WO2008151352A1

WO2008151352A1 - Method of advertising

Info

Publication number: WO2008151352A1
Application number: PCT/AU2007/000951
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Yearsley; Horace Lim; Geoffrey Tham; Paul Thomas Troughton; Beno Rice
Original assignee: Bluebox Devices Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2007-06-10
Filing date: 2007-07-11
Publication date: 2008-12-18

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to a method of advertising (10) wherein an intermediary (12) sources an advertisement (13) from an advertiser (14). The intermediary (12) includes a computer server (15) that stores many advertisements (13) from different advertisers (14). The intermediary (12) sends an advertisement (16), selected from a stock of stored advertisements, to a consumer (17) via a network such as the internet (18). After the advertisement is shown to the consumer (17), there is a pause within which the consumer (17) is given the opportunity to make an assessment (20) of the advertisement (16). On confirmation of receipt of the consumer's assessment (20), the intermediary (12) provides the consumer (17) with credit (22).

Description

METHOD OF ADVERTISING

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates broadly to a method of advertising.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most advertising in the electronic media involves the broadcasting of a message to a mass audience at considerable expense. The inability to selectively target broadcast advertisements greatly diminishes their effectiveness and economic value, as most advertisements broadcasted are either not viewed or ignored. The advertisement of niche or low popularity products is typically uneconomical, and thus these products are not advertised. Typically only the most popular products are advertised by broadcasting a message.

However, it has recently been realised that the market for niche or low popularity products and services may be greater than the market for merely popular products. The market for goods or services of low popularity is often referred to as the "long tail market", and examples of the highly successful exploitation of a long tail market include the selling of mostly obscure books by Amazon.com ' and the selling of the songs on the backlist by Apple™ iTunes™.

A consequence of the indiscriminate nature of broadcast advertisements is that a viewer is unlikely to be interested in the advertisement as the advertisement is not tailored or targeted to the viewers specific interests, resulting in the viewer attempting to avoid watching it. Some viewers consider advertisements to be obtrusive. Avoidance of a broadcast advertisement is achieved, for example, by recording a broadcast program and skipping the advertisements when playing back. Skipping advertisements is particularly easy when using a digital recording device such as a TiVo™, which enables a block of the recording to be skipped in an instant. New technology, such as digital recording devices, thus interfere with the standard model for selling advertising, in which the broadcaster sells advertising time to advertisers at a rate determined by:

• expected audience size;

• approximate audience demographics, based on the program and time nf day; • area to be covered, if the broadcaster can send different adverts to different groups of transmitters.

Advertisers have started to notice this, and are demanding Jower fees from broadcasters, since many viewers wiii not be seeing their advertisement. The people who are leaving broadcast television fastest are the ones that many advertisers want to reach, the relatively young and affluent.

Broadcast advertisements offer no tangible incentive for a consumer to watch or listen. This increases the chance that the consumer will attempt to avoid receiving any advertisements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of advertising comprising the steps of: sending an advertisement via a network to a consumer; receiving the consumer's assessment of the advertisement via another or the same network; and providing the consumer with credit for the assessment.

Preferably the step of sending the advertisement via a network to a consumer includes the preliminary step of sending the advertisement via a network to a presentation device. More preferably the preliminary step of sending the advertisement via a network to a presentation device includes the step of sending metadata associated with the advertisement via a network to a presentation device. Still more preferably the step of sending the advertisement via a network to a consumer includes the step of determining from the metadata whether the consumer should be sent the advertisement.

Preferably the step of receiving the consumer's assessment of the advertisement via another or the same network includes the step of receiving a consumer's scale rating of the advertisement via another or the same network. Alternatively or additionally, the step of ieceiving the consumer's assessment of the advertisement via another or the same network includes the step of receiving a consumer's binary rating of the advertisement via another or the same network. Preferably the network is a computer, broadcast or narrowcast network. More preferably the network is the internet. Alternatively, the network is a mobile phone, DVB-H or interactive TV network. Alternatively, the network is a combination of a computer network, broadcast network, narrowcast network, the internet, a mobile phone network, DVB-H network or interactive TV network.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of advertising comprising the steps of: sending a digitised advertisement via a digital network to an electronic presentation device, the electronic presentation device being adapted to allow a consumer to view the advertisement; receiving from the electronic presentation device a signal generated by the consumer registering their assessment of the advertisement; and providing the consumer with credit for the assessment.

