Patent Publication Number: US-2010125492-A1

Title: System and method for providing contextual advertisements according to dynamic pricing scheme

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to providing advertisements and, more particularly, to providing dynamically priced advertisements to an electronic device. 
     2. Description Of The Related Art 
     This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     A person may have one or more electronic devices capable of displaying advertisements. An advertiser may pay for advertisements to be displayed on such electronic devices belonging to the person. However, the pricing scheme for the advertisements may not account for many factors that may influence the efficacy of the advertisements. 
     SUMMARY 
     Certain aspects commensurate in scope with the disclosed embodiments are set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of certain forms the invention might take and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of aspects that may be set forth below. 
     By way of example, a method for providing an electronic advertisement according to a dynamic pricing scheme may include transmitting an advertisement to an electronic device belonging to a user and receiving marketing factors indicating a likelihood that the user will be receptive to the advertisement. The advertisement may be configured for display on the electronic device and at least one of the marketing factors may be received from the electronic device. A price for providing the advertisement to the target user may be determined based on the marketing factors. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Advantages of the invention may become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device  10  configured to display an electronic advertisement or determine a dynamic price for the electronic advertisement; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic of a handheld device representing an embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic of a computer representing an embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic of a standalone media player representing an embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic of a wireless base station representing an embodiment of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic of a radio frequency identification tag that may be used to initiate an advertisement sequence; 
         FIGS. 7A-B  is a block diagram of a dynamically-priced advertisement system; 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart describing a manner of providing probability-based dynamically-priced advertisements; 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart describing a manner of providing results-based dynamically-priced advertisements; 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart describing a manner of providing probability-based and results-based dynamically-priced advertisements; 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart describing a manner of providing probability-based or results-based dynamically-priced web advertisements; 
         FIG. 12  is a block diagram illustrating various marketing factors that may be employed to determine a price of a dynamically-priced advertisement; 
         FIG. 13  is a block diagram illustrating various follow-up factors that may be employed to determine a price of a dynamically-priced advertisement; 
         FIG. 14  is a schematic of a radio-frequency-identification-tag-scanning operation; 
         FIGS. 15A-B  are schematics of screens that may be displayed following the radio-frequency-identification-tag-scanning operation of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a block diagram illustrating communication that may take place during the radio-frequency-identification-tag-scanning operation of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a schematic of a city plan in which the dynamically-priced advertisement system may be deployed; 
         FIG. 18  is a block diagram illustrating a manner of transmitting advertising beacons in the dynamically-priced advertisement system deployment of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIGS. 19A-C  are schematics of screens that may be displayed upon receiving a beacon in the dynamically-priced advertisement system deployment of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIGS. 20A-C  are schematics of alternative screens that may be displayed upon receiving a beacon in the dynamically-priced advertisement system deployment of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a block diagram illustrating communication that may take place in the dynamically-priced advertisement system deployment of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIGS. 22A-C  are schematics of screens that may be displayed when an advertisement sequence is initiated by a user selection; 
         FIG. 23  is a block diagram illustrating communication that may take place upon the advertisement sequence initiation of  FIGS. 22A-B ; 
         FIGS. 24A-B  are schematics of screens that may be displayed when a map application initiates an advertisement sequence; and 
         FIGS. 25A-D  are schematics of screens that may be displayed when a web browser application initiates an advertisement sequence. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     Many people use a personal electronic device each day, as portable phones and digital media players become commonplace. Using the techniques, systems, and devices described in the disclosure below, a user may view and use a variety of advertisements from various advertisers on a personal electronic device. Based on a dynamic pricing scheme, the advertisers may pay a variable price for an advertisement based on the likelihood of influencing user behavior. 
     One or more specific embodiments of the present invention are described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     Turning first to  FIG. 1 , an electronic device  10  may be configured for obtaining, storing, and/or viewing advertisements. As discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 2-5 , the electronic device  10  may represent, among other things, a handheld device, a computer, a media player, or a wireless base station adapted to transmit, receive, and/or display advertisements. As such, the electronic device  10  may represent, for example, an iPhone®, iPod®, iMac®, MacBook®, AppleTV®, or AirPort® available from Apple, Inc., or other devices by any manufacturer. It should be appreciated that embodiments of the electronic device  10  may include more or fewer elements than depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
     The electronic device  10  may include at least one central processing unit (CPU)  12 . For example, the CPU  12  may represent one or more microprocessors, and the microprocessors may be “general purpose” microprocessors, a combination of general and special purpose microprocessors, or ASICS. Additionally or alternatively, the CPU  12  may include one or more reduced instruction set (RISC) processors, video processors, or related chip sets. The CPU  12  may provide processing capability to execute an operating system, run various applications, and/or provide processing for one or more of the techniques described herein. Applications that may run on the electronic device  10  may include, for example, software for managing and playing audiovisual content, software for displaying and managing electronic maps, software for controlling telephone capabilities, software for browsing web content on the Internet, and software for managing electronic advertisements, as noted below. 
     A main memory  14  may be communicably coupled to the CPU  12 , which may store data and executable code. The main memory  14  may represent volatile memory such as RAM, but may also include nonvolatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or Flash memory. In buffering or caching data related to operations of the CPU  12 , the main memory  14  may store data associated with applications running on the electronic device  10 . 
     The electronic device  10  may also include nonvolatile storage  16 . The nonvolatile storage  16  may represent any suitable nonvolatile storage medium, such as a hard disk drive or nonvolatile memory, such as Flash memory. Being well-suited to long-term storage, the nonvolatile storage  16  may store data files such as media (e.g., music and video files), software (e.g., for implementing functions on the electronic device  10 ), preference information (e.g., media playback preferences), lifestyle information (e.g., food preferences), exercise information (e.g., information obtained by exercise monitoring equipment), transaction information (e.g., information such as credit card information), wireless connection information (e.g., information that may enable media device to establish a wireless connection such as a telephone connection), subscription information (e.g., information that maintains a record of podcasts or television shows or other media a user subscribes to), as well as telephone information (e.g., telephone numbers). It should be appreciated that certain data regarding the efficacy of a received advertisement may be saved in the nonvolatile storage  16 , as discussed further below. 
     A display  18  may display images and data for the electronic device  10 . It should be appreciated that only certain embodiments may include the display  18 . The display  18  may be any suitable display, such as liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) based display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) based display, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, or an analog or digital television. In some embodiments, the display  18  may function as a touch screen through which a user may interact with the electronic device  10 . 
     The electronic device  10  may further include a user interface  20 . The user interface  20  may represent indicator lights and user input structures, but may also include a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display  18 . In practice, the user interface  20  may operate via the CPU  12 , using memory from the main memory  14  and long-term storage in the nonvolatile storage  16 . In an embodiment lacking the display  18 , indicator lights, sound devices, buttons, and other various input/output (I/O) devices may allow a user to interface with the electronic device  10 . In an embodiment having a GUI, the user interface  20  may provide interaction with interface elements on the display  18  via certain user input structures, user input peripherals such as a keyboard or mouse, or a touch sensitive implementation of the display  18 . 
     As should be appreciated, one or more applications may be open and accessible to a user via the user interface  20  and displayed on the display  18  of the electronic device  10 . The applications may run on the CPU  12  in conjunction with the main memory  14 , the nonvolatile storage  16 , the display  18 , and the user interface  20 . As will be discussed in greater detail below, instructions stored in the main memory  14 , the nonvolatile storage  16 , or the CPU  12  of the electronic device  10  may obtain, store, and display electronic advertisements. It should be appreciated that the instructions for carrying out such techniques may represent a standalone application, a function of the operating system of the electronic device  10 , or a function of the hardware of the CPU  12 , the main memory  14 , the nonvolatile storage  16 , or other hardware of the electronic device  10 . 
     In certain embodiments, the electronic device  10  may include location sensing circuitry  22 . The location sensing circuitry  22  may represent global positioning system (GPS) circuitry, but may also represent one or more algorithms and databases, stored in the nonvolatile storage  16  or main memory  14  and executed by the CPU  12 , which may be used to infer location based on various observed factors. For example, the location sensing circuitry  22  may represent an algorithm and database used to approximate geographic location based on the detection of local 802.11x (Wi-Fi) networks or nearby cellular phone towers. As discussed below, the electronic device  10  may employ the location sensing circuitry  22  as a factor for carrying out certain advertisement management techniques. By way of example, the location sensing circuitry  22  may be used by the electronic device  10  to determine a user&#39;s location while viewing or requesting an advertisement; the location be used to alter the advertisement or to vary the price of the advertisement, as described further below. 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 1 , the electronic device  10  may also include a wired input/output (I/O) interface  24  for a wired interconnection between one electronic device  10  and another electronic device  10 . The wired I/O interface  24  may represent, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) port or an IEEE 1394 or FireWire® port, but may also represent a proprietary connection. Additionally, the wired I/O interface  24  may permit a connection to user input peripheral devices, such as a keyboard or a mouse. 
