprising: receiving a plurality of video material sources; optionally converting video material from a format of said sources into one or more placement operating formats; placing a digital advertising component into video material; and outputting the video material with the digital advertising component integrated within it for distribution. Preferred embodiments of the invention involve generating a market for placement zones suitable for receiving digital advertising components, wherein a market is generated by for example a bidding process against one or more available placement zones or offering one or more available placement zones with an indication its value/price. Other embodiments disclosed include a method of processing video material for advertising component placement, the method comprising: scanning video material suitable for advertising component placement to detect a placement zone of a minimum predetermined area and which remains in view for a minimum predetermined period of time; inserting a place-holder in the placement zone; and saving the video material with the place-holder to storage means. Also disclosed are computer apparatus and systems for performing the above-mentioned methods and related methods, and a system and method for management and manipulation of digital assets.

1 . A method of preparing video material for distribution comprising:
 providing a repository of video material;   analyzing video material to define placement zones for placement of digital advertising components;   electronically placing one or more digital advertising components in video material; and   outputting video material for distribution.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said step of electronically placing comprises digital tracking of the digital video material such that after the placing step the digital advertising components is integrated within the format of the digital video material. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the tracking involves feature by feature tracking over a plurality of frames. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the tracking involves pixel by pixel tracking over a series of frames. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of digital advertising components are placed in different placement zones of a video material item. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the repository of video material holds many individual items of video material from various video material sources. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the repository of video material comprises video material from a plurality of different sources. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the video material from different sources is in different formats. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the video material into which digital advertising components are to be placed is converted into one or more digital operating formats in which the step of placement takes place. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claims 1 , wherein distribution of the video material is performed via the source of the original material. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein distribution of the video material is performed via separate video distribution channels. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein video material which is distributed to different users or to different geographical regions or to different demographical regions carries different digital advertising components. 
     
     
         13 . A method of generating a market for placement zones in video material, the method comprising:
 providing a brokerage interface through which parties wishing to place advertising components can bid competitively for placement zones; and/or   a valuation is placed on one or more placement zones such that it can be offered to the market at a predetermined price or at a particular reserve price.   
     
     
         14 . A method for preparing video material for distribution, comprising:
 receiving video material from a plurality of video sources;   receiving digital advertising components;   converting the video material from said video sources into one or more operating formats suitable for receiving placement of a digital advertising component;   electronically placing the digital advertising component into the video material in an operating format such that the digital advertising component becomes integrated into said video material format; and   outputting said video material for distribution.   
     
     
         15 . A method of preparing digital video material from a plurality of video material sources for distribution, comprising:
 preparing video material by processing the video material to identify suitable placement zones for receiving digital advertising components;   generating a market for one or more placement zones; and   placing a digital advertising component in a particular placement zone responsive to a request from an advertiser for a particular digital advertising component to be placed in that placement zone.   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said advertiser is an advertising agency and/or a brand holder. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein there is a correlation between the digital advertising component placed and the placement zone selected for its placement and/or the video material in which the placement zone resides. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said processing is performed electronically. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein said processing is performed manually. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the digital advertising component is a graphical element supplied by one or more of: an advertiser; a brand holder; and a creative services provider. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 15 , further comprising providing a repository of video material. 
     
     
         22 . A method of preparing video material for distribution, comprising:
 preparing video material by processing the video material to identify suitable placement zones for receiving digital advertising components;   valuing individual placement zones and/or pluralities of placement zones and providing information on said valuations to advertisers; and   receiving a selection of placement zone(s) responsive to provision of said valuations.   
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the step of valuation comprises receiving or generating one or more metrics relating to said video material. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the valuation of a particular placement-zone is based at least in part on one or more metrics relating to a historic or anticipated future viewing statistics. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the statistics are a function of the popularity of the video material in which the placement zone resides. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the statistics are a function of the intended distribution channel. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the statistics are a function of the placement zone having regard to other placement zones. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 23 , further comprising providing a repository of video material. 
     
