Patent ID: 8831987
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for conducting an auction for advertising, said method comprising: receiving, by a computing system conducting an auction of a first market, a maximum bid from a first advertiser for placement of a first advertisement in the first market for an advertising impression in the first market; determining, by the computing system, a maximum bid from a second advertiser for placement of a second advertisement in the first market, the maximum bid from the second advertiser being a next highest bid amount to that of the maximum bid from the first advertiser; selecting, by the computing system, the maximum bid from the first advertiser associated with the first advertisement as a winner of the first auction in the first market; computing, by the computing system, a first market ratio defined by the maximum bid from the second advertiser plus a spread above the maximum bid from the second advertiser divided by the maximum bid from the first advertiser; determining, by the computing system, a first price to be paid by the first advertiser for placement of the first advertisement in the first market, the first price to be paid being a lower of the maximum bid from the first advertiser and the maximum bid from the first advertiser multiplied by the first market ratio; transmitting, from the computing system of the first market via a communications channel, the maximum bid from the first advertiser, the maximum bid from the second advertiser, and the spread to an auction in a second market for an advertising impression in the second market, the auction in the second market being operated by the computing system; determining, by the computing system, a maximum bid from a third advertiser for placement of a third advertisement in the second market; selecting, by the computing system, the maximum bid from the first advertiser as a winner of the auction in the second market as a result of the maximum bid from the first advertiser being the highest bid in the second market; determining, by the computing system, a second price to be paid by the first advertiser, the second price being for placement of the first advertisement in the second market by: notifying, by the computing system communicating via the communications channel, the first market of the second price to be paid in the second market by the first advertiser.