     One or more network interfaces  26  may provide additional connectivity for the electronic device  10 . The network interfaces  26  may represent, for example, one or more network interface cards (NIC) or a network controller. In certain embodiments, the network interface  26  may include a personal area network (PAN) interface  28 . The PAN interface  28  may provide capabilities to network with, for example, a Bluetooth® network, an IEEE 802.15.4 (e.g., ZigBee) network, or an ultra wideband network (UWB). As should be appreciated, the networks accessed by the PAN interface  28  may, but do not necessarily, represent low power, low bandwidth, or close range wireless connections. The PAN interface  28  may permit one electronic device  10  to connect to another local electronic device  10  via an ad-hoc or peer-to-peer connection. However, the connection may be disrupted if the separation between the two electronic devices  10  exceeds the range of the PAN interface  28 . 
     The network interface  26  may also include a local area network (LAN) interface  30 . The LAN interface  30  may represent an interface to a wired Ethernet-based network, but may also represent an interface to a wireless LAN, such as an IEEE 802.11x wireless network. The range of the LAN interface  30  may generally exceed the range available via the PAN interface  28 . Additionally, in many cases, a connection between two electronic devices  10  via the LAN interface  30  may involve communication through a network router or other intermediary device. 
     For some embodiments of the electronic device  10 , the network interfaces  26  may include the capability to connect directly to a wide area network (WAN) via a WAN interface  32 . The WAN interface  32  may permit a connection to a cellular data network, such as the Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) network or other 3G network. When connected via the WAN interface  32 , the electronic device  10  may remain connected to the Internet and, in some embodiments, to another electronic device  10 , despite changes in location that might otherwise disrupt connectivity via the PAN interface  28  or the LAN interface  30 . As will be discussed below, the wired I/O interface  24  and the network interfaces  26  may represent high-bandwidth communication channels for transferring user data using the simplified data transfer techniques discussed herein. 
     Certain embodiments of the electronic device  10  may also include a near field communication (NFC) interface  34 . The NFC interface  34  may allow for extremely close range communication at relatively low data rates (e.g., 464 kb/s), and may comply with such standards as ISO 18092 or ISO 21521, or it may allow for close range communication at relatively high data rates (e.g., 560 Mbps), and may comply with the TransferJet® protocol. The NFC interface  34  may have a range of approximately 2 to 4 cm. The close range communication with the NFC interface  34  may take place via magnetic field induction, allowing the NFC interface  34  to communicate with other NFC interfaces  34  or to retrieve information from tags having radio frequency identification (RFID) circuitry. As discussed below, the NFC interface  34  may provide a manner of initiating or facilitating a transfer of user data from one electronic device  10  to another electronic device  10 . 
     The electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1  may also include a camera  36 . With the camera  36 , the electronic device  10  may obtain digital images or videos. In combination with optical character recognition (OCR) software, barcode-reading software, or matrix-code-reading software running on the electronic device  10 , the camera  36  may be used to input data from printed materials having text or barcode information. Such data may include electronic advertising data from a printed page. 
     In certain embodiments of the electronic device  10 , one or more accelerometers  38  may sense the movement or orientation of the electronic device  10 . The accelerometers  38  may provide input or feedback regarding the position of the electronic device  10  to certain applications running on the CPU  12 . By way of example, the accelerometers  38  may include a 3-axis accelerometer from ST Microelectronics. 
       FIGS. 2-5  illustrate various specific embodiments of the electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1 . It should be appreciated that the specific embodiments of the electronic device  10  depicted in  FIGS. 2-5  are representative only and should not be understood as exclusive. Turning first to  FIG. 2 , a handheld device  40  may represent an embodiment of the electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1 . By way of example, the handheld device  40  may be a portable phone or a portable media player, such as an iPhone® or an iPod® available from Apple Inc. 
     The handheld device  40  may have an enclosure  41  of plastic, metal, composite materials, or other suitable materials in any combination. The enclosure  41  may protect the interior components of the handheld device  40  from physical damage and electromagnetic interference (EMI). Additionally, the enclosure  41  may allow certain frequencies of electromagnetic radiation to pass through to wireless communication circuitry within the handheld device  40  to facilitate wireless communication. 
     The display  18  of the handheld device  40  may include the user interface  20  in the form of a GUI, which may have a number of individual icons representing applications that may be activated. In some embodiments of the handheld device  40 , the display  18  may serve as a touch-sensitive input device and the icons may be selected by touch. An online map application icon  42  may be selected by a user to launch an online map application. The online map application may display maps based on a searchable location or based on a current location of the handheld device  40  as determined by internal location sensing circuitry  22 . As described below, the online map application may also display advertisements according to various techniques discussed herein. The user interface  20  may additionally include a web browser icon  43 , the selection of which may launch a web browser such as Safari® by Apple Inc. The web browser may display content from the Internet including, among other things, advertisements provided according to techniques described herein. 
     An advertisement management application icon  44  may also be selectable by a user. Here, the advertisement management application is designated as “Local Ad +” to indicate to a user that selection of the icon  44  may allow the user to obtain, store, and/or view advertisements for local businesses and more. Similarly, a wireless network management application icon  45  may be selectable by a user. The wireless network management application icon  45  may launch a wireless network management application when selected, which may enable a user to manage connections to various nearby wireless networks and/or any information, such as advertisements, that may be transmitted over such wireless networks. 
     The user interface  20  on the display  18  of the handheld device  40  may also include certain status indicator icons  46 , which may indicate the status of various components of the handheld device  40 . For example, the status indicator icons may include a cellular reception meter, an icon to indicate when the PAN interface  28  is active (e.g., when a Bluetooth network is in use), or a battery life meter. 
     The handheld device  40  may connect to another electronic device  10 , such as a computer, through the wired I/O interface  24  located at the bottom of the device. For example, the wired I/O interface  24  may be a proprietary connection for interconnecting the handheld device  40  and another electronic device  10  via USB or FireWire®. Once connected, the devices may synchronize and/or transfer certain data, such as advertisement data or data related to certain marketing factors. The wired I/O interface  24  on the handheld device  40  may be understood to represent a communication channel to another electronic device  10  for communication in accordance with techniques discussed herein. 
     User input structures  48 ,  50 ,  52 , and  54  may supplement or replace the touch-sensitive input capability of the display  18  for interaction with the user interface  20 . By way of example, the user input structures  48 ,  50 ,  52 , and  54  may include buttons, switches, a control pad, keys, knobs, a scroll wheel, or any other suitable input structures. The user input structures  48  and  50  may work in conjunction with the display  18  to control functions of the device. Particularly, the user input structure  48  may be a lock/unlock sliding button to lock or unlock the handheld device  40 ; the user input structure  50  may be a navigation button for navigating the user interface  20  to a default or home screen; the user input structures  52  may be a pair of buttons for navigating up or down a screen of the user interface  20  or for controlling volume; and the user input structure  54  may be an on/off button. 
     Certain embodiments of the handheld device  40  may include telephone functionality. As such, the handheld device  40  may include audio input structures  56  and an audio output structure  58 . The audio input structures  56  may be one or more microphones for receiving voice data from a user, and the audio output structure  58  may be a speaker for outputting audio data, such as data received by the handheld device  40  over a cellular network. In certain embodiments, an audio port  60  may facilitate peripheral audio input and output devices, such as headsets, speakers, or microphones for use with the handheld device  40 . It should be appreciated that telephone functionality associated with the handheld device  40  may also include emitting a ringtone through the audio output structure  58 , causing the handheld device  40  to vibrate, or changing images on the display to indicate an incoming phone call. 
     As noted above, some embodiments of the electronic device  10  may include the NFC interface  34 . The handheld device  40  depicted in  FIG. 2  may include the NFC interface  34  in any suitable location within the enclosure  41 . Because the NFC interface  34  may permit communication at a very short range, the location of the NFC interface  34  in the handheld device  40  may be indicated on exterior of the enclosure  41 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The NFC interface  34  may enable the handheld device  40  to engage in near field communication (NFC) with RFID tags or other NFC enabled electronic devices  10 . For example, the NFC interface  34  may provide a manner of receiving advertisement data from an RFID tag, as described further below. 
     The handheld device  40  of  FIG. 2  may additionally include the camera  36 , which may be located, for example, on the back of the handheld device  40 . As discussed further below, the camera  36  may be used to obtain a digital image. The handheld device  40  may thereafter employ optical character recognition (OCR) software, barcode-reading software, or matrix-code-reading software to extract information from the image. 
     It should also be appreciated that the handheld device  40  may include the location sensing circuitry  22  or the accelerometers  38 . Certain applications running on the handheld device  40  may obtain information relating to the position, orientation, or movement of the handheld device from the location sensing circuitry  22  or the accelerometers  38 . The position, orientation, or movement information may enable applications to display personalized data or to display data in an innovative manner in response to user movement. 
     Turning to  FIG. 3 , a computer  62  may represent another embodiment of the electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1 . The computer  62  may be any computer, such as a desktop computer, a server, or a notebook computer, but may also be a standalone media player or video gaming machine. By way of example, the computer  62  may be an iMac®, a MacBook®, or an AppleTV® by Apple Inc. It should be noted that the computer  62  may also represent a personal computer (PC) or server computer by another manufacturer. An enclosure  64  may protect internal components of the computer  62 . Such internal components may include, for example, the CPU  12 , the main memory  14 , the nonvolatile storage  16 , certain network interfaces  26 , and/or the NFC interface  34 . 
