Advertising management system and method with dynamic pricing

Abstract

Method and system for enabling advertisers to deliver advertisements to consumers in which a plurality of tiers of available advertisements are defined, each tier containing a number of advertisements, a price for allocation of an advertisement in each tier is set wherein a lowest tier has the lowest price and the price increases to a maximum at a highest tier, and advertisements are allocated to advertisers based on availability starting from a lowest tier with unallocated advertisements and progressing to higher tiers.

1 . A method for delivering advertisements, comprising:
 defining a plurality of tiers of available advertisements, each tier containing a number of advertisements;   setting a price for allocation of an advertisement in each tier wherein a lowest tier has the lowest price and the price increases to a maximum at a highest tier; and   allocating advertisements to advertisers based on availability starting from a lowest tier with unallocated advertisements and progressing to higher tiers.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 partitioning recipients of the advertisements into a plurality of target profile groups;   defining a set of a plurality of tiers for each of the target profile groups; and   setting the prices for the allocation of advertisements in the tiers for each target profile group independent of one another.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the setting of prices is performed according to supply and demand of advertisements for each target profile group. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining the total number of available advertisements in consideration of the number of advertisements permitted to be delivered to each recipient in a given period of time, a total number of recipients and a predetermined time period. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising assigning a percentage of advertisement inventory to each tier, the number of advertisements in each tier being determined by multiplying the percentage by the total amount of available advertisements. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the allocation of advertisements to advertisers is enabled via an interface available to the advertisers. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 forming the interface to enable each advertiser to at least one of:
 enter an advertisement to be delivered to recipients; 
 select a target profile group of recipients to receive advertisements; 
 select one or more parameters relating to the time of delivery of advertisements; and 
 perform either an advertising campaign based on a budget or on delivery of a set number of advertisements. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on delivery of a set number of advertisements, further comprising:
 allocating to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements, and then   providing the cost of the advertisements to the advertiser.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on a budget, further comprising:
 allocating to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements until the cost of the advertisements equals the budget, and then   providing the number of allocated advertisements to the advertiser.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the number of tiers is 2, 3, 4 or 5. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method enables advertisers to create advertising campaigns for delivery of advertisements to consumers' telecommunications devices. 
     
     
         12 . A method for delivering advertisements to consumers, comprising:
 determining a total number of available advertisements for a set period of time that can be delivered to the consumers' telecommunications devices;   defining a plurality of tiers of available advertisements, each tier containing a portion of the total number of advertisements;   setting a price for allocation of an advertisement in each tier wherein a lowest tier has the lowest price and the price increases to a maximum at a highest tier;   enabling advertisers to obtain an allocation of advertisements based on availability starting from a lowest tier with unallocated advertisements and progressing to higher tiers; and   managing the reception of advertisements from the advertisers and the delivery of the received advertisements to the consumers in accordance with the allocations of the advertisers.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 partitioning the consumers into a plurality of target profile groups;   defining a set of a plurality of tiers for each of the target profile groups; and   setting the prices for the allocation of advertisements in the tiers for each target profile group independent of one another.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the setting of prices is performed according to supply and demand of advertisements for each target profile group. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the total number of available advertisements is determined in consideration of the number of advertisements permitted to be delivered to each consumer in a given period of time, the total number of consumers and a predetermined time period. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising assigning a percentage of advertisement inventory to each tier, the number of advertisements in each tier being determined by multiplying the percentage by the total amount of available advertisements. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the allocation of advertisements to advertisers is enabled via an interface available to the advertisers. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 forming the interface to enable each advertiser to at least one of:
 enter an advertisement to be delivered to the consumers; 
 select a target profile group of consumers to receive advertisements; 
 select one or more parameters relating to the time of delivery of advertisements; and 
 perform either an advertising campaign based on a budget or on delivery of a set number of advertisements. 
   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on delivery of a set number of advertisements, further comprising:
 allocating to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements, and then   providing the cost of the advertisements to the advertiser.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on a budget, further comprising:
 allocating to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements until the cost of the advertisements equals the budget, and then   providing the number of allocated advertisements to the advertiser.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the number of tiers is 2, 3, 4 or 5. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising delivering the advertisements to the consumers' telecommunications devices. 
     