Preferably the method also comprises the step of sending non-advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer. Preferably the step of sending non- advertising content to the consumer includes the step of streaming non-advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer. More preferably the step of sending or streaming non-advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer includes the step of sending television, film and/or audio non-advertising content via another or the same πetwoik to the consumer.

Preferably the method of advertising further comprises the step of the consumer interacting with the advertisement. More preferably the step of the consumer interacting with the advertisement includes the step of the consumer clicking on a virtual button displayed by the electronic presentation device. Alternatively or additionally, the step of the consumer interacting with the advertisement includes the step of the consumer pressing a real button connected to the presentation device.

Preferably the step of sending non-advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer includes the step of adjusting the amount of advertising sent to the consumer to balance the cost of the content. Preferably the step of sending or streaming the advertisement via another or the same network to the consumer includes the step of sending a credit balance via the network to the consumer. Alternatively, the credit balance is not sent to the consumer.

Preferably the method of advertising also comprises the step of redeeming the consumer's credit for products or services. More preferably the step of redeeming the consumer's credit for products or services includes the step of redeeming the consumer's credit for non-advertising content. Even more preferably the step of redeeming the consumer's credit for non-advertising content includes the step of sending or streaming the non-advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer.

Preferably the method of advertising comprises the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement sent via a network to the consumer. More preferably the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion. Even more preferably the step of the presentation device selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an advertisement score, the advertisement score incorporating advertisement assessments from a plurality of consumers. Still more preferably the step of the presentation device selecting an advertisement includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with a demographic of the consumer. Even still more preferably the step of the presentation device selecting an advertisement includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an age of the advertisement. Alternatively, the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a semi-probabilistic fashion.

Alternatively the method of advertising comprises the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement in a deterministic manner. Preferably the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement in a deterministic manner includes the step of selecting advertisements in descending order of their advertisement score.

Preferably the method of advertising additionally comprises the provision of a head end device or server connected to the network or networks. Preferably the method of advertising comprises the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement sent via a network to the consumer. More preferably the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion. Even more preferably the step of the head end device or server selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an advertisement score, the advertisement score incorporating advertisement assessments from a plurality of consumers. Still more preferably the step of the head end device or server selecting an advertisement includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with a demographic of the consumer. Even still more preferably the step of the head end device or server selecting an advertisement includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an age of the advertisement. Alternatively, the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a semi-probabilistic fashion.

Alternatively the method of advertising comprises the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement in a deterministic manner. Preferably the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement in a deterministic manner includes the step of selecting advertisements in descending order of their advertisement score.

Alternatively the method of advertising comprises the step of the consumer selecting the advertisement from a plurality of advertisements for viewing.

Preferably the method of advertising comprises the step of monitoring the frequency of the consumer watching the advertisement sent via the network.

Preferably the method of advertising comprises the step of charging an advertiser for the consumer watching an advertisement sent via the network.

Preferably the method of advertising comprises the step of maintaining a count of the number of times the advertisement has been watched by the consumer. More preferably the step of counting the number of times the advertisement has been watched by the consumer includes the step of only providing the consumer with credit if the count is below a maximum count in a time period. Preferably the network is a computer, broadcast or narrowcast network. More preferably the network is the internet. Alternatively, the network is a mobile phone, DVB-H or interactive TV network. Alternatively, the network is a combination of a computer network, broadcast network, narrowcast network, the internet, a mobile phone network, DVB-H network or interactive TV network.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of advertising, the method comprising the steps of: a consumer watching an advertisement received via a network; the consumer registering at a remote site via a network an assessment of the advertisement; and the consumer receiving credit for the assessment.

