Apple is taking a new hands-off approach to iAd
Instead of selling ads on its own, Apple will let publishers sell them directly through iAd.
Apple's big foray into advertising isn't working out as expected. Six years after launching iAd, the company will soon take a step back from selling ads on its own platform, and will instead open things up directly to publishers, BuzzFeed reports. Consequently, Apple will also phase out its iAd sales force. "It's just not something we're very good at," one source told the site. The move is a bit surprising -- iAd was once heralded as a potential revolution in advertising (Nielsen once called it more effective than TV commercials) -- but it's also a sign that Apple is finally refocusing on its own strengths.
So what does this mean for you? Potentially, we might see more interesting iAd units floating around, now that publishers will be able to create, sell and manage them entirely on their own. That's a huge difference from before, when they had to work with Apple to approve ads. Additionally, Buzzfeed says they'll also keep all of the revenues those ads generate.
[Photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
