Ad Targeting Engine Mockup

Overview

This project implements a mockup of an ad targeting engine, demonstrating how user data can be used to serve personalized advertisements. It uses Python and Flask to create a basic API that simulates the ad targeting process.

Features

• Simulates user profiles with age and interests
• Matches ads to users based on targeting criteria
• Provides a simple API endpoint to serve targeted ads

Technologies Used

• Python 3.7+
• Flask
• JSON for data storage

Installation and Usage

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/simonedimeglio/ad-targeting-engine-mockup.git
   

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd ad-targeting-engine-mockup
   

3. Install the required dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

4. Run the Flask application:

   python app.py
   

5. Access the API at http://localhost:5000/serve_ad/<user_id>, where <user_id> is one of the user IDs in the users.json file (e.g., user1, user2, user3).

API Endpoint

• GET /serve_ad/<user_id>: Returns user data and a served ad based on the user's profile.

Example response:

{
  "user_data": {
    "age": 25,
    "interests": ["tech", "gaming", "sports"]
  },
  "ad_served": {
    "category": "gaming",
    "message": "Buy the latest console!"
  }
}

Customization

To modify the available users or ads, edit the JSON files in the data/ directory.

Future Enhancements

• Implement more complex targeting algorithms
• Add more user attributes for targeting (e.g., location, browsing history)
• Create a front-end interface to visualize the targeting process
• Implement real-time user data updates

Contributing

Contributions to improve the mockup or extend its functionality are welcome. Please feel free to submit pull requests or open issues for bugs and feature requests.

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Author

Created by Simone Di Meglio