Problem Statement

Define an ad-engagement prediction task for a particular placement. Search ads can use an explicit query, while feed ads rely on the user and browsing context. Both require a clear definition of the event being predicted.

Problem statement

The interviewer has asked you to build a system to show relevant ads to users.

Visualizing the problem

There are two well-known advertising platforms Google and Facebook, that run advertisements paid for by businesses.

For the interview, distinguish the ad-selection setting from the prediction target. The presence of a query changes the available evidence; it does not by itself decide whether the model should predict a click, purchase, or another action.