Method and system for dynamic content insertion in electronic messages
A system and method for providing dynamic pay-for-placement advertisements via graphics-enabled email that generates a display of advertisements when the email newsletter is opened so the advertisements displayed are based on rankings at the time the email is opened instead of when the email was generated and transmitted. In one embodiment, a graphical-content email having one or more embedded advertisement image references is provided to one or more email recipients. The advertisement image reference, in one embodiment, may include query string parameters indicating the context of the image reference and/or portion of the image reference (i.e., identifying the image reference as being part of a particular newsletter email), a position of the image reference in the email display, and the like. A URL reference also may be included with each advertisement image reference (.e.g., one URL for each advertisement portion of the image to be retrieved by the advertising image reference).
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
identifying, by one or more processors, an electronic message including computer code instructions and a network-based locator provided to an account associated with a client during a first time period, the computer code instructions and the network-based locator configured to cause a device associated with the account, upon access of the electronic message, to automatically send a content item request to one or more content provider servers to provide one or more content items for presentation on the electronic message, the network-based locator specific to the electronic message provided to the account;
maintaining, by the one or more content provider servers, during or prior to the first time period, for the electronic message corresponding to the network-based locator, a ranking of candidate content items for presentation on the electronic message, including updating, at a second time subsequent to the first time period, the ranking of candidate content items;
receiving, at a third time subsequent to the second time, by the one or more content provider servers, from the device, a request for content including the network-based locator, the request for content automatically transmitted from the device responsive to the device requesting access to the electronic message;
dynamically identifying, responsive to the request for content and using the network-based locator, a content item of the candidate content items based on the updated ranking of the candidate content items; and
providing, by the one or more content provider servers, the identified content item for presentation on the electronic message.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ranking of the candidate content items at the first time period is different than the ranking of the candidate content items at the second time.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer code instructions of the electronic message remains unchanged between the first time period when the electronic message is provided to the account and the third time when the request for content is received from the device associated with the account.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a content item layout in response to receiving the request for content from the device, wherein the content item layout specifies where in a content item image to present first content for a first content provider and second content for a second content provider;
generating an updated content item image according to the content item layout after receiving the request for content from the client device; and
providing the updated content item image to the device for presentation on the electronic message.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ranking of the candidate content items is determined based on a subject of the electronic message.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising updating the ranking of the content items responsive to updates to selection data used to rank the content items.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an indication that the device has selected the identified content item; and
dynamically selecting, after receiving the indication that the identified content item has been selected, a target network-based location of a content provider without modifying the computer code instructions of the electronic message, the target network-based location being a network-based location associated with the identified content item.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first content item different than the identified content item is a highest-ranked content item at the first time period, and wherein the identified content item is a highest-ranked content item at the second time.
9. A system comprising:
one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
identifying an electronic message including computer code instructions and a network-based locator provided to an account associated with a client during a first time period, the computer code instructions and the network-based locator configured to cause a device associated with the account, upon access of the electronic message, to automatically send a content item request to one or more content provider servers to provide one or more content items for presentation on the electronic message, the network-based locator specific to the electronic message provided to the account;
maintaining, during or prior to the first time period, for the electronic message corresponding to the network-based locator, a ranking of candidate content items for presentation on the electronic message, including updating, at a second time subsequent to the first time period, the ranking of candidate content items;
receiving, at a third time subsequent to the second time, by the one or more content provider servers, from the device, a request for content including the network-based locator, the request for content automatically transmitted from the device responsive to the device requesting access to the electronic message;
dynamically identifying, responsive to the request for content and using the network-based locator, a content item of the candidate content items based on the updated ranking of the candidate content items; and
providing the identified content item for presentation on the electronic message.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the ranking of the candidate content items at the first time period is different than the ranking of the candidate content items at the second time.
11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the computer code instructions of the electronic message remains unchanged between the first time period when the electronic message is provided to the account and the third time when the request for content is received from the device associated with the account.
12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise:
generating a content item layout in response to receiving the request for content from the device, wherein the content item layout specifies where in a content item image to present first content for a first content provider and second content for a second content provider;
generating an updated content item image according to the content item layout after receiving the request for content from the client device; and
providing the updated content item image to the device for presentation on the electronic message.
13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the ranking of the candidate content items is determined based on a subject of the electronic message.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise updating the ranking of the content items responsive to updates to selection data used to rank the content items.
15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving an indication that the device has selected the identified content item; and
dynamically selecting, after receiving the indication that the identified content item has been selected, a target network-based location of a content provider without modifying the computer code instructions of the electronic message, the target network-based location being a network-based location associated with the identified content item.
16. The system of claim 9 , wherein a first content item different than the identified content item is a highest-ranked content item at the first time period, and wherein the identified content item is a highest-ranked content item at the second time.
17. A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
identifying an electronic message including computer code instructions and a network-based locator provided to an account associated with a client during a first time period, the computer code instructions and the network-based locator configured to cause a device associated with the account, upon access of the electronic message, to automatically send a content item request to one or more content provider servers to provide one or more content items for presentation on the electronic message, the network-based locator specific to the electronic message provided to the account;
maintaining, during or prior to the first time period, for the electronic message corresponding to the network-based locator, a ranking of candidate content items for presentation on the electronic message, including updating, at a second time subsequent to the first time period, the ranking of candidate content items;
receiving, at a third time subsequent to the second time, by the one or more content provider servers, from the device, a request for content including the network-based locator, the request for content automatically transmitted from the device responsive to the device requesting access to the electronic message;
dynamically identifying, responsive to the request for content and using the network-based locator, a content item of the candidate content items based on the updated ranking of the candidate content items; and
providing the identified content item for presentation on the electronic message.
18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the ranking of the candidate content items at the first time period is different than the ranking of the candidate content items at the second time.
19. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the computer code instructions of the electronic message remains unchanged between the first time period when the electronic message is provided to the account and the third time when the request for content is received from the device associated with the account.
20. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise:
generating a content item layout in response to receiving the request for content from the device, wherein the content item layout specifies where in a content item image to present first content for a first content provider and second content for a second content provider;
generating an updated content item image according to the content item layout after receiving the request for content from the client device; and
providing the updated content item image to the device for presentation on the electronic message.