INTERACTIVE PRODUCT PLACEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREFOR
A method for presenting advertisements for commercial products in video productions, whereby the commercial product is placed in the video production as an element of the video production. A viewer is enabled to interact with the video production to select the product. Information is then displayed about the selected product; and the viewer is enabled to purchase the selected product.
1 . A processor-implemented method, comprising:
receiving a playback request for a video production from a video player, the video production including at least one product or service that is displayed during display of the video production by the video player;
identifying a cue point data structure associated with the video production and stored separately from the video production, the cue point data structure including at least one set of cue point metadata, each set of cue point metadata having (i) an indicator of an elapsed time at which interactive advertising material associated with the at least one product or service is to be displayed relative to a time of the video production being played, (ii) a duration for which the interactive advertising material is to be displayed, and (iii) a pointer to the interactive advertising material; and
transmitting a signal representing the identified cue point data structure to the video player, the video player configured such that, for each set of cue point metadata:
(a) a visual cue point is displayed in a video timeline associated with the video production,
(b) the interactive advertising material indicated by the pointer in the corresponding set of cue point metadata is retrieved, and
(c) the retrieved interactive advertising material is displayed for the duration indicated in that set of cue point metadata at the elapsed time indicated in that set of cue point metadata.
2 . The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the video player is configured to enable submission of user information to a remote server to conduct a transaction for the at least one product or service.
3 . The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein interactive advertising material is displayed as an overlay.
4 . The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein interactive advertising material is displayed as a transparent overlay.
5 . The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein interactive advertising material is selectively displayable.
6 . The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein interactive advertising material is displayed as a semi-transparent overlay.
7 . A processor-implemented method, comprising:
sending a playback request for a video production;
receiving, in response to the playback request:
(a) a signal representing the video production, the video production including at least one product or service that is displayed during display of the video production, and
(b) a signal representing a cue point data structure associated with the video production and distinct from the signal representing the video production, the cue point data structure including at least one set of cue point metadata, each set of cue point metadata having (i) an indicator of an elapsed time at which interactive advertising material is to be displayed relative to a time of the video production being played, (ii) a duration for which the interactive advertising material is to be displayed, and (iii) a pointer to the interactive advertising material;
requesting the interactive advertising material for each set of cue point metadata;
displaying the video production based on the signal representing the video production; and
displaying, based on the signal representing the cue point data structure, the interactive advertising material for each set of cue point metadata for the duration indicated in that set of cue point metadata at the elapsed time indicated in that set of cue point metadata.
8 . The processor-implemented method of claim 7 , further comprising:
displaying a visual cue point for each set of cue point metadata in a video timeline associated with the video production.
9 . The processor-implemented method of claim 7 , further comprising:
displaying a visual cue point for each set of cue point metadata in a video timeline that is associated with the video production and that is selectively displayable.
10 . The processor-implemented method of claim 7 , further comprising:
facilitating submission of user information to a remote server to allow the user to conduct a transaction.
11 . The processor-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the interactive advertising material for each set of cue point metadata is requested prior to displaying the video production.
12 . The processor-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein at least some of the interactive advertising material is displayed as an overlay that is transparent in portions.
13 . The processor-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein requesting the interactive advertising material for each set of cue point metadata includes requesting at least some interactive advertising material from one or more advertisement servers.
14 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, the instructions when executed by at least one computer processor causing the at least one computer processor to:
receive, from a video player, a playback request associated with a video production, the video production including at least one product or service that is displayed during playback of the video production by the video player;
identify a cue point data structure associated with the video production and stored separately from the video production, the cue point data structure including at least one set of cue point metadata, each set of cue point metadata having (i) an indicator of an elapsed time at which interactive advertising material is to be displayed relative to a time of the video production being played, (ii) a duration for which the interactive advertising material is to be displayed, and (iii) a pointer to the interactive advertising material; and
send a signal representing the identified cue point data structure to the video player, the video player configured such that, for each set of cue point metadata:
(a) the interactive advertising material indicated by the pointer in the corresponding set of cue point metadata is retrieved, and
(b) the retrieved interactive advertising material is displayed for the duration indicated in that set of cue point metadata at the elapsed time indicated in that set of cue point metadata.
15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the video player is configured to display, for each set of cue point metadata, a visual cue point in a video timeline associated with the video production.
16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the retrieved interactive advertising material is configured to enable a user to provide transaction information to a remote server.
17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein at least some of the retrieved interactive advertising material relates to the at least one product or service that is displayed during playback of the video production.
18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein:
at least some of the retrieved interactive advertising material relates to the at least one product or service that is displayed during playback of the video production; and
the video player is configured to facilitate a purchase of the at least one product or service based on the retrieved interactive advertising material related thereto.
19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the video player is further configured such that at least some of the interactive advertising material is retrieved by the video player before playback of the video production associated with the cue point data structure.
20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the cue point data structure is sent to the video player separately from the video production.
21 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, the instructions when executed by at least one computer processor causing the at least one computer processor to:
send a playback request for a video production;
receive, in response to the playback request:
(a) a signal representing the video production, the video production including at least one product or service that is displayed during display of the video production, and
(b) a signal representing a cue point data structure associated with the video production and distinct from the signal representing the video production, the cue point data structure including at least one set of cue point metadata, each set of cue point metadata having (i) an indicator of an elapsed time at which interactive advertising material is to be displayed relative to a time of the video production being played, (ii) a duration for which the interactive advertising material is to be displayed, and (iii) a pointer to the interactive advertising material;
request the interactive advertising material for each set of cue point metadata;
display the video production based on the signal representing the video production; and
display the interactive advertising material for each set of cue point metadata at the elapsed time indicated in that set of cue point metadata for the duration indicated in that set of cue point metadata.
22 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , further comprising instructions to:
display a visual cue point for each set of cue point metadata in a video timeline associated with the video production.
23 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , further comprising instructions to:
display a visual cue point for each set of cue point metadata in a selectively displayable video timeline that is associated with the video production.
24 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , further comprising instructions to:
enable submission of user information to a remote server to allow the user to conduct a transaction.
25 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the instructions to request interactive advertising material for each set of cue point metadata include instructions to request the interactive advertising material prior to display of the video production.
26 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the instructions to display the interactive advertising material include instructions to display at least some of the interactive advertising material as an overlay that is transparent in portions.