Online exchange for internet ad media

An online media exchange comprising a computer system with:

• means for storing data defining an offer to sell advertising media, the data including data defining a consumer action as a variable input for calculating compensation payable to a publisher for purchase of the advertising media;
• means for storing data defining an offer to purchase advertising media, the data including data defining a consumer action as a variable input for calculating compensation payable to an advertiser for purchase of the advertising media;
• means for comparing the data defining an offer to sell advertising media and the data defining an offer to purchase advertising media;
• means for establishing a contract between an advertiser and a publisher based on the stored data defining an offer to sell advertising media and the stored data defining an offer to purchase advertising media;
• and means for tracking commissions owed, billed and received under the contract.

A method for operating an online media exchange, the method comprising:

• an exchange system configured to provide a user interface to advertisers and publishers accessing the online media exchange;
• a publisher to sell ad spots;
• an advertiser with ad campaigns;
• receiving from one or more advertisers data defining bids to purchase advertising media;
• receiving from one or more publishers data defining offers to sell advertising media;
• matching bid to purchase of a contracting advertiser with an offer to sell of respective contracting publishers to form respective contracts;
• serving advertising content including advertising media defined by the contract to consumers accessing websites of the respective publishers;
• and
• passing back the untargetable or unclassifiable ad media when a match is not able to be made to one or more backup ad networks designated by the publisher.

A method for operating a computer system, the method comprising:

• storing data defining an offer to sell advertising media, the data including data defining a consumer action as a variable input for calculating compensation payable to a publisher for purchase of the advertising media;
• storing data defining an offer to purchase advertising media, the data including data defining a consumer action as a variable input for calculating compensation payable to an advertiser for purchase of the advertising media;
• comparing the data defining an offer to sell advertising media and the data defining an offer to purchase advertising media;
• and establishing a contract between an advertiser and a publisher based on the stored data defining an offer to sell advertising media and the stored data defining an offer to purchase advertising media.

A method for operating an online media exchange comprising:

• receiving from one or more advertisers data defining offers to sell advertising media;
• receiving from one or more publishers data defining bids to purchase advertising media;
• matching an offer to sell of a contracting advertiser with one or more bids to purchase of respective contracting publishers to form respective contracts;
• and serving advertising content including advertising media defined by the contract to consumers accessing websites of the respective publishers.

A method for trading advertising media, the method comprising:

• providing an exchange data structure accessible via a communications network;
• storing in said data structure data defining an offer to sell advertising media, said data defining a selling compensation scheme which uses a consumer action as a variable input to calculate compensation payable to purchase said advertising media;
• storing in said data structure data defining an offer to purchase advertising media, said data defining a purchasing compensation scheme which uses a consumer action as a variable input to calculate compensation payable to purchase said advertising media;
• comparing said offer to sell and said offer to purchase, to identify whether said offer to purchase meets the terms of said offer to sell.

A method for publishing information on the current market value of media, the method comprising:

• providing an exchange data structure accessible via a communications network;
• storing in said data structure data defining an offer to sell advertising media, said data defining a selling compensation scheme which uses a consumer action as a variable input to calculate compensation payable to purchase said advertising media;
• storing in said data structure data defining an offer to purchase advertising media, said data defining a purchasing compensation scheme which uses a consumer action as a variable input to calculate compensation payable to purchase said advertising media;
• publishing said data defining an offer to purchase or said data defining an offer to sell.

A system for trading advertising media, comprising:

• an exchange data structure accessible via a communications network;
• stored in said data structure, data defining an offer to sell advertising media, said data defining a selling compensation scheme which uses a consumer action as a variable input to calculate compensation payable to purchase said advertising media;
• stored in said data structure, data defining an offer to purchase advertising media, said data defining a purchasing compensation scheme which uses a consumer action as a variable input to calculate compensation payable to purchase said advertising media;
• means to compare said offer to sell and said offer to purchase, to identify whether said offer to purchase meets the terms of said offer to sell.

A system for publishing information on the current market value of media, comprising:

• an exchange data structure accessible via a communications network;
• stored in said data structure, data defining an offer to sell advertising media, said data defining a selling compensation scheme which uses a consumer action as a variable input to calculate compensation payable to purchase said advertising media;
• stored in said data structure, data defining an offer to purchase advertising media, said data defining a purchasing compensation scheme which uses a consumer action as a variable input to calculate compensation payable to purchase said advertising media;
• publishing means for publishing said data defining an offer to purchase or said data defining an offer to sell.