iads
Latest
Apple is about to introduce full screen ads to your iOS device
Apple has formally announced two new ad formats for the iAd platform that will make ignoring advertising harder than ever. Developers can now include full-screen interstitial banner ads and pre-roll video ads within their apps. Thanks to the sizes of these ads, each will take over your entire screen when working. This is a huge shift in the aggression of Apple's in-app advertising. While iOS apps have featured full screen ads before, they normally needed to be activated by the user hitting a ad bar or reaching the end of a level. While they'll be slightly annoying, the interstitial ads are nothing compared to how annoying pre-roll video ads will be. These videos can be set to 15, 30, or 60 seconds in length. We'll have to wait until these ads are formally introduced to discover if they're skippable. Hopefully there will be a way around the ads, or we're sitting on the edge of a future where users will have to watch a full minute-long advertisement at the end of every level of a game. Hey, at least it will make the time pass faster while we're waiting 15 minutes for a new life in Candy Crush. You can read the newly updated Apple guide to implementing iAds in iOS apps here. As readers, what do you think? Will the new ad types negatively or positively impact the user experience on iOS devices? Let us know in the comments.
Apple makes its mobile ads bigger, longer, more in your face
Next time you're playing a favorite game on your iPhone and iPad, a huge ad -- or worse, a minute-long video roll -- might take over the screen. iAd platform's full-screen interstitial banner and pre-roll video ads, which were first announced earlier this year, are now available to developers. The full-screen ads appear as transitional screens, say, whenever you reach the end of a game level, while the video ads come in 15, 30 and 60-second variants. These are already available on other ad platforms, of course, but iAds were typically more unobtrusive, just banners that you can click on to launch advertisers' websites. As you'd expect, these new options will cost devs a lot more money. But if Apple does unleash an iPhone with a much larger screen (possibly this September), then these ads might just be worth their cash.
Apple expands iAd workbench to include nine new countries
Apple this past June rolled out iAd Workbench, a service that enables developers to build targeted ad campaigns for their apps while also providing them with tools to easily create ads. Apple describes the service thusly: Reach millions of iOS users with iAd Workbench, the simplest way to create, manage and optimize ad campaigns to promote your apps. Get started in just a few simple steps. Select the right audience for your app and set the best price for your business goals. Build customized banners in minutes. Track your campaign performance and drive downloads at the cost that works for you. From start to finish, iAd Workbench puts you in control. MacNN is now reporting that iAd Workbench has been rolled out to nine additional countries, including Canada, France, Spain, Germany, the UK, Italy, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Once developers have an ad ready to go, they can easily tweak the budget for particular ad campaigns and can even choose to dole out funds on either a cost-per-click or cost-per-acquisition basis.
Reuters: Apple to show off iRadio streaming service next week
Reuters is reporting that among the announcements we'll see at next week's WWDC keynote, Apple will introduce a new music-streaming service called iRadio. The service will be free and ad-supported, Reuters says those in the know claimed, and will feature ads from the iAds team. The service is designed to dive into the already crowded market of music-streaming services, which includes Pandora, Rdio, Spotify, Slacker Radio and a number of other sizable options. I will buy this rumor, but I don't know if Apple's plan is simply to just introduce "another" music streaming service. The company has been working hard with iCloud and iTunes Match to get you access to your music from any of your devices, and my guess is that any "iRadio" reveal would be along those lines, aimed at providing you direct access to any tunes you want to listen to from anywhere. The iAds division was of course put together for running ads on apps, but it makes sense that Apple would want an in-house solution for them to sell, so it sounds like this could work. As with all of these rumors, we won't know what's true until Apple actually takes the stage next week. But at least we don't have too much longer to wait.
iAds gets full accreditation by the Media Ratings Council
AdAge has an interesting article on the risks and challenges advertisers face when displaying ads on mobile devices. Besides the potential that users may never actually tap on your ad, there's also the risk that an advertiser's ads may not display correctly on various devices. If you're an advertiser and that keeps you up at night, you only have one real option for choosing a reliable ad network: Apple's iAds. That's because iAds are the only major mobile ad network yet to be accredited by the Media Ratings Council. As AdAge explains: Apple's iAd earlier this month became the first major mobile-ad network to be fully accredited by the Media Ratings Council as adhering to the standards the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Mobile Marketing Association jointly released earlier this year. During the auditing process, iAd demonstrated accurate reporting of impressions, taps, tap-through-rate, visits, views, views-per-visit, average time spent, conversions, unique devices and unique device visits. Apple said its mobile ad network is more streamlined than others and that it only charges for ads that fully render on users' screens. AdAge notes that Google's DoubleClick is currently going through the process of getting accreditation, but other ad networks like MoPub are debating on whether or not to try to get accreditation because it can cost more than US$100,000.