Preferably the step of the consumer registering an assessment of the advertisement includes the step of the consumer rating the advertisement on a scale.

Preferably the step of the consumer registering an assessment of the advertisement is immediately after the step of the consumer watching an advertisement.

Preferably the step of the consumer watching an advertisement includes a preliminary optional step of the consumer viewing a credit balance.

Alternatively the step of the consumer watching an advertisement includes the step of not allowing the consumer to view a credit balance.

Preferably, the step of the consumer watching an advertisement includes the preliminary step of the advertisement being placed before, after or during a program. Preferably the step of the advertisement being placed before, after or during a program includes the step of the consumer determining the amount of advertising associated with the program. More preferably the step of the consumer watching an advertisement includes the step of automatically determining the amount of advertising associated with the program to generate enough credit to pay for the program. Alternatively the step of the consumer watching an advertisement includes the step of the consumer choosing how many advertisements to watch. Preferably the method of advertising also comprises the step of selecting advertising from one or more advertisers and providing the selected advertising for viewing by the consumer. More preferably the step of selecting advertising includes the step of monitoring the frequency of viewing of lhe selected advertising. Even more preferably the step of selecting advertising includes the step of monitoring the viewing and assessment of advertisements for individual consumers or groups of consumers.

Preferably the step of selecting advertising includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion. More preferably the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an advertisement score, the advertisement score incorporating advertisement assessments from a plurality of consumers. Still more preferably the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with a demographic of the consumer. Even still more preferably the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an age of the advertisement.

Preferably the network is a computer, broadcast or narrowcast network. More preferably the network is the internet. Alternatively, the network is a mobile phone, DVB-H or interactive TV network. Alternatively, the network is a combination of a computer network, broadcast network, narrowcast network, the internet, a mobile phone network, DVB-H network or interactive TV network.

In this specification and according to ordinary rules of interpretation, singular forms should be taken to include the plural. Furthermore, watching or viewing should be taken to include listening, even to sound-only media. Programs should be taken to include other media and digital content, such as articles, magazines, books, songs, or documents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In order to achieve a better understanding of the nature of the present invention, several preferred embodiments of a method of advertising will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of a method of advertising; Figure 2 shows another embodiment of the method of advertising;

Figure 3 shows yet another embodiment of a method of advertising, in which the cost of the non-advertising content is completely offset by the consumer providing assessments of advertisements;

Figure 4 shows still yet another embodiment of a method of advertising; and

Figure 5 shows yet still another embodiment of a method of advertising.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One preferred embodiment of a method of advertising, generally indicated as 10, is shown in figure 1. An intermediary 12, sources an advertisement 13 from an advertiser, such as 14. The intermediary 12 includes a computer server 15 that stores many advertisements, such as 13, from different advertisers, such as 14. There is thus a stock of stored advertisements held by the computer server 15. The intermediary 12 sends an advertisement 16, selected from the stock of advertisements, to a consumer 17, via a network such as the internet 18. Other public or private networks, however, such as a mobile phone, DVB-H, or interactive TV network could also be used.

After the advertisement is shown to the consumer 17, there is a pause within which the consumer 17 is given the opportunity to make an assessment 20 of the advertisement 16. The user can respond with a positive or negative binary response, such as, "I love it" or "I hate it", or in some embodiments give an assessment according to a scale. Because the consumer 17 is required to rate the advertisement 16, the consumer 17 is likely to be paying more attention to the advertisement 16. Consequently, the advertising opportunity is greater than for standard methods of advertising where the consumer plays a purely passive role.