     The location of the NFC interface  34  may be noted by a label on the exterior of the enclosure  64 . The NFC interface  34  may permit near field communication between the computer  62  and other NFC enabled electronic devices  10 , such as the handheld device  40 . As should be appreciated, the NFC interface  34  may also enable the computer  62  to receive data from an RFID tag, as described further below. 
     The display  18  of the computer  62  may display the user interface  20  in the form of a GUI. The user interface  20  of the computer  62  may depict any user data associated with applications  66  running on the computer  62 . Additionally, the user interface  20  may include a variety of icons related to applications installed on the computer  62 . Such icons may include the online map application icon  42 , the web browser icon  43 , the advertisement management application icon  44 , and the wireless network management icon  45 . As should be appreciated, the selection of the above-described icons may launch corresponding applications on the computer  62 . The computer  62  may additionally or alternatively include a dynamic advertisement pricing application, which may dynamically generate a price for an advertisement sent to a target user in accordance with techniques described below, or a dynamic advertisement selection application, which may determine an advertisement to send to a target user based on marketing factors previously supplied with regard to a previously-sent advertisement, as discussed below. 
     A user of the computer  62  may interact with the user interface  20  with various peripheral input devices, such as a keyboard or mouse, which may connect to the computer  62  via the wired I/O interface  24 . The wired I/O interface  24  may also provide a high bandwidth communication channel for interconnecting other electronic devices  10 , such as the handheld device  40 , to the computer  62 . 
     The computer  62  may also include the camera  36 . As discussed further below, the camera  36  may obtain, among other things, a digital image. With the digital image, the handheld device  40  may employ optical character recognition (OCR) software, barcode-reading software, or matrix-code-reading software to extract information from the image. 
       FIG. 4  depicts a standalone media player  68  that may represent another embodiment of the electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1  that may be configured to operate using the techniques described herein. By way of example, the standalone media player  68  may be an AppleTV® device by Apple, Inc. However, the standalone media player  68  may also represent a media player or video game console by another manufacturer. 
     Within an enclosure  70  of the standalone media player  68  may reside various components of the electronic device  10 . For example, the enclosure  70  may house the nonvolatile storage  16  for storing media files and media playback software and the CPU  12  for processing the media files. Wireless network interfaces  26 , such as the PAN interface  28  and LAN interface  30 , may also be located within the enclosure  70 , allowing the standalone media player  68  to communicate with other electronic devices  10  or to connect to the Internet. Using the wireless network interfaces  26 , the standalone media player  68  may obtain or exchange media content as well as gain access to the Internet. 
     The standalone media player  68  may also include, among other things, an indicator light and infrared (IR) port  72  and audio/video (AN) outputs  74 . The indicator light and IR port  72  may receive an IR control signal from a remote control and may indicate to a user when the standalone media player  68  is on, off, receiving or exchanging content, or obtaining data in accordance with techniques described herein. The A/V outputs  74  may provide a manner for connecting the standalone media player  68  to an analog or digital television or other media display devices. The standalone media player  68  may additionally include the wired I/O interface  24 , which may permit the standalone media player  68  to communicate rapidly with a wired connection to another electronic device  10 . 
     The standalone media player  68  may also include the NFC interface  34 . With the NFC interface  34 , the standalone media player  68  may communicate with another electronic device  10  having another NFC interface  34 . Additionally, as described further below, the NFC interface  34  may also enable the standalone media player  68  to receive electronic data from an RFID tag, as described further below. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a base station  76  configured to provide wireless Internet access and/or to transmit wireless beacons containing electronic advertisements to an electronic device  10 . By way of example, the base station  76  may be a model of an AirPort Express® available from Apple Inc. As described in greater detail below, an infrastructure owner or manager may employ the base station  76  to send wireless beacons with target advertisements to target users. 
     The base station  76  may include an Ethernet port  92 , a USB port  94 , a line out port  96 , a reset button  98 , and an AC plug adapter  100 . The Ethernet port  92  may be a 10/100 Ethernet port  92  that may act as a connection interface between the base station  76  and an Ethernet device such as the computer  62 , a cable modem, a DSL modem, an existing Ethernet network, etc. The base station  76  may also include a USB port  94 . The USB port  94  may be used as a print server interface. As such, the USB port  94  may be used to connect the base station  76  to, for example, a printer compatible with the base station  76 . 
     The base station  76  may also include a line out port  96 . The line out port  96  may be an analog and optical digital audio stereo mini-jack, which may allow a home stereo or powered speakers to receive an audiovisual signal from another electronic device  10  via the base station  76 . In this manner, the base station  76  may be used to stream music to a sound system belonging to a user. The base station  76  may further include a reset button  98 . The reset button  98  may be used to troubleshoot and/or return the base station  76  to its factory settings. A status light  99  may inform a user of the working status of the base station  76 . 
     The base station  76  may be powered by an AC plug adapter  100 . The AC plug adapter  100  may be used to plug the base station  76  into an outlet. Additionally, the AC plug adapter  100  may be built directly into the base station  76 , alleviating power cables and/or an external power adapter to power the base station  76 . Additionally, the AC plug adapter  100  may retract into the housing of the base station  76  for ease of transport. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an RFID tag  118  that may provide an electronic device  10  with additional information about a subject item to which it may be attached. The RFID tag  118  may adhere to the subject item, and may provide, among other things, advertisement information to the electronic device  10  that may be used to get additional information about the subject item. In an example described further below, the RFID tag  118  may be located on an historical marker. When the NFC interface  34  of a handheld device  40  is tapped to the RFID tag  118 , the RFID tag  118  may provide data transferring information and an advertisement related to the historical marker or data indicating where information and an advertisement related to the historical marker may be obtained. Components of the RFID tag  118  may include, for example, an adhesive portion  120  and an RFID microchip  122 . 
     The RFID microchip  122  may passively or actively transfer certain data related to the subject item to which it may be attached when the NFC interface  34  of the electronic device  10  is placed nearby (e.g., within 2-4 cm). Accordingly, the RFID microchip  122  may comply with such standards as ISO 14443 or ISO 15693 for proximity or vicinity RFID. To enable the electronic device  10  to gain additional information or advertisements about the subject item, the RFID microchip  122  may store data containing information and an advertisement related to the historical marker or data indicating where information and an advertisement related to the historical marker may be obtained. The information stored on the RFID microchip  122  may include, among other things, a serial number and/or an XML message having various information identifying the subject item to which the RFID tag  102  is attached. For example, the serial number may enable the electronic device  10  to search a database at a web service. Based on the serial number from the RFID microchip  122 , the web service may provide information identifying the subject item and one or more advertisements related to the subject item. The XML message may provide similar information, such as the serial number and/or a location where such information or advertisements may be obtained. 
       FIGS. 7A-B  illustrate a dynamically-priced advertisement system  110 , which may describe relationships between advertisers, an infrastructure owner or manager, and a user that may be the target of advertisements from the advertisers. Using the dynamically-priced advertisement system  110 , an advertiser may a pay a unique price for an advertisement based on an assessment of characteristics unique to the target recipient. Turning first to  FIG. 7A , the dynamically-priced advertisement system  110  may describe a relationship between a series of advertisers  112  and an infrastructure owner or manager  114 . The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may represent any person, organization, or other entity with control over network infrastructure capable of transmitting advertisements to a target user, and the advertisers  112  may represent any person, organization, or other entity that may be granted the right to advertise by the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . 
     By way of example, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may be a municipality having a WiFi network and the advertisers  112  may be local businesses acting through a chamber of commerce; the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may be a private WiFi owner or publisher, which may accept advertisements from various local advertisers  112  in a manner analogous to a local printed advertising publication; the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may be a museum or airport providing network access to attendees, and the advertisers  112  may be lessees, tenants, or contractors affiliated with the airport or museum (e.g., a gift store, restaurant, or taxi/limousine service); the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may be a shopping mall or casino, and the advertisers  112  may be restaurants or shops located within the shopping mall or casino; the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may be any owner or manager of a publicly-accessible building providing network access to entrants; the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may be an owner or manager of a wireless broadband network, such as a 3G cellular network, and the advertisers  112  may be any person or entity to wishing to advertise over the wireless network; and/or the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may be a website, search engine, or Internet service provider (ISP), and the advertisers  112  may be any person or entity to submit web advertisements to the website, search engine, or ISP. 
     In the dynamically-priced advertisement system  110 , the advertisers  112  may submit an electronic advertisement  116  to the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . The electronic advertisement  116  may be any data intended to advertise to a target user. As such, the electronic advertisement  116  may be a text advertisement, a banner advertisement, a video, an interactive advertisement, and/or an electronic coupon. Concurrent with the submission of the advertisement  116 , the advertisers  112  may provide information to the infrastructure owner or manager regarding the subject matter of the advertisement. For example, if the submitted advertisement  116  provides a coupon for food at a restaurant, the submitting advertiser  112  may include an indication that the advertisement  116  is directed to food sales, times of day when meals are popularly served, a GPS location of the restaurant, keywords that may relate to the restaurant in an Internet search, how weather may affect the use or non-use of the coupon in the advertisement  116 , etc. As discussed further below, such additional information may be compared to various marketing factors associated with a target user to dynamically determine a price for each display of the advertisement  116 . 
