Click-through rate prediction in online advertising: A literature review. Issue 2 (March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yang, Yanwu; Zhai, Panyu
• Is Part Of: Information processing & management. Volume 59:Issue 2(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-03
• Subjects: Click-through rate -- CTR prediction -- Prediction models -- Online advertising; Information storage and retrieval systems -- Periodicals; Information science -- Periodicals; Systèmes d'information -- Périodiques; Sciences de l'information -- Périodiques; Information science; Information storage and retrieval systems; Periodicals; 658.4038
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ipm.2021.102853
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4573

Abstract

Highlights: We make a comprehensive literature review on state-of-the-art and latest CTR prediction research, with a special focus on modeling frameworks. We give a classification of state-of-the-art CTR prediction models in the extant literature, and present modeling frameworks, advantages and disadvantages, and implementations in CTR prediction. We summarize CTR prediction models with respect to the complexity and the order of feature interactions, and performance evaluation on various datasets. We identify challenges and interesting perspectives worthy of further exploration. Abstract: Predicting the probability that a user will click on a specific advertisement has been a prevalent issue in online advertising, attracting much research attention in the past decades. As a hot research frontier driven by industrial needs, recent years have witnessed more and more novel learning models employed to improve advertising CTR prediction. Although extant research provides necessary details on algorithmic design for addressing a variety of specific problems in advertising CTR prediction, the methodological evolution and connections between modeling frameworks are precluded. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are few comprehensive surveys on this topic. We make a systematic literature review on state-of-the-art and latest CTR prediction research, with a special focus on modeling frameworks. Specifically, we give a classification of state-of-the-art CTR prediction models in the extant literature, within which basic modeling frameworks and their extensions, advantages and disadvantages, and performance assessment for CTR prediction are presented. Moreover, we summarize CTR prediction models with respect to the complexity and the order of feature interactions, and performance comparisons on various datasets. Furthermore, we identify current research trends, main challenges and potential future directions worthy of further explorations. This review is expected to provide fundamental knowledge and efficient entry points for IS and marketing scholars who want to engage in this area.