The consumer's assessment 20 or feedback of the advertisement 16 is then sent to the intermediary 12 via the internet 18. The consumer's assessment 20, however, may instead be sent to the intermediary 12 via another network. On confirmation of receipt of the consumer's assessment 20, the intermediary 12 provides the consumer 17 with credit 22. The credit can be: • used to buy non-advertising content 24 for downloading or streaming over the internet 18, either on a pay per view basis or such that they can keep the downloaded content;

• gifted, either as general credit or as particular content; • shared with other users, such as family; or

• accumulated and used to pay for other products and services

The non-advertising content can be video content such as an episode of a television show, audio content such as podcasts, talking books, or radio plays, or written content such as ebooks, or emags, images or interactive content.

The use of this credit 22 to purchase non-advertising content 24 is a more efficient commercial transaction and delivery method than current methods. By providing the consumer 17 with direct and immediate material benefit in the form of credit 22, the consumer 17 is likely to consider the method 10 positively. The consumer 17 can also build up credit 22 by making ad-hoc payments with a credit card, voucher, special offer code, or gift card. They may also make a regular subscription payment or participate in some activity such as completing a survey to build up credit.

The intermediary receives a payment 26 from the advertiser 14. Thus, the advertiser 14 has effectively bought the user's time.

Figure 2 shows one embodiment of the invention, that includes an interactive presentation device connected to the internet 18, generally indicated as 40. Each consumer 17 registers for the service, providing some demographic information to set up an account, the information being stored in the presentation device 44. The presentation device could be an interactive touch screen device 44, a set-top box coupled to a conventional television, or other type of suitable device. Metadata 46 associated with an advertisement 50 is sent to the presentation device 44. The presentation device 44 compares the metadata 46 against the consumer's demographic profile, the number of times the consumer 17 has viewed the advertisement 50, and other information stored on the presentation device 44 to determine whether the consumer 17 should view the advertisement 50. If the presentation device 44 determines that the consumer J 7 should view the advertisement 50, the presentation device 44 sends instructions 48 to the intermediary 12 to send the advertisement 50 to it. In some embodiments, the presentation device stores advertisements and thus there is no need to download a stored advertisement repeatedly. There is no requirement for personal information about the consumer to be sent by the presentation device 44 to the intermediary 12. Because the presentation box 44 containing this information is in the consumer's possession personal information is not released.

It will be appreciated that in some embodiments the advertisements shown to the consumer are shown in descending order of popularity, as indicated by their advertisement score.

If the consumer assesses the advertisement more than a maximum number of times in a set time period, such as one day or the lifetime of the advertising campaign, the consumer will in some embodiments not receive credit for any assessments in excess of the maximum count.

In some embodiments of the invention, there is a server, such as 15, connected to the network 18 that has access to at least some of the consumer's demographic profile and other personal information. The server compares this information with the advertisement metadata 46 to help decide which advertisements are to be sent to the consumer. It will be appreciated that this is an efficient implementation, reducing the resource requirements of the presentation device 44 and the amount of information sent to it.

In some further embodiments of the invention, a server, such as 15, may have access to all the available demographic, personal and usage information concerning the consumer. In this case, the presentation device 44 need not store any of this information, and all metadata comparison and advert selection can take place on the server 15.

In some embodiments, the presentation box 44 displays one or more virtual buttons associated with the advertisement 16. The consumer 17 can thus interact with the advertisement by clicking on virtual buttons such as "order now", "learn more", "download brochure", "visit website" or "See more ads from this company" . In response to the click, the presentation box 44 displays more information about the product or service being advertised or links to further information. The button may be a real button on, for example, the presentation box 44.

In some embodiments of the invention, the consumer's credit balance is sent via the internet 18 to the consumer 17 for viewing, and so encouraging the consumer 17 to watch more advertisements. In yet another embodiment of the invention generally indicated as 30 in figure 3, the intermediary 12 sends non-advertising content 32 to the consumer 17 via the internet 18, the non-advertising content 32 being associated with advertisements 34. The quantity of advertising sent covers the cost of the associated content 32, provided that the consumer 17 provides an assessment 36 of each advertisement. In this and some other embodiments, the credit balance need not be sent to the consumer 17. The advertisements 34 can be placed before, during or after the non-advertising content 32 is played. The advertisements 34 can also be placed in an advertising break. Alternatively, the consumer 17 may choose the amount of advertising 34 to be shown with the associated non -advertising content 32.