     
         23 . A system for enabling advertisers to create advertising campaigns, comprising:
 an advertising management system having a defined plurality of tiers of available advertisements, each containing a number of advertisements, and a set price for allocation of an advertisement in each tier wherein a lowest tier has the lowest price and the price increases to a maximum at a highest tier; and   an interface to said advertising management system accessible by advertisers to enable the advertisers to input advertisements to said advertising management system and obtain an allocation of advertisements based on availability starting from a lowest tier with unallocated advertisements and progressing to higher tiers.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , further comprising infrastructure coupled to said advertising management system to enable delivery of advertisements from the advertisers entered via said interface in accordance with the allocation of such advertisements to consumers' telecommunications devices. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the consumers are partitioned into a plurality of target profile groups and a set of a plurality of tiers is defined for each of the target profile groups, the set prices for the allocation of advertisements in the tiers for each target profile group being independent of one another. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the setting of prices is performed according to supply and demand of advertisements for each target profile group. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein said advertising management system is arranged to determine the total number of available advertisements in consideration of the number of advertisements permitted to be delivered to each consumer in a given period of time, the total number of consumers and a predetermined time period for the advertising campaign. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein a percentage of advertisement inventory is assigned to each tier by an operator of said advertising management system, the number of advertisements in each tier being determined by multiplying the percentage by the total amount of available advertisements. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein said interface is formed to enable each advertiser to at least one of:
 select a target profile group of consumers to receive advertisements;   select one or more parameters relating to the time of delivery of advertisements; and   perform either an advertising campaign based on a budget or on delivery of a desired number of advertisements.   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on delivery of a desired number of advertisements, said advertising management system is arranged to allocate to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements, and then provide the cost of the advertisements to the advertiser via said interface. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on a budget, said advertising management system is arranged to allocate to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements until the cost of the advertisements equals the budget, and then provide the number of allocated advertisements to the advertiser via said interface. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the number of tiers is 2, 3, 4 or 5. 
     
     
         33 . A user interface for an advertising management system which enables advertisers to create advertising campaigns, comprising:
 means for enabling the advertisers to input advertisements;   means for enabling the advertisers to select a target profile group of consumers to receive advertisements;   means for enabling the advertisers to select one or more parameters relating to the time of delivery of advertisements; and   means for enabling the advertisers to create an advertising campaign based on a total amount of money or on delivery of a desired number of advertisements.   
     
     
         34 . The interface of  claim 33 , wherein the means for enabling the advertisers to create an advertising campaign comprises means for displaying a plurality of tiers and a price for advertisements in each tier wherein a lowest tier has the lowest price and the price increases to a maximum at a highest tier, and means for automatically obtaining an allocation of advertisements based on availability starting from a lowest tier with unallocated advertisements and progressing to higher tiers. 
     
     
         35 . The interface of  claim 34 , wherein the consumers are partitioned into a plurality of target profile groups and a set of a plurality of tiers is defined for each of the target profile groups, the prices for the allocation of advertisements in the tiers for each target profile group being independent of one another. 
     
     
         36 . The interface of  claim 33 , wherein the means for enabling the advertisers to create an advertising campaign based on delivery of a desired number of advertisements comprises a field for entry of the desired number of advertisements, further comprising means for displaying cost of the advertisements to the advertiser. 
     
     
         37 . The interface of  claim 33 , wherein the means for enabling the advertisers to create an advertising campaign based on a total amount of money comprises a field for entry of the total amount of money, further comprising means for displaying the number of allocated advertisements to the advertiser. 
     
     
         38 . A system for delivering advertisements, comprising:
 means for defining a plurality of tiers of available advertisements, each tier containing a number of advertisements;   means for setting a price for allocation of an advertisement in each tier wherein a lowest tier has the lowest price and the price increases to a maximum at a highest tier; and   means for allocating advertisements to advertisers based on availability starting from a lowest tier with unallocated advertisements and progressing to higher tiers.   
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein recipients of the advertisements are partitioned into a plurality of target profile groups, further comprising:
 means for defining a set of a plurality of tiers for each of the target profile groups; and   means for setting the prices for the allocation of advertisements in the tiers for each target profile group independent of one another.   
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 38 , further comprising means for determining the total number of available advertisements in consideration of the number of advertisements permitted to be delivered to each recipient in a given period of time, a total number of recipients and a predetermined time period. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 38 , further comprising means for assigning a percentage of advertisement inventory to each tier, the number of advertisements in each tier being determined by multiplying the percentage by the total amount of available advertisements. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 38 , further comprising an interface enabling the advertisers to obtain allocations of advertisements to advertisers. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 42 , wherein the interface enables each advertiser to at least one of:
 enter an advertisement to be delivered to recipients;   select a target profile group of recipients to receive advertisements;   select one or more parameters relating to the time of delivery of advertisements; and   perform either an advertising campaign based on a total amount of money or on delivery of a set number of advertisements.   
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 43 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on delivery of a set number of advertisements, further comprising:
 means for allocating to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements, and then   means for providing the cost of the advertisements to the advertiser.   
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 43 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on a total amount of money, further comprising:
 means for allocating to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements until the cost of the advertisements equals the budget, and then   means for providing the number of allocated advertisements to the advertiser.   
     
