Google's Wireless Advertising Plans

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: April 8, 2006 10:02:10 AM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Google's Wireless Advertising Plans
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com

April 7, 2006
Google's Wireless Advertising Plans
By David Miller

<http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/3597381>

The price of a free citywide wireless network planned for San  
Francisco may be increased advertising for users.

A patent application filed recently by Google details a method of  
pushing highly targeted advertising to users of wireless hotspots,  
and sharing the ad revenue with the wireless service provider.

On Wednesday a San Francisco city commission approved a bid by Google  
and Internet service provider EarthLink to provide free wireless  
access throughout the city. The Department of Telecommunications and  
Information Services will now begin contract negotiations with  
EarthLink and Google.

What makes the Google patent potentially attractive to service  
providers is the search giant's ability to serve up personalized ads.  
According to the patent, the advertising a wireless user would see is  
based on the "geographical location of the WAP, an operation of an  
entity providing the WAP, selected by the entity providing the WAP,  
and a profile of the WAP."

In other words, such a system would allow, for example, a bookstore  
in New York city to push ads for newly published novels that appeal  
to their local customers, or perhaps even ads that suit the shoppers  
buying habits as gleaned from his or her customer loyalty card profile.

Providers of wireless hotspots could also sell advertising for stores  
in a specific vicinity, allowing retailers who run businesses not  
conducive to wireless use to market themelves.

Technically the process works like this: The wireless access point  
directs all traffic to Google through a virtual private network.  
Google's servers process the information and insert the correct ads  
into the datastream that is sent to the end user.

The advertising could be displayed on browser's toolbars, on separate  
interstitial pages, or as part of the content of a Web page.

The patent states that a Web browser's appearance could also be  
altered to display logos or other brand information associated with  
the wireless access provider. It also notes that customers would be  
asked to agree to receive the ads in exchange for free wireless access.

According to the patent, which was filed in 2004 and published by the  
U.S. Patent Office in mid-March, the advertising can be refreshed and  
changed even when the user is not moving from Web page to Web page.

[snip]

Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>



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