Serving ad requests using user generated photo ads

A computing device comprising:

• a hardware communication interface;
• and
• a hardware controller associated with the communication interface and adapted to:
• obtaining a plurality of user-created photo advertisements, each photo advertisement of the plurality of user-created photo advertisements being generated based on a corresponding photo ad template having one or more photo wells such that a filler image of a different one of one or more participants identified for the photo advertisement is inserted into each of the one or more photo wells in the corresponding photo ad template, wherein one or more of the user-created photo advertisements are each associated with a check-in zone and including the one or more participants for the photo advertisement indicates simultaneous presence of the one or more participants within the check-in zone;
• store the plurality of user-created photo advertisements;
• and
• effect use of the plurality of user-created photo advertisements as sponsored advertisements.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing software for instructing a controller of a computing device to:

• obtaining a plurality of user-created photo advertisements, each photo advertisement of the plurality of user-created photo advertisements being generated based on a corresponding photo ad template having one or more photo wells such that a filler image of a different one of one or more participants identified for the photo advertisement is inserted into each of the one or more photo wells in the corresponding photo ad template, wherein one or more of the user-created photo advertisements are each associated with a check-in zone and including the one or more participants for the photo advertisement indicates simultaneous presence of the one or more participants within the check-in zone;
• store the plurality of user-created photo advertisements;
• and
• effect use of the plurality of user-created photo advertisements as sponsored advertisements.

A server computer hosting a social networking service, comprising:

• a hardware communication interface;
• and
• a hardware controller associated with the communication interface and adapted to:
• obtain a photo advertisement for presentation to a target user, wherein the photo advertisement includes one or more filler images for one or more participants in the photo advertisement and at least one filler image is for at least one participant of the one or more participants that is within a defined degree of separation from the target user in a social network maintained by the social networking service, wherein the photo advertisement is associated with a check-in zone and including the participants with the photo advertisement indicates simultaneous presence of the participants within the check-in zone;
• and
• present the photo advertisement to the target user.