Patent ID: 7207053

Claim:
A method for locally targeting virtual advertisements at a users terminal, comprising: assigning at least one virtual advertisement spot to a video program; assigning a plurality of virtual objects to the at least one virtual advertisement spot, wherein assigning the plurality of virtual objects further comprises: ranking one or more of the video programs based on target categories and a first percentage of total viewers in one or more groups of viewers; ranking the plurality of virtual objects based on a second percentage of total viewers in the one or more groups of viewers; and determining, for one or more of the video programs and one or more of the target categories, the plurality of virtual objects with overall highest rankings, based on the multiplication of the first and the second percentages; generating group assignment rules; generating a retrieval plan; and providing the retrieval plan, the group assignment rules and video program to the terminal, wherein the retrieval plan and the group assignment rules are sent periodically to the terminal, and the retrieval plan directs the terminal to select one of the plurality of virtual objects for placement at said at least one virtual advertisement spot in said video program.