     
         29 . A method of advertising in digital video material, comprising:
 obtaining consent from a plurality of sources of video material to place digital advertising components in video material from said sources;   receiving and aggregating video material from a plurality of sources;   preparing video material for placement of digital advertising components, including identifying and marking suitable placement zones;   receiving from an advertiser a selection from among available placement zones for a particular advertising component;   placing said particular advertising component in the relevant placement zone responsive to said selection; and   outputting the video material with the digital advertising component placed within it.   
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 29 , further comprising:
 obtaining the approval of the video material owner/distributor for the combination of placed advertising component and video material.   
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 29 , further comprising:
 obtaining the approval of the advertiser for the combination of the placed advertising component and the video material.   
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 31 , wherein the step of approval by the advertiser triggers a charge to be applied to relevant parties. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 29 , wherein a payment falls due to a placement facility from a party placing a digital advertising component on one or more of: (i) placement; and (ii) supply of the digital video material with the relevant component or components placed therein to a distributor for distribution. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 33 , wherein the payment is applied based on subsequent viewing activities or subsequent click through activities. 
     
     
         35 . The method according to  claim 33 , wherein payments are distributed among one or more of: the parties placing the digital advertising component; the sources of video material; creative services; and distributors of the video material. 
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 33 , wherein payments are made to metrics providers and/or billing partners. 
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 29 , wherein the placement facility shares advertising revenue with advertising agencies if advertisers place adverts through the facility. 
     
     
         38 . A method of preparing digital video material for distribution, comprising:
 providing a repository of video material;   preparing individual video material items within said repository of video material for receiving placement of a digital advertising component by defining one or more placement zones suitable for receiving such a digital advertising component;   providing a mechanism for selection of a placement zone in video material for a particular digital advertising component by an advertiser;   placing a digital advertising component responsive to a selection of an advertiser; and   charging at least said advertiser based on said selection.   
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 38 , wherein the digital advertising component may comprise a dynamic link. 
     
     
         40 . The method according to  claim 39 , wherein the dynamic link allows users to benefit from a further or enhanced experience associated with the advertiser, the brand or brand holder. 
     
     
         41 . The method according to  claim 39 , wherein the dynamic link connects to a facility for measuring user response to targeted advertising components. 
     
     
         42 . A method of categorizing video material in a repository based at least in part on one or more of: genre; popularity; and price. 
     
     
         43 . The method according to  claim 42 , wherein the categorized video material is searchable based on such categories or provided in a ranking table in order of priority according to some measure of relevance. 
     
     
         44 . A method of categorizing placement zones within video material, based at least in part on one or more of: genre; popularity; and price. 
     
     
         45 . The method according to  claim 44 , wherein the categorized placement zones are searchable or provided in a ranking table in order of priority according to some measure of relevance. 
     
     
         46 . A method of processing video material for advertising component placement, the method comprising:
 scanning video material suitable for advertising component placement to detect a placement zone of a minimum predetermined area and in view for a minimum predetermined period of time;   inserting a place-holder in the placement zone; and   saving the video material with the place-holder to storage means.   
     
     
         47 . A method of operating a computer for processing video material for advertising component placement, the method comprising:
 providing a video material processor for scanning video material suitable for advertising component placement to detect a placement zone of a minimum predetermined area and in view for a minimum predetermined period of time;   causing the video material processor to insert a place-holder in the placement-zone; and   saving in storage means the video material with the place-holder.   
     
     
         48 . The method according to  claim 47 , further comprising:
 allocating the scanned video material to at least one category of video material.   
     
     
         49 . The method according to  claim 48 , wherein the step of allocating the scanned video material to at least one category is performed prior to scanning the video material. 
     
     
         50 . The method according to  claim 48 , wherein the step of allocating the scanned video material to at least one category is performed after the video material is saved in the storage device. 
     
     
         51 . The method according to  claim 47 , further comprising:
 inserting the scanned video material in a category of a video material catalogue.   
     
     
         52 . The method according to  claim 47 , further comprising:
 inserting the scanned video material in a video material inventory.   
     
     
         53 . The method according to  claim 52 , wherein the step of inserting the scanned video material in a video material inventory is performed prior to scanning the video material. 
     