     The infrastructure owner or manager may thereafter provide a bill  118  to the advertisers  112 . As noted briefly above and discussed further below, the bill  118  may be generated dynamically by a dynamic advertisement pricing application on a computer  62  belonging to the infrastructure owner or manager. The dynamic advertisement pricing application may determine a price for sending each advertisement  116  to a target user based on factors discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 12-13 . The dynamically-generated prices billed for many advertisements  116  sent to users may be collated in each bill  118  and transmitted electronically to the advertisers  112 , who may pay the bills  118  automatically and/or electronically. 
       FIG. 7B  illustrates another relationship within the dynamically-priced advertisement system  110 , which may include the infrastructure owner or manager  114  and a target user  122 . The target user  122  may represent any person targeted by the infrastructure owner or manager  114  to receive one of the advertisements  116 . By way of example, the target user  122  may be a user of a handheld device  40 , a computer  62 , or a standalone media player  68 . 
     As noted above, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may have previously received advertisements  116  from various advertisers  112 . Choosing from among the various advertisements  116 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may transmit selected target advertisements  124  to the target user  122  via network infrastructure under the control of the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may select which target advertisements  124  may be sent to the target user  122 , for example, based upon a series of marketing factors  126  received from the target user  124 , by randomly selecting target advertisements  124 , and/or by electing to send all advertisements  116  as target advertisements  124 . 
     The target user  122  may transmit the marketing factors  126  to the infrastructure owner or manager  114  before or after receiving the advertisements  124 . The marketing factors  126  may represent a variety of variables that may be used to estimate the likelihood that the target user  122  may respond to the target advertisements  124 , and may be described in greater detail below with reference to  FIGS. 12-13 . For example, the marketing factors  126  may indicate a time of day when the target user  122  receives the advertisements  124 , the location of the target user  122  when the target user receives the advertisement, and/or whether the target user  122  responds to the advertisement  124  at a later time, etc. 
     It should be understood that if a target advertisement  124  is sent to the target user  122 , and one or more marketing factors  126  is received in conjunction with the target advertisement  124 , the marketing factors  126  may be applied to more narrowly tailor which target advertisement  124  is sent to the target user  122  in the future. For example, the computer  62  belonging to the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may include the dynamic advertisement selection application. Using the dynamic advertisement selection application, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may select a subsequent to send to the target user  122  at a later time based on the previously received marketing factors  126 . The subsequently-sent advertisement may be priced according to any model, including the dynamic pricing model discussed herein. 
       FIGS. 8-11  may generally describe various methods for providing dynamically-priced advertisements with the dynamically-priced advertisement system  110 . It should be appreciated that each of the methods described by  FIGS. 8-11  assumes that the infrastructure owner or manager  114  has already received advertisements  116  from various advertisers  112  in the manner shown in  FIG. 7A . As such, the methods described by  FIGS. 8-11  may focus on particular manners of sending and/or pricing the various target advertisements  124  that may be sent to a target user  122 . 
     Turning first to  FIG. 8 , a flowchart  130  illustrates a manner of providing probability-based dynamically-priced advertisements with the dynamically-priced advertisement system of  FIGS. 7A-B . In a first step  132  of the flowchart  130 , an advertisement sequence may be initiated in a variety of ways. By way of example, as described in greater detail below, the advertisement sequence may be initiated when the infrastructure owner or manager  114  transmits an advertising beacon over a wireless network; when a user selects a button on an electronic device  10  such as a handheld device  40 , computer  62 , or standalone media player  68 ; when an RFID tag  102  is tapped to the NFC interface  34  of an electronic device  10 ; when a particular application is launched on an electronic device  10 ; and/or when a particular website is navigated to or search term is used in a search engine. In the initiation step  132 , one or more marketing factors  126  may be sent from a target user  122  to the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . 
     In a step  134 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may assess the one or more marketing factors  126  that may have been sent by the target user  122  or otherwise obtained (e.g., a marketing factor such as location may be determined based on a location of a base station  76 ). In the assessment of step  134 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may determine which advertisements  116  may be most pertinent to a target user  122  as a target advertisement  124 , and/or may assess a probability that the target advertisement  124  may be effective. In one example described further below, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may determine a target advertisement  124  to be an advertisement  116  for a restaurant based on marketing factors indicating that the user has made purchases at the restaurant in the past, the time corresponds with a common meal time, and the user is currently located near the restaurant. 
     Based on the assessment of step  134 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may transmit a target advertisement  124  to the target user  122 , as noted by step  136 . It should be understood that step  136  may proceed prior to step  134 , in which case the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may transmit a target advertisement  124  without first determining which advertisement  116  to select as the target advertisement  124 . In such cases, the assessment of step  134  may take place after the target advertisement  124  has been sent to the target user  122 , and the assessment of step  134  may be limited to assessing a probability that the target advertisement  124  may be effective in marketing to the target user  122 , as discussed below. 
     In step  138 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may provide a bill  118  for the target advertisement  124  that was sent to the target user  122  based on the probability that may be determined in step  134 . A dynamic advertisement pricing application on a computer  62  belonging to the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may dynamically generate the bill  118 . As such, the bill  118  may be dynamically determined according to the marketing factors  126  that may directly or indirectly indicate whether the target user  122  may likely be affected by the target advertisement  124 . For example, the price for a target advertisement  124  directed to a restaurant may higher or lower depending on whether the target user  122  has eaten at the restaurant in the past, the time corresponds with a common meal time, and/or the target user  122  is currently located near the restaurant 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart  140  describing a manner of providing results-based dynamically-priced advertisements with the dynamically-priced advertisement system of  FIGS. 7A-B . Thus, while steps  142 - 146  of the flowchart  140  may function in substantially the same manner as steps  132 - 136  of the flowchart  130 , steps  147  and  148  may vary. Particularly, steps  147  and  148  describe a dynamic pricing scheme that may consider various factors indicating a result of the target advertisement  124 . 
     As noted above, steps  142 - 146  may function in substantially the same manner as steps  132 - 136  of the flowchart  130 . Accordingly, in step  142 , an advertisement sequence may be initiated, in step  144 , various marketing factors  126  may be considered, and in step  146 , a target advertisement  124  may be sent to a target user  122 . As described above with reference to steps  134  and  136 , steps  144  and  146  may occur in any order. 
     In step  147 , various “follow-up” factors may be assessed by the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . The follow-up factors are described in greater detail below with reference to  FIG. 13 , and may include, for example, whether the target user  122  responds to the target advertisement  124  by forwarding the target advertisement  124  to a friend, by later entering a store or location to which the target advertisement  124  pertained, and/or by utilizing an electronic coupon provided in the target advertisement  124 . In step  148 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may provide a dynamically-priced bill  118  to relevant advertisers  116  based on the assessment of step  147 . As should be appreciated, the bill  118  may charge a higher or lower price based on indications provided by the follow up factors. For example, the bill  118  may be higher or lower depending on whether the target user  122  has used a coupon associated with the target advertisement  124 , whether the target user  122  enters a place of business associated with the target advertisement  124 , or whether the target advertisement  124  is forwarded by the target user  122  to another person. 
     Turning to  FIG. 10 , a flowchart  150  may describe a manner of providing both probability-based and results-based dynamically-priced advertisements with the dynamically-priced advertisement system of  FIGS. 7A-B . As such, the flowchart  150  incorporates elements of dynamic pricing from the methods described in the flowchart  130  and the flowchart  140 . Referring to the flowchart  150 , steps  152 - 156  may substantially correspond to steps  132 - 136  of the flowchart  130  or  142 - 146  of the flowchart  140 , step  158  may substantially correspond to step  138  of the flowchart  130 , and steps  159  and  160  may substantially correspond to steps  147  and  148  of the flowchart  140 . As such, in step  152 , an advertisement sequence may be initiated; in step  154 , various marketing factors  126  may be considered; in step  156 , a target advertisement  124  may be sent to a target user  122 ; in step  158 , a bill  118  for the target advertisement  124  may be provided based on a probability of the effectiveness of the target advertisement  124 ; in step  159 , various follow-up factors may be considered; and in step  160 , a bill  118  may be provided based on the effectiveness of the target advertisement  124 . It should be appreciated that the bills  118  provided in steps  158  and  160  may be collated into a single bill  118  for all target advertisements  124  sent during a given time period, such as during one week or one month. 
       FIG. 11  is a flowchart  170  that may describe another manner of providing dynamically-priced advertisements with the dynamically-priced advertisement system  110  of  FIGS. 7A-B . In a first step  172 , an advertisement sequence may begin when a web browser application on an electronic device  10 , such as Safari® on a handheld device  40 , is launched or navigated to a website, such as a search engine. The web browser application may exchange various data with the website or with an intermediary network, which may represent infrastructure belonging to the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . That data that may be exchanged may include various marketing factors and/or advertisement data corresponding to one or more target advertisements  124 . In one example, the electronic device  10  may transmit various marketing factors, as discussed above with reference to the steps  132 ,  142 , and  152  of the flowcharts  130 ,  140 ,  150 . In another example, the electronic device  10  may have previously received advertisements according to the techniques described in the flowcharts  130 ,  140 , or  150  above. As such, dynamic pricing for one or more target advertisements  124  sent to the target user  122 , as discussed regarding steps  138 ,  148 ,  158 , and/or  160 , may provide a basis for selecting web advertisements to display. 
