An apparatus and method are disclosed for providing an advertising system in which a buyer generates a profile containing a list of preferred purchases or vendors. At least some of the buyer's preferred profile entries are associated with a geographic area. A mobile network is used to connect the mobile buyers and the sellers. Both the buyers' profiles and the sellers' advertisements are uploaded to the network. The network matches buyers and sellers by providing to the buyers sales advertisements that match the criteria of the uploaded buyer's profiles but without sharing buyers' unique identifying information with the sellers. The buyer devices optionally include an ad server to filter and manage the buyer's receipt of advertisements. The sellers' offers and promotions also optionally include time-dependent information such that they expire upon the passage of a specified time period.

A clustering and recommendation machine determines that an item is included in a cluster of items. The machine accesses item data descriptive of the item. The machine accesses a vector that represents the cluster and calculates the likelihood that the item is included in the cluster, based on the item variable and the probability parameter. The machine determines that the item is included in the cluster, based on the likelihood. The machine also recommends an item to a potential buyer. The machine accesses behavior data that represents a first event type pertinent to a first cluster of items. The machine calculates a probability that a second event type pertaining to a second cluster of items will co-occur with the first event type. The machine identifies an item from the second cluster to be recommended and presents a recommendation of the item to the potential buyer.

A method of displaying media content on a display screen of a communication device. The method includes receiving an indication of a state transition of a first Activity of an application program being executed on a processor of the communication device. The processor, in response to the indication, executes program code in order to monitor a memory state of the operating system so as to determine a user interface state associated with the first Activity. The processor further determines whether the first Activity is finishing based at least in part on the user interface state. Upon determining the first Activity is finishing, the processor causes the media content to be displayed upon further determining that a predetermined condition associated with the communication device exists.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, for providing content. A method includes receiving a request for an advertisement to be displayed in a slot associated with a third-party content site; identifying a relevant advertisement to be provided in the slot; determining information to be included in an annotation associated with the advertisement, the annotation including customized information to be presented along with the advertisement; providing the advertisement responsive to the request including providing the annotation along with a control for re-publishing the advertisement along with the relevant advertisement; receiving user input selecting the control and designating the advertisement for re-publishing to a group, the group being designated by the user; and targeting additional content to the group based on the received user input.

The present disclosure describes a communication system that includes communication circuitry and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to collect a piece of user information of a user via the communication circuitry, analyze the collected piece of user information to obtain a user preference of the user, and identify a piece of advertisement as targeting the user according to the user preference. The processing circuitry is further configured to generate a guidance message based on reason of promotion information stored in association with the piece of advertisement, transmit the guidance message to a client terminal of the user, and transmit the piece of advertisement to the client terminal. The guidance message and the piece of advertisement are to be output as vocalized speeches of a voice agent of the client terminal.

A computer-implemented system and method for managing a reward-based campaign are disclosed in which an entry code generator operating on one or more processors automatically generates a first set of entry codes and a second set of entry codes. A consumer entry validator operating the one or more processors receives and stores in a consumer database a first consumer entry code and a second consumer entry code, wherein the first consumer entry code is one of the first set of entry codes and the second entry code is one of the second set of entry codes. A winning entry selector operating on the one or more processors develops a winning entry code. A consumer notifier develops a consumer entry from the first consumer entry code and the second consumer entry code and determines that the consumer entry matches winning entry and, in response, instructs a consumer device to display an indication of such match.

Provided is a process of distributing offers to non-location-sensing devices based on a geolocation sensed by another device, the process comprising: obtaining a geolocation of a user from a mobile device of the user; associating the geolocation of the user with an identifier of the user in an offers engine; receiving a request for an offer from another computing device of the user, the request including or prompting obtaining data from the other computing device sufficient to identify the user; retrieving the geolocation of the user obtained from the mobile device by identifying the user with the data from the other computing device sufficient to identify the user account; selecting, with the offers engine, a responsive offer based on the geolocation of the user obtained from the mobile device; and sending the responsive offer to the other computing device of the user.

A method and system for planning and running video-on-demand (VOD) advertising includes a planner for planning advertising campaigns and an ad selector for running selected advertisements from selected ones of the campaigns. The campaigns are associated with household demographic classifications, video content category categories, household geographic locations, and/or video viewing times. In response to a viewer requesting a video, the selector selects the campaigns corresponding to the demographic classification associated with the viewer, the content category of the requested video, the geographic location associated with the viewer, and/or the viewing time at which the requested video is viewed. The demographic classification is determined by using an identifier of the viewer's set-top-box. The selector may select the campaigns corresponding to the content categories of the requested video. The content categories are determined by using an identifier associated with the requested video.

An interactive identity verification system for gathering, identifying, authenticating and registering biometric data of a consumer verified through government agencies while monitoring, tracking, analyzing, storing and distributing dynamic biometric data to ensure access to the secured system remains authorized via monitoring of consumer data and to control authorized access to participating computer systems and programs. Consumer identity is verified with markers gathered from biometric detection and collection devices provided within the system, correlated with unique personal information and geo-location coordinates allowing authorized access to a secure computer system. Dynamic monitoring of consumer biometric data is required to guarantee online identity verification while operating under an alias or avatar to maintain public anonymity, participate in marketing incentive programs and increase security. The system provides for a registered consumer to use multiple registered computer devices while the central repository interfaces dynamically with specific markets to distribute stored data within the system.

Methods, systems and media for presenting media content that was advertised on a second screen device using a primary screen device are provided. In some implementations, a method for advertising media content to a user is provided, the method comprising: receiving an advertisement request from a computing device; receiving association information indicating that the computing device is associated with a media presentation device; receiving user account information associated with the user account; in response to the advertisement request, selecting an advertisement for media content based at least in part on the association information and the user account information; determining whether an indicator of subscription status of the user account to a service is to be presented in connection with the selected advertisement; causing the advertisement to be presented by computing device, wherein the advertisement is associated with instructions that, in response to interaction with the advertisement, cause the computing device to instruct the media presentation device to present the media content and the indicator of subscription status; receiving input indicating that the indicator of subscription status has been selected; causing an application associated with the service to be transmitted to the computing device; and updating the subscription status of the user account in connection with the service.