In one embodiment of the invention, the intermediary 12 selects which advertisement stored in the computer server 15 is to be sent to the consumer 17. The advertisement 16 may be selected in a random or semi -random manner. The probability of a more popular advertisement, as rated by consumers and represented by an advertisement score, being selected is increased. The consumer 17 is more likely to see advertisements that are enjoyable rather than annoying. Also, this process encourages advertisers to create ads that are more likely to be popular. Popular ads are seen more often, and therefore have a greater reach for the advertiser. The probability of advertisements being selected can also be made to depend on the demographic of the consumer, or the age or other details of the advertisement. The intermediary 12 monitors the frequency of sending an advertisement to the consumer 17, and can reduce the probability of selecting that advertisement as the frequency increases or reaches a threshold value. Advertisements are only shown to viewers in the target audience specified by the advertiser 14. The following considerations improve the system:

• new advertisements are more likely, or perhaps even guaranteed, to be shown, to give them a chance to establish their popularity; and

• each advertisement is shown only a limited number of times for each viewer, either per day or over its entire life. This number can be specified by the advertiser, as different approaches will be suitable for different types of advertising campaign. Ultimately, it is the popularity of the advertisement within the target demographic that determines how likely the advertisement is to be shown.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in figure 4, the interactive presentntion device is a wireless device 62 with a touch screen 64. The touch screen is preferably a hand held or portable nine inch diagonal 1024 x 600 widescreen LCD touch screen 64. Non-advertising content 66 and advertisements 68 are senl to the wireless device 62 from remote non-advertising content 70 and advertising 72 servers. It will be understood that the servers could be the same server, or a cluster of machines, possibly with content, metadata and decision making separated. The servers are connected to the wireless device 62 via a broadband connection over the internet 18 or another network, and a wireless connection 73. The non-advertising content 66 and advertisements 68 are stored in a device memory 74 until required. This memory 74 is approximately 8Gbytes of solid- state flash memory. As the memory 74 is limited, memory on other network devices, such as dedicated NAS, DVR or personal computer 75, may be used in some embodiments, with the wireless device 62 connecting to these over a local wireless network 76, possibly in combination with a wired network. The local wireless network 76 may in some cases be the same network as the wireless connection 73. The storage of the non-advertising content 66 is under the consumer's 17 control. The storage of the advertisements 68 is managed by the wireless device 62. Alternatively, the content can be sent via a local wireless network 76 for display on a television 78. In this case, the interactive presentation device is a video media extender, and operates in a similar fashion to Apple™ computer's Airport Express™ audio media extender. In some embodiments, the interactive presentation device can send jobs to agent software 79 on other devices 75 on a local network. For example, non- advertising content and advertisements can be downloaded by the agent software 79 while the device 62 is asleep.

The decision on which particular advertisement from the memory to show at any given time is made by the device 62. One advantage of this approach is that the device 62 does not need a constant connection to the central servers 70 and 72. The device 62 can carry on playing non-advertising content 66 and advertisemeπls 68 from its memory 74 when disconnected from ihe network 73. When the device 62 is connected, it can report back the consumer's assessment's 20 and refresh its stock of advertisements.

Alternatively, a server can provide the device with a list of advertisements to show. The device 62 then simply picks advertisements off the play list in order, and reports back the consumer's assessment 20. .

13

In another embodiment (not shown) the interactive presentation device 44 of figure 2 is a portable device such as a personal digital assistant connected to an intranet, internet or extranet via a wireless local or wide area network such as WiFi, WiMAX, WiBro or a mobile phone network. Other embodiments use a mobile phone instead, or even a portable games console such as the Sony Playstation Portable™. Some embodiments may even use a tablet PC, ultra-mobile PC or a laptop/notebook computer.