     Additionally or alternatively, if the electronic device  10  is within range of a base station  76 , the base station  76  may have sent out one or more wireless beacons, which may include marketing factors or advertisement data corresponding to one or more target advertisements  124 . The advertisement data may represent, for example, hypertext markup language (HTML) or extensible markup language (XML) files or pointers to one or more web locations from which advertisement data may be downloaded. The information may be stored on the electronic device  10  such that the electronic device  10  may send the information to the website or intermediary network, and may indicate, for example, a location of the user, which advertisements another infrastructure owner or manager  114  has selected for the user, whether a user has previously responded to a given advertisement, etc. 
     In step  174 , the website or network infrastructure owner or manager may select a target advertisement  124  based on the data. The target advertisement  124  may represent a banner ad or other web advertisement, and may appear on the web browser among other, non-advertisement, data or among other non-targeted advertisements. In this way, the methods of the flowcharts  130 ,  140 , or  150  may be extended to encompass targeted web advertising. 
     The flowchart  170  may additionally include a step  176  to determine a price for sending the target advertisement  124 . In step  176 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may dynamically determine the price based on the information assessed in step  174 . As such, step  176  of the flowchart  170  may correspond to steps  138 ,  148 ,  158 , or  160  of the flowcharts  130 ,  140 , or  150  discussed above. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a marketing factor diagram  200  listing a series of possible marketing factors  202  that may be assessed in steps  134 ,  144 , or  154  of the flowcharts  130 ,  140 , or  150 . The marketing factors  202  represent factors that may be considered by the infrastructure owner or manager  114  using a dynamic advertisement pricing application on a computer  62  to determine a price for a dynamically-priced advertisement. The marketing factors  202  may represent data that may be stored on the electronic device  10 , which may be transmitted from the electronic device  10  to a computer  62  belonging to the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . It should be understood that the marketing factors  202  of the marketing factor diagram  200  are intended to be exemplary and not exclusive. 
     To determine a price for a given target advertisement  124 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may assign a value to the various marketing factors  202  to calculate a total marketing probability of success for each target advertisement  124  sent to target user  122 . As such, it should be understood that the value assigned to the various marketing factors  202  may vary based on the subject matter of the target advertisement  124 . Depending on the calculated total marketing probability of success, the infrastructure owner or manager may determine a corresponding price for the target advertisement  124 . By way of example, the marketing probability of success may be assessed based on three of the marketing factors  202  discussed below. Possible outcomes of the marketing factors  202  may be assigned various values (e.g., from 1-33). Depending on a sum of the values associated with the marketing factors  202  (e.g., a value totaling 3-99), the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may dynamically assign a price (e.g., $0.03 for a value totaling 3-35, $0.06 for a value totaling 36-67, or $0.10 for a value totaling 68-99). The precise value that may be associated with a given marketing factor  202  may generally correspond to the likelihood that a target user  122  may respond to a target advertisement  122 . As such, it should be understood that such values may be experimentally determined or agreed upon by the advertisers  112  and the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . 
     One marketing factor  202  that may be considered by the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may be a manner of initiation  204  of the dynamically-priced advertisement system  110 . As noted above, an advertisement sequence may be initiated in a variety of ways, such as when the infrastructure owner or manager  114  transmits an advertising beacon over a wireless network; when a user selects a button on an electronic device  10  such as a handheld device  40 , computer  62 , or standalone media player  68 ; when an RFID tag  102  is tapped to the NFC interface  34  of an electronic device  10 ; when a particular application is launched on an electronic device  10 ; and/or when a particular website is navigated to or search term is used in a search engine. Depending on the nature of the target advertisement  124 , a different value may be assigned to possible manners of initiation  204 . For example, a target advertisement  124  sent following a user-initiated advertisement sequence may be assessed using a value corresponding to a higher price than a target advertisement  124  sent following a beacon-initiated advertisement sequence, since a user-initiated advertisement sequence may imply that the target user  122  is more receptive to receive the target advertisement  124 . 
     Similarly, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may consider the time of day  206  that the target advertisement  124  is sent to the target user  122  as a marketing factor  202 . By way of example, if the target advertisement  124  pertains to a restaurant generally favored for lunch, a time of day  206  factor of morning and evening may be assigned a value corresponding to a lower price. Similarly, a time of day  206  factor of midday, when the target user  122  may likely go to lunch, may be assigned a value corresponding to a higher price. 
     A location  208  of the target user  122  when target advertisement  124  is sent may also serve as a marketing factor  202  to determine the price of the target advertisement  124 . The location  208  may be determined by the location sensing circuitry  22  of the electronic device  10  receiving the target advertisement  124 , or may be based on other indications, such as a location of a base station  76  which may send the target advertisement  124  or the ISP employed by the electronic device  10  to provide Internet access. Continuing with the above example, the target advertisement  124  may pertain to a restaurant having a particular location known to the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . If the location  208  of the target user  122  is within a specified distance of the location of the restaurant, the location  208  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a lower price. If the location  208  is beyond the specified distance of the location of the restaurant, the location  208  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a higher price. 
     The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may also consider prior success  210  in marketing to the target user  122  as a marketing factor  202 . Prior success  210  may signify that the target user  122  has responded to prior target advertisements  124  based on results of follow-up factors, which may be described in greater detail below with reference to  FIG. 13 . By way of example, the target advertisement  124  may pertain to a restaurant that may accept electronic coupons. If the target user  122  had previously used an electronic coupon at the restaurant, the prior success  210  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a higher price. If not, the prior success  210  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a lower price. 
     Certain user preferences  212  may also serve as a marketing factor  202  in the dynamic pricing assessment of the target advertisement  124 . The user preferences  212  may be selected by the target user  122  of the electronic device  10  and may indicate whether the target user  122  may be receptive to the target advertisement  124 . For example, the user preferences  212  associated with the target user  122  may include a preference to subscribe to certain email newsletters. If the user preferences  212  of the target user  122  are believed to increase the likelihood that the target user  122  may be receptive to the target advertisement  124 , the user preferences  212  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a higher price. If not, the user preferences  212  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a lower price. 
     Depending on the weather or weather forecast  214 , the target user  122  may alter their behavior. For example, in cold weather the target user  122  may prefer warm products, in warm weather the target user  122  may prefer cold products, in sunny weather the target user  122  may prefer to go outside, and in rainy weather the target user  122  may prefer to stay indoors. Thus, based on the weather or weather forecast  214 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may assign a different price to the target advertisement  124 , as described above. If the weather or weather forecast  214  is likely to improve the likelihood that the target user  122  may be receptive to the target advertisement  124 , the weather or weather forecast  214  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a higher price. If not, the weather or weather forecast  214  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a lower price. 
     The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may also consider web history or search history  216  associated with the target user  122  in dynamically pricing the target advertisement  116 . The web history or search history  216  may be sent to the infrastructure owner or manager  114  by the target user  122  among the various marketing factors  126 , but may also be ascertained by the infrastructure owner or manager  114  in other ways. If the infrastructure owner or manager  114  provides Internet access to the target user  122 , as may be the case if the infrastructure owner or manager  114  controls a wireless base station  76  with Wi-Fi or other wireless Internet access, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may ascertain the web history or search history  216  of the target user  122  based on websites requested by the target user  122 . Similarly, if the infrastructure owner or manager  114  operates a website or search engine, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may ascertain the web history or search history  216  of the target user  122  based on the content of requested web pages or search terms input by the target user  122 . 
     The web history or search history  216  associated with the target user  122  may enable the infrastructure owner or manager  114  to assess a likelihood that the target user  122  may respond to the target advertisement  124 . For example, the web history or search history  216  associated with the target user  122  may indicate that the target user  122  has recently searched car-themed websites. If the target advertisement  124  advertises opportunities to purchase a new car, the web history or search history  216  of the target user  122  may increase the likelihood that the target user  122  may be receptive to the target advertisement  124 . Accordingly, the web history or search history  216  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a higher price. Otherwise, the web history or search history  216  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a lower price. 
     Another marketing factor  202  may be based on the contents of a media library  218  belonging to the target user  122 . For example, the media library of the target user  122  may include a large number of movies, music of a particular genre, or podcasts or television shows pertaining to certain topics. The existence or subject matter among the contents of the such media  218  may provide a reliable metric for estimating the efficacy of the target advertisement  124 . By way of example, if the contents of the media library  218  of the target user  122  includes do-it-yourself television shows and the target advertisement  124  relates to home improvement, the contents of the media library  218  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a higher price than if the television shows were not present among the contents of the media library  218 . 
     Whether the target user  122  holds membership in a loyalty program  220  may also serve as a predictive marketing factor  202 . As described herein, membership in a loyalty program  220  may represent, for example, membership in a frequent-flyer program, frequent-diner program, grocery store savings program, etc., that may indicate that the target user  122  is more likely to respond to the target advertisement  124 . The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may gain knowledge of membership in a loyalty program  220  by being granted access to loyalty program databases controlled by the advertiser  112  supplying the target advertisement  124 , or by receiving such information among the marketing factors  126  provided by the target user  122 . By way of example, if the target user  122  holds membership in a loyalty program associated with an airline, and the target advertisement  124  advertises flights with the airline, the target user  122  may be more likely to be receptive to the target advertisement  124 . Accordingly, the membership in a loyalty program  220  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a higher price. Otherwise, the membership in a loyalty program  220  factor may be assigned a value corresponding to a lower price. 