     
         54 . The method according to  claim 52 , wherein the step of inserting the scanned video material in a video material inventory is performed after the video material is saved in the storage device. 
     
     
         55 . The method according to  claim 51 , wherein the video material catalogue comprises video material data associated with scanned video material. 
     
     
         56 . The method according to  claim 55 , wherein the video material data comprises duration of the video material and/or date of creation of the video material. 
     
     
         57 . The method according to  claim 48 , wherein the category comprises genre of video material, type of video material and/or content of video material. 
     
     
         58 . The method according to  claim 47 , further comprising:
 obtaining video material statistics about the video material from a video material statistics provider; and   associating the video material statistics with the video material.   
     
     
         59 . The method according to  claim 47 , further comprising:
 inserting the video material in a video material league table, wherein the video material statistics are used to determine a position of the video material in the video material league table.   
     
     
         60 . The method according to  claim 47 , further comprising:
 retrieving video material from its current location prior to scanning the video material; and   returning the video material to its current location following processing of the video material.   
     
     
         61 . The method according to  claim 47 , further comprising:
 obtaining consumer viewing data from a consumer viewing data provider.   
     
     
         62 . The method according to  claim 61 , wherein the consumer viewing data comprises a consumer viewer's age, a consumer viewer's sex, and/or a consumer viewer's occupation. 
     
     
         63 . The method according to  claim 61 , wherein the step of obtaining consumer viewing data is performed prior to scanning the video material. 
     
     
         64 . The method according to  claim 61 , wherein the step of obtaining consumer viewing data is performed after saving the video material. 
     
     
         65 . A method of inserting an advertising component in video material, the method comprising:
 selecting video material suitable for insertion of an advertising component; and   inserting an advertising component into a place-holder within the selected video material,   wherein the place-holder marks an area of the selected video material which is predetermined as suitable for the insertion of an advertising component.   
     
     
         66 . The method according to  claim 65 , further comprising:
 receiving instructions to manipulate the advertising component; and   processing the advertising component by applying the received manipulation instructions to produce an integrated video material and advertising component.   
     
     
         67 . The method according to  claim 66 , wherein the manipulation instructions comprise resizing, rotating, altering colour, altering opacity, reducing red eye, adding blurring shadows and reflections, altering light or altering grain size. 
     
     
         68 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein the advertising component is a static advertising component. 
     
     
         69 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein the advertising component is a dynamic advertising component. 
     
     
         70 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein the advertising component provides a link to an advertiser's website or web page. 
     
     
         71 . The method according to  claim 65 , further comprising:
 displaying the selected video material and inserted advertising component for approval.   
     
     
         72 . The method according to  claim 65 , further comprising:
 inserting a second advertising component into a second place-holder within the selected video material.   
     
     
         73 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein a first advertising component is inserted into the selected video material for a first region and a second advertising component is inserted into the selected video material for a second region different from the first region. 
     
     
         74 . The method according to  claim 73 , wherein a region comprises a country, a state, a county or a group of countries. 
     
     
         75 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein a first advertising component is inserted into the selected video material when it is determined that a viewing consumer is a first viewing consumer and a second advertising component is inserted into the selected video material when it is determined that the viewing consumer is a second viewing consumer, the first viewing consumer being of a different consumer group to the first viewing consumer. 
     
     
         76 . The method according to  claim 75 , wherein the first viewing consumer is a male and the second viewing consumer is a female. 
     
     
         77 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein the video material is displayed in a video material inventory comprising at least one video material. 
     
     
         78 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein the video material is displayed in a category of a video material catalogue comprising at least one video material. 
     
     
         79 . The method according to  claim 65 , further comprising:
 retrieving the video material from a storage device prior to insertion of the advertising component.   
     
     
         80 . The method according to  claim 79 , further comprising
 returning the video material to the storage device after insertion of the advertising component.   
     
     
         81 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein the advertising component is uploaded from a user's computer. 
     
     
         82 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein the advertising component is inserted into the place-holder within the video material before being transmitted over a distribution network. 
     
     
         83 . The method according to  claim 65 , wherein the advertising component and the video material are transmitted over a distribution network, and then the advertising component is inserted into the place-holder within the video material. 
     