In yet another embodiment, the interactive presentation device 44 of figure 2 is a set-top box. It may also incorporate the features of a digital or personal video recorder. This may be a single or combined device. The set-top box 44 connects through a wired or wireless link to the consumer's broadband connection. It also connects to a television. The set-top box contains a minimum of 80Gbytes of hard disk space, and preferably at least 120Gbytes.

The consumer is presented an interface on a television, and can interact using a remote control. The remote control may have dedicated keys for the recording the consumer's rating of an advertisement, rather than relying on buttons displayed on the screen.

Some embodiments, particularly those which take the take the form of set-top boxes, may not explicitly display the consumer's 17 credit balance, but instead simply adjust the number of advertisements 16 to exactly pay for the content viewed. However, some devices of this type may well explicitly display the consumer's 17 credit balance.

In still yet another embodiment, the interactive presentation device 44 of figure 2 is a personal computer running media software such as Microsoft's™ Windows™ XP Media Centre Edition™, Apple™ Computer's Front Row™ or Myth TV™ with custom plug in software. This makes the computer operate much like as a set-top box, and allows it to be controlled by a remote control. Alternatively, more traditional, computer-oriented media software such as the BBC Integrated Media Player could be used.

In even still yet another embodiment, as shown in figure 5, the advertisements 68 and non- advertising content 66 are broadcast to many devices at once. One possible such device is a mobile telephone 80. Any digital broadcasting format could be used, but digital television formats such as DVB, ATSC, and especially DVB-H are particularly suitable. Alternatively a conventional data network could be used in broadcast or multicast mode. Broadcast distribution of non-advertising content 66 or advertisements 68 can be used either as the sole downlink or in conjunction with another network, for example wired or wireless broadband internet or GPRS. A broadcast link is cheaper and quicker than sending the same non-advertising content 66 or advertisements 68 to many consumers at once over individual connections. In the case of broadcast distribution, each presentation device, such as 80, decides whether or not to store the broadcast content or advertising. The presentation device, such as 80, could make this decision itself on the basis of associated metadata, or it could be instructed by a central server.

The consumer's assessment 20 can be reported using a service such as GPRS or 3G. It will be appreciated that in mobile applications the use of broadcast networks such as DVB-H overcomes the problems associated with the limited bandwidth of cellular networks such as 3G or GPRS. Advertising to be stored on the device can be inserted into the broadcast.

In some embodiments, the non-advertising content 24 is streamed to the interactive presentation device 44. This allows for live, or near live programs, as well as avoiding the need to wait for programs to download.

The interactive presentation device 44 can buffer the streamed program while it is waiting for a rating of an advertisement from the consumer. Alternatively, it can limit the time available for the user to respond, to avoid getting too far behind in real time. In non- broadcast embodiments, it can request that the server pause the stream.

The content can be sent as a unicast stream over the internet or private network, as is the case in current IPTV systems. If this mode is to be used exclusively, the presentation device need not have much local storage or intelligence. Almost all of the storage and intelligence is at the head end. The device can receive appropriate content and advertisements in near real time, with the consumer's assessment 20 reported straight back.

It will be understood that at least some embodiments of the invention have at least some of the following advantages:

• specific groups of viewers can be targeted;

• advertisements can be arranged at very short notice, to react to events;

• the user has control over the amount or quality of advertising to which they are exposed; • because the consumer is required to rate the advertisement, the consumer is likely to be paying more attention to the advertisement, and consequently, the advertising opportunity is greater than for standard methods of advertising where the consumer plays a purely passive role; • the method of advertising is enjoyable and beneficial to the consumer, rather than annoying and intrusive, and so the consumer is more likely to be receptive to the advertiser's message;

• because more popular advertisements are shown more frequently, advertisers have an incentive to make advertisements which are likely to be popular; and

• advertisers can receive detailed feedback about how their advertisements are rated by different types of consumer, allowing them to improve their marketing and advertising further, without the consumer's personal details being released.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. For example, the credit may be redeemable for products as well as for the provision of non-advertising content. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method of advertising comprising the steps of sending an advertisement via a network to a consumer; receiving the consumer's assessment of the advertisement via another or the same network; and providing the consumer with credit for the assessment.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of sending the advertisement via a network to a consumer includes the preliminary step of sending the advertisement via a network to a presentation device.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the preliminary step of sending the advertisement via a network to a presentation device includes the step of sending metadata associated with the advertisement via a network to a presentation device.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the step of sending the advertisement via a network to a consumer includes the step of determining from the metadata whether the consumer should be sent the advertisement.