     Because the target user  122  may make purchasing decisions based at least in part on the opinions or behavior of family or friends, the above-described marketing factors  202  as applied to family and friends  222  may also assist the infrastructure owner or manager  114  in determining a dynamic price for the target advertisement  124 . In one example, prior success  210  in marketing to a friend of the target user  122  may imply a greater likelihood of success in marketing to the target user  122 . In another example, the presence of a particular genre of movie among contents of a media library  218  belonging to a friend may imply a greater likelihood that a target advertisement  124  for the genre of movie may be successfully marketed to the target user  122 . 
     The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may obtain data indicating the marketing factors  202  as applied to friends of the target user  122  in a variety of ways. The target user  122  may send information describing who represent friends or family of the target user  122 , or the friends or family of the target user  122  may share an electronic device  10  that may store such factors. The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may determine friends or family of the target user  122  based on known connections on one or more social networking websites, and the marketing factors  202  as applied to the friends or family may be estimated based on publicly available information or private databases describing purchasing decisions, brand preferences, etc. As should be appreciated, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may dynamically price a target advertisement  124  based on the marketing factors  202  as applied to family or friends  222  of the target user  122  in the manners described herein. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a follow-up factor diagram  240  listing a series of possible follow-up factors  242  that may be assessed in steps  147  or  159  of the flowcharts  140  or  150 . The follow-up factors  242  represent factors that may be considered by the infrastructure owner or manager  114  to determine a price for a dynamically-priced advertisement. It should be understood that the follow-up factors  242  may represent factors considered within a predetermined amount of time after a target advertisement  124  is sent to the target user  122  (e.g., within three hours or within one day). Moreover, the follow-up factors of the follow-up factor diagram  240  are intended to be exemplary and not exclusive. 
     To determine a price for a given target advertisement  124 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may assign a value to the various follow-up factors  242  to calculate a total marketing success for each target advertisement  124  sent to target user  122 . As such, it should be understood that the value assigned to the various follow-up factors  242  may vary based on the subject matter of the target advertisement  124 . Depending on the calculated total marketing success, the infrastructure owner or manager may determine a corresponding price for the target advertisement  124 . By way of example, the marketing success may be assessed based on three of the follow-up factors  242  discussed below. Possible outcomes of the follow-up factors  242  may be assigned various values (e.g., from 1-33). Depending on a sum of the values associated with the follow-up factors  242  (e.g., a value totaling 3-99), the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may dynamically assign a price (e.g., $0.03 for a value totaling 3-35, $0.06 for a value totaling 36-67, or $0.10 for a value totaling 68-99). The precise value that may be associated with a given follow-up factors  242  may generally correspond to the degree to which the target user  122  has responded to a target advertisement  122 . As such, it should be understood that such values may be agreed upon by the advertisers  112  and the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . 
     One follow-up factor  242  that may be considered by the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may be whether a purchase is made  244  by the target user  122  after receiving the target advertisement. The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may ascertain whether the target user  122  has made a purchase in a variety of ways. For example, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may receive such an indication directly from the target user  122  or from the advertiser  112  that supplied the target advertisement  124 , if the target user  122  makes a purchase from the advertiser  112 . If the target user  112  makes a purchase  244  following the receipt of the target advertisement  124 , the factor  244  may be assigned a value corresponding to a higher price. If not, the factor  244  may be assigned a value corresponding to a lower price. 
     Even if the target user  122  does not make a purchase  244  within the predetermined time, the target user  122  may provide other indications that the target advertisement  124  was successful. For example, a subsequent location  246  of the target user  122  may indicate that the target user  122  has been influenced by the target advertisement  124 . After receiving a target advertisement  124 , the target user  122  may approach a store or restaurant to which the target advertisement  124  pertains. If the target user  122  approaches, but does not enter, the store or restaurant advertised in the target advertisement  124 , the target advertisement  124  may have influenced the target user  122 . For such a condition, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may assign a value corresponding to a higher price to the subsequent location  246  factor. 
     The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may further assess whether the target user  122  enters a store or restaurant  248  after receiving a target advertisement  124  advertising the store or restaurant. That the target user  122  enters the store or restaurant  248  may imply that the target advertisement  124  influenced the target user  122 . Accordingly, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may assign to the factor  248  a value corresponding to a higher price if the user enters the store or restaurant. If the user does not, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may assign to the factor  248  a value corresponding to a lower price. 
     After receiving the target advertisement  124 , the target user  122  may not make a purchase directly related to the target advertisement  124  to fulfill the factor  244 . However, the target user  122  may make related purchases  250  from the same advertiser  112 , may choose to gain membership in a loyalty program  252  of the advertiser  112 , and/or family or friends may make related purchases  254 . The infrastructure owner or manager  114  may consider whether or not such circumstances may occur in determine the dynamic price of the target advertisement  124  by varying the values associated with each of the factors  250 ,  252 , and/or  254  as appropriate. 
     The extent to which the target user  122  explores  256  the target advertisement  124  may further indicate whether the target advertisement  124  has succeeded in marketing to the target user  122 . Thus, for example, if the target user  122  elects to seek further information regarding the target advertisement  124 , the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may assign a value corresponding to a higher price to the factor  256 . Similarly, that the target user  122  may forward  258  the target advertisement  124  to a friend may also indicate the efficacy of the target advertisement. Accordingly, the infrastructure owner or manager  114  may assign a value corresponding to a higher price to the factor  258 . 
     The factors discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 12-13  may be marketed to potential advertisers  112  and/or infrastructure owners or managers  114  by advertising agencies or other promoters. The advertising agencies may market an advertisement pricing scheme with dynamically-generated advertisement pricing in the manners described above. To do so, the advertising agency may recommend a type of advertisement (e.g., a restaurant advertisement), various marketing factors (e.g., time of day  206 , location  208 , prior success  210 , weather  214 , etc.), and a weighting scheme for each factor (e.g., the time of day  206  factor may vary between a maximum value at lunchtime to a minimum value after dinnertime when the restaurant has closed) to dynamically set a price for each time the advertisement is sent to a target user  122 . 
       FIGS. 14-16  illustrate an example of carrying out the above-described methods. Though  FIGS. 14-16  exemplify using the techniques described above with the handheld device  40 , it should be appreciated that alternatively any electronic device  10  may be employed. Turning first to  FIG. 14 , a RFID tag-scanning operation  280  represents a manner a user may seek to gain additional information from a particular subject by receiving information via an RFID tag  102 . In so doing, the RFID tag-scanning operation  280  may represent one manner of initiating an advertisement sequence, and thus may represent steps  132 ,  142 , or  152  of the flowcharts  130 ,  140 , or  150 . 
     In the example of  FIG. 14 , the RFID tag  102  may be located on an historical marker  282 . To learn more about the historical marker  282  and retrieve various advertisements that may be related to the historical marker  282 , the user may tap a handheld device  40  to the RFID tag  102 . The RFID tag  102  may thereafter communicate various information to the handheld device  40  by way of a near field communication (NFC) channel, as discussed below with reference to  FIG. 16 . 
     Turning to  FIGS. 15A-B , after tapping the RFID tag  102  to the handheld device  40 , the handheld device  40  may display a screen  290 , as shown in  FIG. 15A . The screen  290  may include a prompt  292 , among other related prompts. The prompt  292  may be labeled “See local ads related to historical marker,” which may allow a user to further explore the historical marker. If the user selects the button  292 , the handheld device  40  may display a screen  294 , as shown in  FIG. 15B . The screen  294  may include a series of list items  296 , which may represent various local advertisements related to the historical marker  282 . The screen  294  may further include a button  298 , labeled “Options.” The button  298  may enable a user to sort the list items  296  with such preferences as nearest location, greatest percent discount, whether the advertisement relates to food or other products, etc. 
     Turning to  FIG. 16 , a communication diagram  310  illustrates communication that may take place during the RFID tag-scanning operation  280 . As illustrated in the communication diagram  310 , communication may take place among a web service  312  (e.g., a computer  62  configured to communicate over a network with the handheld device  40 ), the handheld device  40 , and the RFID tag  102 . Communication may begin as the handheld device  40  taps the RFID tag  102 , as shown by block  314 . Because the NFC interface  34  of the handheld device  40  may periodically emit a near field communication ping  316 , the RFID tag  102  may receive the ping  316 . Upon receiving the ping  316 , the RFID tag  102  may become energized, as illustrated by block  318 . 
     After becoming energized, the RFID tag  102  may reply with tag data, as shown in block  320 , which may represent data that may be stored on the RFID tag  102 . The tag data of the block  320  may be any data calculated to provide information about the RFID tag  102 . For example, the tag data  320  may represent a serial number, an XML file, or other file with various identifying information, etc., which may enable the handheld device  40  to obtain additional information about the subject of the RFID tag  102  from another source, such as the web service  312 . 
     The handheld device  40  may send the tag data received in the block  320  to the web service  312 , as shown in block  322 . Moreover, the handheld device  40  may transmit various marketing factors  126 , denoted as factor data in a block  324 , which may represent information relating to various marketing factors  202  as determined by the handheld device  40 . Using the tag data of the block  322  and the factor data of the block  324 , the web service  312  may determine an appropriate target advertisement  124 , as illustrated in block  326 . Accordingly, it should be understood that the determination of block  326  may represent, at least in part, the step  134 ,  144 , or  154  of the flowcharts  130 ,  140 , or  150  discussed above. 
