Deep-linking system, method and computer program product for online advertisement and e-commerce
Embodiments disclosed herein can leverage dynamic data, fields and implied information from arbitrary web sites, mobile apps and other forms of online media to create a universal variable map and automatically generate deep-linked ads utilizing the universal variable map, linking any arbitrary web site, mobile app, network, Internet TV channel, and other forms of online media to any other such arbitrary web site, mobile app, network, Internet TV channel, and other forms of online media. The automatically generated deep-linked ads can be inserted into any ad server and served out from there in real-time. A deep-linked ad thus presented to a user can take the user from a starting page on one site or application where the ad is displayed directly to a resulting page such as a checkout page on another site or mobile application, with pertinent information already pre-populated, and action already initiated for the user.
1. A method, comprising:
generating, by a server computer, a deep-linked ad utilizing a universal variable map stored in a data store and accessible by the server computer, the universal variable map linking programming variables across multiple sites on the Internet and applications;
serving, by the server computer, the deep-linked ad through a first site or mobile application, the deep-linked ad linking a first set of programming variables of the first site on the Internet or the first mobile applications with a second set of programming variables of a second site on the Internet or a second mobile application, the first set of programming variables being associated with the second set of programming variables in the universal variable map stored in the data store; and
in response to a user interacting with the deep-linked ad displayed on a user device through an instance of the first site on the Internet or the first mobile application:
extracting, through the first site on the Internet or the first mobile application, values corresponding to the first set of programming variables;
automatically directing the user device to the second site on the Internet or the second mobile application; and
passing the values corresponding to the first set of programming variables to the second set of programming variables such that one or more fields corresponding to the second set of programming variables of the second site on the Internet or the second mobile application are explicitly or implicitly pre-populated with the values extracted through the first site on the Internet or the first mobile application.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein serving the deep-linked ad comprises inserting the deep-linked ad into a video on the first site on the Internet or in the first mobile application, the video showing a product or service.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the deep-linked ad is selected based on content being displayed or played to the user through the first site on the Internet or the first mobile application.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein serving the deep-linked ad comprises fetching and displaying a deep-linked page, the deep-linked page having information for a product or service.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the first set of programming variables comprises a programming variable associated with the product or the service and wherein the second set of programming variables comprises a programming variable associated with an attribute or element of the product or the service.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second site on the Internet comprises a second deep-linked ad that utilizes the universal variable map stored in the data store and wherein the second deep-linked ad links the second set of programming variables of the second site on the Internet with a third set of programming variables of a third site on the Internet or a third mobile application, the second set of programming variables being associated with the third set of programming variables in the universal variable map stored in the data store.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein interaction between an end user and the second deep-linked ad on the second site on the Internet, through a browser running on a computing device of the end user, directs the browser to the third site on the Internet or to the third mobile application and passes values corresponding to the second set of programming variables to the third set of programming variables such that one or more fields corresponding to the third set of programming variables of the third site on the Internet or the third mobile application are explicitly or implicitly pre-populated with the values passed from the first site on the Internet or the first mobile application through the second site on the Internet to the third site on the Internet or the third mobile application.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second mobile application comprises a second deep-linked ad that utilizes the universal variable map stored in the data store and wherein the second deep-linked ad links the second set of programming variables of the second mobile application with a third set of programming variables of a third site on the Internet or a third mobile application, the second set of programming variables being associated with the third set of programming variables in the universal variable map stored in the data store.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein interaction between an end user and the second deep-linked ad in the second mobile application on a computing device of the end user directs the computing device to the third site on the Internet or to the third mobile application and passes values corresponding to the second set of programming variables to the third set of programming variables such that one or more fields corresponding to the third set of programming variables of the third site on the Internet or the third mobile application are explicitly or implicitly pre-populated with the values passed from the first site on the Internet or the first mobile application through the second mobile application to the third site on the Internet or the third mobile application.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the deep-linked ad comprises at least one of a page, a banner, an icon, an animated ad, a text-based ad, or a check box.