Method and system for dynamic textual ad distribution via email

Abstract

A system and method for providing dynamic pay-for-placement advertisements via graphics-enabled email that generates a display of advertisements when the email newsletter is opened so the advertisements displayed are based on rankings at the time the email is opened instead of when the email was generated and transmitted. In one embodiment, a graphical-content email having one or more embedded advertisement image references is provided to one or more email recipients. The advertisement image reference, in one embodiment, may include query string parameters indicating the context of the image reference and/or portion of the image reference (i.e., identifying the image reference as being part of a particular newsletter email), a position of the image reference in the email display, and the like. A URL reference also may be included with each advertisement image reference (.e.g., one URL for each advertisement portion of the image to be retrieved by the advertising image reference).

1 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 providing an email message including a network-based locator of a first advertisement to a user device at a first time;   after providing the email message to the user device, determining that advertisement rankings for a plurality of advertisements have changed since the first time that the email message was provided to the user device;   in response to determining that the advertisement rankings for the plurality of advertisements have changed since the first time that the email message was provided to the user device, identifying a highest-ranking second advertisement of the plurality of advertisements that is different from the first advertisement; and   upon receiving an indication of the email message being accessed, providing the second advertisement for inclusion in the email message instead of the first advertisement.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein initial advertisement rankings at the first time when the email message is provided to the user device are different than the advertisement rankings at a second later time when the email message is accessed. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein program-interpreted code of the email message does not change between a first time when the email message is provided to the user device and a second time when the email message is accessed. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising receiving a request for an advertisement that includes the network-based locator of the first advertisement, and wherein providing the second advertisement includes providing the second advertisement having a second different network-based locator. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 generating a preferred advertisement layout in response to receiving the indication of the email message being accessed, wherein the preferred advertisement layout specifies where in an advertisement image to present first content for a first-ranked advertiser and second content for a second-ranked advertiser;   generating an updated advertisement image according to the preferred advertisement layout after receiving the indication of the email message being accessed; and   providing the updated advertisement image to the user device for presentation to a user.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the advertisement rankings are determined based at least in part on a bid value of associated with an advertisement for a specific distribution subject of the email message. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising redetermining the advertisement rankings whenever a new bid value associated with an advertisement related to the specific distribution subject is received. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 receiving an indication that a user has selected the second advertisement;   dynamically selecting, after receiving the indication that the user selected the second advertisement, a target network-based location of an advertiser without modifying program-interpreted code of the email message, the target network-based location being a network-based location of a current first-ranked advertiser according to the current advertisement rankings; and   providing the dynamically selected target network-based location to the user device, wherein the user device redirects the user to the dynamically selected target network-based location of the current first-ranked advertiser based on the received indication.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the first advertisement is a highest-ranked advertisement at the first time that the email is delivered, and wherein the second advertisement is a highest-ranked advertisement at a second time that the email is accessed. 
     
     
         29 . A system comprising:
 one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:   providing an email message including a network-based locator of a first advertisement to a user device at a first time;   after providing the email message to the user device, determining that advertisement rankings for a plurality of advertisements have changed since the first time that the email message was provided to the user device;   in response to determining that the advertisement rankings for the plurality of advertisements have changed since the first time that the email message was provided to the user device, identifying a highest-ranking second advertisement of the plurality of advertisements that is different from the first advertisement; and   upon receiving an indication of the email message being accessed, providing the second advertisement for inclusion in the email message instead of the first advertisement.   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein initial advertisement rankings at the first time when the email message is provided to the user device are different than the advertisement rankings at a second later time when the email message is accessed. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein program-interpreted code of the email message does not change between a first time when the email message is provided to the user device and a second time when the email message is accessed. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 29 , further comprising receiving a request for an advertisement that includes the network-based locator of the first advertisement, and wherein providing the second advertisement includes providing the second advertisement having a second different network-based locator. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 generating a preferred advertisement layout in response to receiving the indication of the email message being accessed, wherein the preferred advertisement layout specifies where in an advertisement image to present first content for a first-ranked advertiser and second content for a second-ranked advertiser;   generating an updated advertisement image according to the preferred advertisement layout after receiving the indication of the email message being accessed; and   providing the updated advertisement image to the user device for presentation to a user.   
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the advertisement rankings are determined based at least in part on a bid value of associated with an advertisement for a specific distribution subject of the email message. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , further comprising redetermining the advertisement rankings whenever a new bid value associated with an advertisement related to the specific distribution subject is received. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving an indication that a user has selected the second advertisement;   dynamically selecting, after receiving the indication that the user selected the second advertisement, a target network-based location of an advertiser without modifying program-interpreted code of the email message, the target network-based location being a network-based location of a current first-ranked advertiser according to the current advertisement rankings; and   providing the dynamically selected target network-based location to the user device, wherein the user device redirects the user to the dynamically selected target network-based location of the current first-ranked advertiser based on the received indication.   
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the first advertisement is a highest-ranked advertisement at the first time that the email is delivered, and wherein the second advertisement is a highest-ranked advertisement at a second time that the email is accessed. 
     
     
         38 . A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 providing an email message including a network-based locator of a first advertisement to a user device at a first time;   after providing the email message to the user device, determining that advertisement rankings for a plurality of advertisements have changed since the first time that the email message was provided to the user device;   in response to determining that the advertisement rankings for the plurality of advertisements have changed since the first time that the email message was provided to the user device, identifying a highest-ranking second advertisement of the plurality of advertisements that is different from the first advertisement; and   upon receiving an indication of the email message being accessed, providing the second advertisement for inclusion in the email message instead of the first advertisement.   
     
     
         39 . The computer program product of  claim 38 , wherein initial advertisement rankings at the first time when the email message is provided to the user device are different than the advertisement rankings at a second later time when the email message is accessed. 
     
     
         40 . The computer program product of  claim 38 , wherein program-interpreted code of the email message does not change between a first time when the email message is provided to the user device and a second time when the email message is accessed. 
     
     
         41 . The computer program product of  claim 38 , further comprising receiving a request for an advertisement that includes the network-based locator of the first advertisement, and wherein providing the second advertisement includes providing the second advertisement having a second different network-based locator. 
     
     
         42 . The computer program product of  claim 38 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 generating a preferred advertisement layout in response to receiving the indication of the email message being accessed, wherein the preferred advertisement layout specifies where in an advertisement image to present first content for a first-ranked advertiser and second content for a second-ranked advertiser;   generating an updated advertisement image according to the preferred advertisement layout after receiving the indication of the email message being accessed; and   providing the updated advertisement image to the user device for presentation to a user.