     
         46 . A computer readable media for organizing delivery of advertisements and which is capable of:
 defining a plurality of tiers of available advertisements, each tier containing a number of advertisements;   setting a price for allocation of an advertisement in each tier wherein a lowest tier has the lowest price and the price increases to a maximum at a highest tier; and   allocating advertisements to advertisers based on availability starting from a lowest tier with unallocated advertisements and progressing to higher tiers.   
     
     
         47 . The computer readable media of  claim 46 , which is further capable of:
 partitioning recipients of the advertisements into a plurality of target profile groups;   defining a set of a plurality of tiers for each of the target profile groups; and   setting the prices for the allocation of advertisements in the tiers for each target profile group independent of one another.   
     
     
         48 . The computer readable media of  claim 46 , which is further capable of:
 determining the total number of available advertisements in consideration of the number of advertisements permitted to be delivered to each recipient in a given period of time, a total number of recipients and a predetermined time period; and   assigning a percentage of advertisement inventory to each tier, the number of advertisements in each tier being determined by multiplying the percentage by the total amount of available advertisements.   
     
     
         49 . The computer readable media of  claim 46 , which is further capable of:
 generating an interface which enables each advertiser to at least one of:
 enter an advertisement to be delivered to recipients; 
 select a target profile group of recipients to receive advertisements; 
 select one or more parameters relating to the time of delivery of advertisements; and 
 perform either an advertising campaign based on a total amount of money or on delivery of a set number of advertisements. 
   
     
     
         50 . The computer readable media of  claim 49 , which, when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on delivery of a set number of advertisements, is further capable of:
 allocating to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements, and then   providing the cost of the advertisements to the advertiser.   
     
     
         51 . The computer readable media of  claim 49 , which, when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on a total amount of money, is further capable of:
 allocating to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements until the cost of the advertisements equals the budget, and then providing the number of allocated advertisements to the advertiser.   
     
     
         52 . A system for enabling advertisers to create advertising campaigns, comprising:
 advertising management means for managing a plurality of advertising campaigns, said advertising management means including a defined plurality of tiers of available advertisements, each containing a number of advertisements, and a set price for allocation of an advertisement in each tier wherein a lowest tier has the lowest price and the price increases to a maximum at a highest tier; and   interface means for enabling advertisers to access said advertising management means and input advertisements to said advertising management means and obtain an allocation of advertisements based on availability starting from a lowest tier with unallocated advertisements and progressing to higher tiers.   
     
     
         53 . The system of  claim 52 , further comprising infrastructure means coupled to said advertising management means to enable delivery of advertisements from the advertisers entered via said interface means in accordance with the allocation of such advertisements to consumers' telecommunications devices. 
     
     
         54 . The system of  claim 52 , wherein the consumers are partitioned into a plurality of target profile groups and a set of a plurality of tiers is defined for each of the target profile groups, the set prices for the allocation of advertisements in the tiers for each target profile group being independent of one another. 
     
     
         55 . The system of  claim 52 , wherein said advertising management means is arranged to determine the total number of available advertisements in consideration of the number of advertisements permitted to be delivered to each consumer in a given period of time, the total number of consumers and a predetermined time period for the advertising campaign. 
     
     
         56 . The system of  claim 52 , wherein a percentage of advertisement inventory is assigned to each tier by an operator of said advertising management means, the number of advertisements in each tier being determined by multiplying the percentage by the total amount of available advertisements. 
     
     
         57 . The system of  claim 52 , wherein said interface means are formed to enable each advertiser to at least one of:
 select a target profile group of consumers to receive advertisements;   select one or more parameters relating to the time of delivery of advertisements; and   perform either an advertising campaign based on a budget or on delivery of a desired number of advertisements.   
     
     
         58 . The system of  claim 57 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on delivery of a desired number of advertisements, said advertising management means are arranged to allocate to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements, and then provide the cost of the advertisements to the advertiser via said interface. 
     
     
         59 . The system of  claim 57 , wherein when an advertiser elects to perform an advertising campaign based on a budget, said advertising management means is arranged to allocate to each advertiser, available advertisements from a lowest one of the tiers having unallocated advertisements until the cost of the advertisements equals the budget, and then provide the number of allocated advertisements to the advertiser via said interface. 
     
     
         60 . A database for use in an advertising delivery system, comprising:
 advertisements obtained from advertisers;   scheduling information relating to when the advertisers want their advertisements delivered;   profile information relating to target profile groups to whom the advertisers want their advertisements delivered; and   pricing information relating to prices paid for delivering of advertisements.   
     
     
         61 . The database of  claim 60 , further comprising delivery information relating to the manner in which the advertisements are to be delivered.