5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the step of receiving the consumer's assessment of the advertisement via another or the same network includes the step of receiving a consumer's scale rating of the advertisement via another or the same network.

6. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the step of receiving the consumer's assessment of the advertisement via another or the same network includes the step of receiving a consumer's binary rating of the advertisement via another or the same network.

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the network is a computer, broadcast or narrowcast network.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the network is the internel.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the network is a mobile phone, DVB-H or interactive TV network.

10. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the network is a combination of a computer network, broadcast network, narrowcast network, the internet, a mobile phone network, DVB-H network or interactive TV network.

1 1. A method of advertising comprising the steps of: sending a digitised advertisement via a digital network to an electronic presentation device, the electronic presentation device being adapted to allow a consumer to view the advertisement; receiving from the electronic presentation device a signal generated by the consumer registering their assessment of the advertisement; and providing the consumer with credit for the assessment.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising the step of sending non- advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the step of sending non-advertising content to the consumer includes the step of streaming non-advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 or 13 wherein the step of sending or streaming non-advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer includes the step of sending television, film and/or audio non-advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer.

15. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14 further comprising the step of the consumer interacting with the advertisement.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the step of the consumer interacting with the advertisement includes the step of the consumer clicking on a virtual button displayed by the electronic presentation device.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or 16 wherein the step of the consumer interacting with the advertisement includes the step of the consumer pressing a real button connected to the presentation device.

IS. A method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 17 wherein the step of sending non- advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer includes the step of adjusting the amount of advertising sent to the consumer to balance the cost of the content.

19. A method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 18 wherein the step of sending or streaming the advertisement via another or the same network to the consumer includes the step of sending a credit balance via the network to the consumer.

20. A method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 18 wherein the step of sending or streaming the advertisement via another or the same network to the consumer does not include the step of sending a credit balance via the network to the consumer.

21. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1-1 to 20 further comprising the step of redeeming the consumer's credit for products or services.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the step of redeeming the consumer's credit for products or services includes the step of redeeming the consumer's credit for non-advertising content.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the step of redeeming the consumer's credit for non-advertising content includes the step of sending or streaming the non- advertising content via another or the same network to the consumer.

24. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 23 further comprising the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement sent via a network to the consumer.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24 wherein the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25 wherein the step of the presentation device selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an advertisement score, the advertisement score incorporating advertisement assessments from a plurality of consumers.

27. A method as claimed in claim 25 or 26 wherein the step of the presentation device selecting an advertisement includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with a demographic of the consumer.

28. A method as claimed in any one of claims 25 to 27 wherein the step of the presentation device selecting an advertisement incJudes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an age of the advertisement.

29. A method as claimed in claim 24 wherein the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a semi- probabilistic fashion.

30. A method as claimed in claim 24 wherein the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a deterministic manner.

31. A method as claimed in claim 30 wherein the step of the presentation device selecting the advertisement in a deterministic manner includes the step of selecting advertisements in descending order of their advertisement score.

32. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 31 additionally comprising the provision of a head end device or server connected to the network or networks.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32 further comprising the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement sent via a network to the consumer.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion.

35. A method as claimed in claim 34 wherein the step of the head end device or server selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an advertisement score, the advertisement score incorporating advertisement assessments from a plurality of consumers.

36. A method as claimed in claim 34 or 35 wherein the step of the head end device or server selecting an advertisement includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with a demographic of the consumer.

37. A method as claimed in any one of claims 34 to 36 wherein the step of the head end device or server selecting an advertisement includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an age of the advertisement.