     The web service  312  may subsequently transmit one or more target advertisements  124  to the handheld device  40 , as shown by a block  328 . The communication of the block  328  may represent, at least in part, the steps  136 ,  146 , or  156  of the flowcharts  130 ,  140 , or  150 . The handheld device  40  may store or display the target advertisement  124 , as illustrated in block  330 . Such advertisements may include those that may appear on the screen  294  of  FIG. 15B . Meanwhile, the web service  312  may determine a price for the target advertisement  124  sent in block  328 , as illustrated in block  332 . 
     The web service  312  may calculate a price for each of the one or more target advertisements  124  in block  332  based on the factor data of block  324  and the subject matter of each target advertisement  124 . Using the example discussed in  FIG. 15B , the exemplary target advertisements  124  may advertise the “Sandwich Shop,” an “Antique Bookstore,” and/or a “Historical Museum.” To best assess the efficacy of the target advertisements  124 , the various factors  202  of block  324  may include, for example, the time of day  206  when the advertisement  124  was sent in block  328 ; the user location  208 , as determined by the tag data from block  322  or from the location-sensing circuitry  22  of the handheld device  40 ; and/or a search history or web history  216  from the handheld device  40 . 
     To determine a price for the targeted advertisement  124  advertising the “Sandwich Shop,” the web service  312  may consider the time of day  206 . If the time of day  206  is 11:30 a.m., the advertisement  124  may be priced at $1.00, but if the time of day  206  is 2:30 p.m., the advertisement  124  may be priced at $0.50. Similarly, to determine a price for the targeted advertisement  124  advertising the “Historical Museum” or the “Antique Bookstore,” the web service  312  may consider the time of day  206  and the user location  208 . If the time of day  206  indicates that the museum and bookstore are open and the location  208  indicates that the target user  122  is nearby, the advertisement  124  may be priced at $4.00, but if the time of day  208  indicates that the museum and bookstore are closed and the location  208  indicates the user is far away, the advertisement  124  may be priced at $0.75. 
       FIGS. 17-21  may represent another example of the techniques described above. Turning first to  FIG. 17 , a schematic of a city plan  340  may illustrate a manner in which an infrastructure owner or manager  114  may transmit target advertisements  124  to one or more target users  122 . The city plan  340  may illustrate buildings  342  surrounded by streets  344 . In the city plan  340  of  FIG. 17 , a municipal or regional transit authority may run various subway stations throughout the city. As such, the city plan  340  may schematically illustrate a first subway station  346  and a second subway station  348 . 
     The transit authority may provide Internet access and/or wireless advertisements to patrons of the subway stations  346  and  348 , and thus may serve as an infrastructure owner or manager  114  having a capability to send target advertisements  124  to one or more target users  122 . In the example of  FIG. 17 , the first subway station  346  and the second subway station  348  may be outfitted with one or more wireless base stations  76 . The limited range of the one or more wireless base stations  76  that may be located at the subway stations  346  and  348  may be illustrated with a wireless data radius  350  that may be generally surround the entrances to the subway stations  346  and  348 . Additionally, it should be understood that the range of the one or more wireless base stations  76  may extend within the subway stations  346  and  348 . Moreover, any other transportation centers controlled by the transit authority may additionally include the capabilities of the subway stations  346  and  348 . 
     When a user of an electronic device  10  enters within the wireless data radius  350  of either of the subway stations  346  or  348 , such as a user location  352 , the one or more wireless base stations  76  may transmit a beacon to the electronic device  10 . The beacon may include various data, including advertisement data that may represent one or more target advertisements  124  of the dynamically priced advertisement system  110 . For exemplary purposes, a target location  354  may represent a location of a store or restaurant that may be the subject of the target advertisement  124  sent to the target user  122  at the user location  352 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 18 , a beacon transmittal diagram  370  illustrates a manner in which an infrastructure owner or manager  114  controlling a wireless base station  76  may reach target users  122  having a handheld device  40 . In the diagram  370 , the base station  76  may transmit a wireless beacon  372  to any number of handheld devices  40 . The base station  76  may be in any location, such as the first or second subway stations  346  or  348 . The data transmitted by the beacon  372  may be received by the handheld device  40  and used in a variety of ways. For example, the beacon  372  may include a web archive file representing a target advertisement  124  or may represent a link to a website where the target advertisement  124  may be obtained. 
     When the wireless beacons  372  reach one of the handheld devices  40 , the handheld devices  40  may display various notification icons, as described below with reference to  FIGS. 19-20 . Such notification icons present a user with the opportunity to view items of potential interest. For example, a notification icon may appear as a bubble over the web browser application icon  43  when a user is in range of the base station  76  broadcasting content wireless beacons  372 . Alternatively, the handheld device  40  may ring in a certain manner, emit a tone, or vibrate to alert the user that a wireless beacon  372  may be providing information of potential interest. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless beacon  372  may supply additional information regarding an accessible wireless network provided by the wireless base station  76 . 
       FIGS. 19A-C  illustrate an exemplary response by the handheld device  40  upon receiving a beacon  372  from the base station  76  when the beacon  372  includes various advertisement data, such as one or more target advertisements  124 . Turning first to  FIG. 19A , a home screen  380  may include a variety of icons for initiating various applications. As shown in  FIG. 19A , the web browser application icon  43  of the home screen  380  may include a message notification icon  382 . The message notification icon  382  may denote that messages may have been received in a wireless beacon  372  from a nearby base station  76 . 
     If a user selects the web browser icon  43 , the handheld device  40  may display a screen  384 , as shown in  FIG. 19B . The screen  384  may represent a web archive file received in the beacon  372  or may represent a website displayed from a link received by the beacon  372 . As illustrated on the screen  384 , a series of list items  386  may represent various information provided via the beacon  372 . Continuing with the example illustrated in  FIG. 17 , the beacon  372  may have transmitted information indicating, for example, a link to a subway map, and a link to various target advertisements  124 . One such target advertisement  124  may advertise a sandwich shop that may be located at the target location  354 . Another target advertisement  124  may advertise reserving theatre tickets over the Internet. 
     If the user selects the list item  386  advertising the sandwich shop, the handheld device  40  may retrieve additional information from the Internet or may load additional information from a web archive file received from the beacon  372 . Upon selecting the list item  386  advertising the sandwich shop, the handheld device  40  may display a screen  388 , as illustrated in  FIG. 19C . The screen  388  may represent, for example, a coupon for a free drink with the purchase of a sandwich at a restaurant called “Sandwich Shop.” The screen  388  may include, for example, a matrix barcode  390  encoding a serial number to obtain the stated discount. A button  392 , labeled “Send to Friend,” may enable a user to forward the advertisement to another friend while simultaneously informing the infrastructure owner or manager  114  that such action has been taken by contacting the base station  76  or an affiliated web service  312 . In addition to providing the matrix barcode  390 , the handheld device  40  may also prepare to transfer the same information encoded in the matrix barcode  390  via near field communication if the user taps the NFC interface  34  of the handheld device  40  to a kiosk or cash register configured to receive such information. 
       FIGS. 20A-C  illustrate another exemplary response by the handheld device  40  upon receiving a beacon  372  from the base station  76 . Turning first to  FIG. 20A , the home screen  380  may be displayed on the handheld device  40 . The user may select the wireless network management application icon  45 , which may launch the wireless network management application. Alternatively, it should be understood that the features of the wireless network management application may form a portion of an operating system that may run on the handheld device  40 . As such, the features of the wireless network management application described herein may be accessible by way of a general settings menu. 
     Selecting the wireless network management application icon  45  may cause the handheld device  40  to display a screen  394 , as illustrated in  FIG. 20B . The screen  394  may include, for example, a selection button  396  to enable or disable receipt of wireless transmissions over 802.11x wireless networks. A network selection box  398  may list various wireless networks that may be accessible via one or more base stations  76  within range of the handheld device  40 . Within the box  398 , an icon  400  may indicate whether the particular network is secure, an icon  402  may indicate the strength of the network, and an icon  404  may allow a user to view additional information regarding the particular network. Also within the box  398  may be various information transmitted via the beacon  372 , which may include, for example, one or more target advertisements  124 . 
     Selecting one of the icons  404  pertaining to a network on the screen  394  may cause the handheld device  40  to display a screen  410 , as illustrated in  FIG. 20C . The screen  410  may include various list items  412  that may provide links to additional information in the same manner as the screen  384  of  FIG. 19B . The user may select any of the list items  412  to view additional information on the listed topic, such as various target advertisements  124 . In the example of  FIG. 20C , one target advertisement  124  may advertise a sandwich shop that may be located at the target location  354 , while another target advertisement  124  may advertise reserving theatre tickets over the Internet. By selecting a button  414 , labeled “Done,” the user may return to the screen  394 , as illustrated in  FIG. 20B . 