     
         84 . A method of operating a computer for inserting an advertising component in a video material, the method comprising:
 selecting video material suitable for insertion of an advertising component; and   receiving at a video material processor instructions to insert an advertising component into a place-holder within the selected video material,   wherein the place-holder marks an area of the selected video material which is predetermined as suitable for the insertion of an advertising component.   
     
     
         85 . A computer apparatus comprising:
 an ingest module operable to interface at least one video material source and to receive digital video material from said source;   a grooming module operable to analyze ingested video material to identify and mark one or more placement zones in said video material which is suitable for receiving a digital advertising component;   a placement module capable of placing a digital advertising component into a marked placement zone within said video material; and   an export module interfacing one or more video material distributors and capable of exporting video material with digital advertising components placed therein for distribution in a distribution format.   
     
     
         86 . The computer apparatus according to  claim 85 , further comprising an approval module interfacing one or more of: an advertiser; a video material source; and a video material distributor. 
     
     
         87 . The computer apparatus according to  claim 85 , wherein one or more of said ingest module, said grooming module, and said placement module is capable of detecting formats of the digital video material and, where appropriate, converting received video material into an operating format in which digital graphical advertising components can be placed into said video material electronically. 
     
     
         88 . The computer apparatus according to  claim 85 , wherein one or more of said placement module, said approval module, and said export module is capable of converting video material with digital advertising components placed therein into one or more predetermined distribution formats. 
     
     
         89 . The computer apparatus according to  claim 85 , further comprising:
 a metrics module for generating and/or receiving valuation information about video material.   
     
     
         90 . The computer apparatus according to  claim 85 , further comprising:
 a billing module arranged to charge an advertiser which successfully places a digital advertising component in a placement zone offered by the computer apparatus.   
     
     
         91 . A grooming module comprising:
 software having code for tracking candidate placement zones frame by frame to determine the placement zone has sufficient area and/or duration.   
     
     
         92 . A grooming module according to  claim 91 , wherein the tracking is performed automatically by the software. 
     
     
         93 . A placement module comprising:
 software having code for placing digital graphical components into digital video material in a predetermined digital video operating format.   
     
     
         94 . A placement module according to  claim 93 , wherein said software integrates said digital graphical component with said digital video material by causing the placed component to track the digital video image information frame by frame. 
     
     
         95 . A placement module according to  claim 93 , wherein the placed advertising component exhibits visual attributes of the placement zone as a sequence of frames progresses. 
     
     
         96 . A placement module according to  claim 93 , wherein the or each placement zone is defined in terms of one or more pixel of a frame in the video material. 
     
     
         97 . A placement module according to  claim 93 , wherein said placement zone is marked by an appropriate place-holder. 
     
     
         98 . A method of providing video material with one or more integrated advertising components, comprising:
 receiving digital video material and a digital advertising component for placement therein;   preparing the video material by determining a placement zone for said advertising component within said video material and associating said advertising component with the placement zone; and   sending the prepared video material and the associated advertising component to a remote combining module operable to combine the prepared video material and the advertising component by integrating said advertising component into said placement zone before distribution of said video material.   
     
     
         99 . A method of providing video material with one or more integrated advertising components, comprising:
 receiving prepared digital video material, said prepared digital video material comprising video material in an operating format and having defined within it at least one placement zone for receiving a digital advertising component;   receiving a digital advertising component with an indication associating it with a particular placement zone in prepared digital video material;   combining the prepared digital video material with the digital advertising component by integrating said advertising component into the particular placement zone within said video material; and   outputting said video material for distribution.   
     
     
         100 . The method according to  claim 99 , wherein a plurality of digital advertising components are supplied in association with a particular placement zone of the video material, and different advertising component-placement zone combinations are implemented in respect of alternative distribution channels and/or different consumers or consumer groups. 
     
     
         101 . The method according to  claim 99 , wherein the digital advertising components are placed in particular placement zones of video material based on profiles of individual consumers. 
     
     
         102 . The method according to  claim 99 , wherein the profiles of individual consumers are determined where consumers use devices which require them to log on or similar.