38. A method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a semi- probabilistic fashion.

39. A method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a deterministic manner.

40. A method as claimed in claim 39 wherein the step of the head end device or server selecting the advertisement in a deterministic manner includes the step of selecting advertisements in descending order of their advertisement score.

41. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 23 further comprising the step of the consumer selecting the advertisement from a plurality of advertisements for viewing.

42. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising the step of monitoring the frequency of the consumer watching the advertisement sent via the network.

43. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising the step of charging an advertiser for the consume/ watching an advertisement sent via the network.

44. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising the step of maintaining a count of the number of limes the advertisement has been watched by the consumer.

45. A method as claimed in claim 44 wherein the step of counting the number of times the advertisement has been watched by the consumer includes the step of only providing the consumer with credit if the count is below a maximum count in a time period.

46 A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 45 wherein the network is a computer, broadcast or narrowcast network.

47. A method as claimed in claim 46 wherein the network is the internet.

48. A method as claimed in claim 46 wherein the network is a mobile phone, DVB-H or interactive TV network.

49. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 45 wherein the network is a combination of a computer network, broadcast network, narrowcast network, the internet, a mobile phone network, DVB-H network or interactive TV network.

50. A method of advertising, the method comprising the steps of: a consumer watching an advertisement received via a network; the consumer registering at a remote site via a network an assessment of the advertisement; and the consumer receiving credit for the assessment.

51. A method as claimed in claim 50 wherein the step of the consumer registering an assessment of the advertisement includes the step of the consumer rating the advertisement on a scale.

52. A method as claimed in claim 50 or 51 wherein the step of the consumer registering an assessment of the advertisement is immediately after the step of the consumer watching an advertisement.

53. A method as claimed in any one of claims 50 to 52 wherein the step of the consumer watching an advertisement includes a preliminary optional step of the consumer viewing a credit balance.

54. A method as ciaimed in any one of ciaims 50 to 53 wherein the step of the consumer watching an advertisement includes the preliminary step of the advertisement being placed before, after or during a program.

55. A method as claimed in claim 54 wherein the step of the advertisement being placed before, after or during a program includes the step of the consumer determining the amount of advertising associated with the program.

56. A method as claimed in any one of claims 50 to 54 wherein the step of the consumer watching an advertisement includes the step of automatically determining the amount of advertising associated with the program to generate enough credit to pay for the program.

57. A method as claimed in claim 55 wherein the step of the consumer watching an advertisement includes the step of the consumer choosing how many advertisements to watch.

58. A method as claimed in any one of claims 50 to 57 also comprising the step of selecting advertising from one or more advertisers and providing the selected advertising for viewing by the consumer.

59. A method as claimed in claim 58 wherein the step of selecting advertising includes the step of monitoring the frequency of viewing of the selected advertising.

60. A method as claimed in claim 58 or 59 wherein the step of selecting advertising includes the step of monitoring the viewing and assessment of advertisements for individual consumers or groups of consumers.

61. A method as claimed in any one of claims 58 to 60 wherein the step of selecting advertising includes the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion.

62. A method as claimed in claim 61 wherein the step of selecting an advertisement in a . probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an advertisement score, the advertisement score incorporating advertisement assessments from a plurality of consumers.

63. A method as claimed in claim 61 or 62 wherein the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with a demographic of the consumer.

64. A method as claimed in any one of claims 61 to 63 wherein the step of selecting an advertisement in a probabilistic fashion includes the step of weighting the probability of an advertisement being selected with an age of the advertisement.

65. A method as claimed in any one of claims 50 to 64 wherein the network is a computer, broadcast or narrowcast network.

66. A method as claimed in claim 65 wherein the network is the internet.

67. A method as claimed in claim 65 wherein the network is a mobile phone, DVB-H or interactive TV network.

68. A method as claimed in any one of claims 50 to 64 wherein the network is a combination of a computer network, broadcast network, narrowcast network, the internet, a mobile phone network, DVB-H network or interactive TV network.