       FIG. 21  illustrates a communication diagram  430  describing communication between the handheld device  40 , the base station  76 , and the web service  312  that may take place when the handheld device receives a beacon  372  from the base station  76 . It should be appreciated that the web service  312  and the base station  76  may both be subject to control by the infrastructure owner or manager  114  or may be owned by another entity sharing them by agreement with the infrastructure owner or manager  114 . The communication illustrated in the communication diagram  430  may begin when the base station  76  transmits a wireless beacon  372  to the handheld device  40 , as shown in block  432 . The handheld device  40  may next store or display the information retrieved from the beacon  372  from the block  432  in the manner described above with reference to  FIGS. 19-20 . Such storing and displaying of information may include storing and displaying one or more target advertisements  124 , as described above. A block  436  illustrates that various marketing factors  202  may be sent from the handheld device  40  to the web service  312  concurrently with data indicating which data indicating that the handheld device  40  has received the target advertisements  124  from the beacon  372  of the block  432 . Such information may also be transmitted when a user chooses to view a target advertisement  124  in greater detail, as may be generally described as selecting from among the list items  412  of  FIG. 20C  or list items  386  of  FIG. 19B . 
     As illustrated in block  440 , the web service  312  may subsequently determine the price for the one or more advertisement of the target advertisements  124 . In determining the price for the one or more target advertisements  124 , the web service  312  may employ the marketing factors  202  and/or various follow up factors  242  that may be received by the web service  312  from the handheld device  40  or from another source. Another source may include, for example, the advertiser  112  that may be the subject of the target advertisement  124 . By way of example, after the user of the handheld device  40  receives the target advertisement  124  for the sandwich shop, indicated as among the list items  386  or  412 , the target user  122  may take the first subway station  346  to the second subway station  348 . In so doing, the target user  122  may have moved closer to the target location  354  of the sandwich shop. When the handheld device  40  receives a beacon  372  from the second subway station  348 , the handheld device  40  may note that the user  122  has changed locations and may so indicate to the web service  312 . Accordingly, the follow up factors  242  may indicate that the subsequent location  246  of the user has approached more closely to the target location  354 . 
     Similarly, if the user ultimately enters the sandwich shop at the target location  354 , fulfilling the follow-up factor  248 , and then makes a purchase, fulfilling the follow-up factor  244 , the web service  312  may calculate a higher price for the target advertisement  124 . That the user has entered the store may be relayed to the web service  312  by way of the handheld device  40 . Similarly, if the target user  122  to which the handheld device  40  belongs uses the electronic coupon of  FIG. 19C  to purchase a sandwich at the sandwich shop, the sandwich shop owner may supply information regarding the purchase to the web service  312 . 
     The web service  312  may calculate a price for each of the one or more target advertisements  124  in block  440 , based on the factor data of block  436  and the subject matter of each target advertisement  124 . Using the example discussed above, the web service  312  may assign a price of $0.10 if the user does not approach the target location  354 , enter the store, or make a purchase; of $0.25 if the user fulfills one of the factors; of $0.50 if the user fulfills two of the factors; and/or of $1.00 if the user fulfills all three of the factors. 
       FIGS. 22-23  provide an example of performing the method of the flowchart  150  of  FIG. 10 . Turning first to  FIG. 22A , a user may select the advertisement management application  44  from the home screen  380 . Selecting the advertisement management application  44  may represent step  152  of the flowchart  150 , initiating an advertisement sequence. In response, the handheld device  40  may display a screen  450 , as illustrated in  FIG. 22B . The screen  450  may represent a main menu screen to the advertisement management application that may run on the handheld device  40 . The screen  450  may include a series of categories  452  of advertisements for various local products and services. As such, the categories  452  may include, for example, “Restaurants,” “Movies,” “Sports,” “Electronics,” “Groceries,” etc. A button  454 , labeled “Options,” may enable a user to vary different settings for display of different advertisements. By way of example, such options may include a distance from a user&#39;s current location over which to consider an advertisement local or a preference for certain types of products or services, such as certain genres of movies, etc. 
     If a user selects the category  452  labeled “Restaurants,” the handheld device  40  may display a screen  456 , as illustrated in  FIG. 22C . The screen  456  may include a series of list items  458 , representing offers available from various restaurants as retrieved from an Internet location, such as the web service  312 . The screen  456  may also include a button  460 , labeled “Options.” The button  460  may allow a user to set various preferences, including, for example certain styles of food preferred, pricing preferences, whether the target advertising  124  includes a coupon, etc. 
       FIG. 23  illustrates a communication diagram  480 , which may describe communication between the handheld device  40  and the web service  312  that may take place in the example of  FIGS. 22A-C  above. In the communication diagram  480 , a user may initiate an advertisement sequence, as illustrated by a block  482 , when the user selects the advertisement management application icon  44 , and selects a particular genre. The handheld device  40  may transmit a request, as shown in block  484 , along with various marketing factors  202 , as shown in block  486 , to the web service  312 . It should be understood that the communication taking place during the blocks  482 - 486  may represent steps  132 ,  142 , or  152  of the flowcharts  130 ,  140 , or  150 . 
     The web service  312  may determine which advertisements to send as target advertisements  124  to the handheld device  40 . The determination of block  488  may be generally understood as analogous to the steps  134 ,  144 , or  154  of the flowcharts  130 ,  140 , or  150 . As shown by block  190 , the web service  312  may transmit one or more target advertisements  124  based on the determination of block  488 . The handheld device  40  may subsequently display a list of the target advertisements as shown in block  492 . After a predetermined amount of time, the handheld device  40  may transmit various follow up factors  242 , as shown by block  494 . The web service  312  may additionally or alternatively obtain follow-up factors  242  from another source, such as a restaurant that may be the subject of the target advertisements  124 . Using the marketing factors  202  and the follow up factors  242 , the web service  312  may determine a price for the one or more target advertisements  124 , as shown by block  496 . It should be understood that the dynamic determination of the price of the target advertisements  124  may take place using the techniques described above. 
       FIGS. 24A-B  illustrate receiving one or more target advertisements  124  via a mapping application on the handheld device  40 . Turning first to  FIG. 24A , a user may select the on-line map application icon  42  of the home screen  380 . Upon the selection of the icon  42 , the handheld device  40  may launch the on-line map application, and may display a screen  500 , as illustrated in  FIG. 24B . In the screen  500 , a search for address bar  502  may enable a user to search a map currently in view on a main map screen  504 . A navigation bar  506  may enable a user to change various options related to the map, including, for example, whether the map is a street map or a satellite view of the map. A user location  508  may indicate the current location of the user of the handheld device  40  on the map screen  504 . Locations affiliated with local advertisers  112  may be denoted as advertising locations  510 . Various target advertisements  124  may be displayed in advertisement bubbles  512  connected to the advertising locations  510 . Selecting the advertising bubbles  512  may cause a more detailed advertisement to be displayed. 
       FIGS. 25A-D  illustrate a manner of performing the technique outlined in the flowchart  170  of  FIG. 11 . Turning first to  FIG. 25A , a user may select the web browser icon  43  on the home screen  380 . The handheld device may subsequently display a screen  520 , as shown in  FIG. 25B . The screen  520  may represent a blank webpage having a browser bar  522  with a search icon  524 , a location bar  526 , and a refresh icon  528 . Selecting the search icon  524  may allow a user to perform a search from a default search engine. Selecting the location bar  526  may allow a user to manually input a web location. Selection the refresh icon  528  may allow a user to refresh the current information from the web location of the location bar  526 . If a user selects the search icon  524 , the handheld device  40  may display a screen  532 , as illustrated in  FIG. 25C . The screen  532  may include a search bar  534  and a keyboard pane  536 . A user may input one or more search terms into the search bar  534  via the keyboard  536 . 
       FIG. 25D  illustrates a search engine results page on a screen  538 , which may be displayed after a user enters a search term into the search bar  534 . For example, the user may enter the search term  540  “Sandwich Shop,” the screen  538  may display the search term  540  at the top of the search engine screen, with various results  542  displayed below. In addition to general results  542 , the screen  538  may display a sponsored advertisement  534 , which may represent the target advertisement  124 . 
     The sponsored advertisement  534  may be generated by the search engine based on a variety of techniques. For example, if the handheld device  40  had previously received one or more target advertisements  124  according to the techniques described above, the handheld device  40  may transmit information relating to the prior target advertisements  124  to the search engine. Based on which target advertisements  124  the handheld device  40  received and/or a response to the target advertisement  124 , the search engine may select the sponsored advertisement  534 . In the instant example, the search engine may select the sponsored advertisement  534  for the “Sandwich Shop” when the user searches for “restaurant” because the handheld device  40  may have received prior target advertisements  124  advertising the “Sandwich Shop.” Additionally, that the user may have previously responded to such target advertisements  124  for the “Sandwich Shop” may serve as a further basis for supplying the sponsored advertisement  534 . 
     It should be further appreciated that, additionally or alternatively, the search engine may charge the advertiser a dynamically-generated price for the sponsored advertisement  534  according to the techniques described above. As such, the search engine may consider various marketing factors  202  and/or follow-up factors  242  indicating the efficacy of the advertisement  534 . For example, the handheld device  40  may send various marketing factors  202  when the user navigates to the search engine website. Additionally or alternatively, the handheld device  40  or the subject of the advertisement  534  may establish communication with the search engine website to transmit various follow-up factors  242 . The follow-up factors  242  may be sent at a predetermined time or after a purchase has been made by the user of the handheld device  40 . Thus, the search engine website may effectively evaluate the efficacy of the advertisement, dynamically generating a price for the advertisement. 
     While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.