Virtual World Advertising Targeting via Identifier Linking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for advertising in massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs) are limited, failing to effectively target and engage large audiences, which represents a lucrative market for advertisers.
Innovation Solution
A method of advertising that involves communicating a hyperlink with an associated identifier to a client in a virtual world, allowing for the presentation of advertisements within the virtual environment, and tracking user interactions to provide financial incentives to entities hosting the virtual worlds or websites.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional advertising methods are used in MMOGs, then advertising can be displayed, but the ability to effectively target and engage large audiences is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the advertising system into multiple components: virtual world servers, advertisement servers, client devices, and tracking systems. This segmentation allows different parts of the system to perform specialized functions - the virtual world server handles game logic, the advertisement server manages ad delivery and targeting, and the tracking system monitors user interactions. This division enables sophisticated targeted advertising while maintaining system efficiency and scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal advertising framework that can be applied across multiple virtual worlds and game types. The advertisement server and tracking system serve multiple virtual world servers simultaneously, and the same infrastructure supports various advertising formats (in-game ads, hyperlinks, sponsored items). This multi-functional approach allows the system to effectively target and engage large audiences across the entire MMOG ecosystem rather than being limited to single-game advertising.
2Loss of information
If advertising identifiers are communicated through URI parameters or text parcels, then advertisement tracking is enabled, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an advertisement server as an intermediary between the virtual world server and the client device. This intermediary handles the complex tasks of generating advertisement identifiers, managing URI parameters, and coordinating tracking information. Rather than embedding all tracking logic directly in the client or game server, the advertisement server mediates these functions, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining accurate tracking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copyable identification data (URI parameters and text parcels) that can be easily transmitted and tracked across different systems. These digital identifiers are copied from the advertisement server through hyperlinks and in-game elements to the client device, and tracking information is copied back to the advertisement server. This copying mechanism enables accurate advertising activity tracking without requiring complex proprietary protocols, as standard web technologies can be used.
3Adaptability or versatility
If financial incentives are provided based on user interactions, then advertiser engagement is improved, but the need for sophisticated tracking and processing systems increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback loop where the tracking system monitors user interactions with advertisements (clicks, views, conversions) and feeds this information back to the advertisement server. The advertisement server then processes this feedback to determine financial incentives for advertisers and virtual world operators. This automated feedback mechanism enables sophisticated incentive models based on actual advertising performance without requiring manual tracking or complex processing, as the system self-regulates based on measured outcomes.
Data Source
AI summary
A method (400, 500) of advertising. The method can include communicating to a client (106) a hyperlink corresponding to a virtual world (300) and associating with the hyperlink an identifier corresponding to an advertisement (302) to be presented to a user (108) in the virtual world during a user session. The method also can include identifying an identifier (114) corresponding to an advertisement to be displayed in a virtual world during a user session in response to receiving a request (116) from a client identifying a uniform resource identifier corresponding to the virtual world, and presenting the advertisement within the virtual world during the user session. A method (600) of providing financial incentives for advertising can include receiving an advertising activity indicator (120, 122) and processing the advertising activity indicator to determine financial incentives to be provided to an entity associated with the website.