Omnicom's Paul Wright to run iAds Europe
According to a report in The Drum, Apple is gearing up to expand its iAd advertising network in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To head up this initiative, Apple has allegedly selected Paul Wright, the chief digital director of Omnicom Media Group, as iAd director for the EMEA. Wright has served at Omnicom Media Group for over a year as its chief digital officer. He has also served as chief digital officer of the OMD Group UK, a subsidiary of Omnicom. Apple has not confirmed this appointment, but The Drum report claims Wright will begin at Apple in the coming months.
Daily Update for October 11, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple offers targeted ad opt-out
Targeted ads present you with advertising keyed to your interests and history. If you're an Amazon customer, you've likely received emails related to your recent browsing choices. Gmail ads are based on your Google account contents. Apple is no different. iAds tracks you and offers ads that best match your profile. Apple offers an opt-out choice if you'd rather be served random ads from their iAds service. To use it, first visit http://oo.apple.com from your device. Then set the switch from ON to OFF. You'll be asked to confirm. Tap the red "Opt Out" button. When disabled, you'll still see iAds. However, these will not be tied to you or your specific interests in any way. If at some time you feel the need to return to the previous state of things, you can always revisit the Opt Out page and update your settings.
Samsung's AdHub Market advertising platform set to debut this year
Would it be such a bad idea if Sammy were to try squeezing more revenue out of those five million (and counting) Notes? Not by any means. According to The Wall Street Journal, Samsung, in partnership with OpenX Technologies, is planning to launch an advertising platform of its own at some point during the second half of this year. Dubbed AdHub Market, the service will be able to run on the company's handsets and slates, following a model similar to that of Apple's iAds. The AdHub Market would essentially allow advertisers to shell out cash in exchange for real estate within apps running on most of Samsung's devices. What's not clear, however, is how Google will react to the news...
Samsung to challenge Apple's iAds, Google
Samsung is entering the mobile advertising space by working with OpenX Technologies on a project that would let advertisers place ads on its mobile devices, says a report in The Wall Street Journal. This new service would compete with Apple's iAds and Google's own mobile advertising. Samsung is the leading Android handset maker and the #2 smartphone manufacturer behind Apple. It sells millions of mobile phones each quarter and sees on-device advertising as a chance to grab some extra revenue from its phones. OpenX Chief Executive Tim Cadogan told The Wall Street Journal that "this is the first time any device manufacturer has entered the ad tech space in this way." He added, "It is becoming very clear to the principals in the mobile space that advertising is going to be a very important part of the revenue mix."
Apple reduces iAd pricing, revenue sharing
Apple is reportedly cutting the minimum cost of its iAd service again. According to Ad Age, the threshold for advertisers to acquire the iAd service has dropped from US$500,000 to just $100,000. Furthermore, Apple will reduce revenue sharing by no longer charging advertisers when users click on an ad, as has been the case since iAd launched. Apple's iAd service has not seen the greatest of success. Having launched in 2010, Apple originally charged $1,000,000 for an ad campaign, but many of its initial clients abandoned iAd for services like AdMob, Greystripe, and Millenial Media who operate on multiple platforms. Apple then reduced iAd's minimum rate to $500,000 per campaign. And in July, 2011, Apple offered further incentives by lowering the cost to $300,000 under certain circumstances. At the beginning of this year, Apple brought in former Adobe VP, Todd Teresi, to reinvigorate the service. The new price point seems to be the first step in getting iAd back on track.
Daily Update for January 5, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Apple brings in former Adobe VP to help out iAd
Apple's iAd service hasn't been as successful as the company hoped. While Apple has been able to keep iAd "premium" by keeping up ad costs and only bringing in high profile clients interested in putting out high quality advertisements, it hasn't actually made much money with the service, either for itself or developers who are trying run the ads. Hopefully that will change now that Apple is bringing in a former Adobe VP named Todd Teresi to reinvigorate the iAd service and turn it back into the premiere ad and money generator that Steve Jobs hoped it would be. Teresi formerly oversaw Adobe's media solutions division, and he may either tweak the system so it's a little more appetizing for advertisers or bring more and bigger accounts on board so these ads can be served to developers. As for the developers we've talked to, they're more than happy to keep serving iAds as long as they can also serve ads from other services. Competing ad services may not pay as much to developers, but at least they pay something -- many iAds never get shown simply because advertisers aren't willing to pay for them. Hopefully Teresi can fix that and get iAd back up to where Jobs originally wanted it to be.
Apple changes approach to iAds
Apple is reportedly altering the terms of its iAds mobile advertising service in an attempt to attract more customers. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that the price of entry has dropped (again) as Apple is becoming more flexible with the pricing structure in general and even wooing potential advertisers onsite in Cupertino. According to "a person familiar with the matter," the WSJ reports that the price of entry has dropped to US$400,000. That's down from the half-a-million price tag the company adopted in February and further still from the cool million that was required when the service launched. The Journal also suggests that Apple is prepared to cap its per-tap charge to advertisers. Previously unlimited, the $2 per-tap fee (and $10 per thousand views) was quickly draining advertising budgets. There were no further details on how the cap would work or when it will take effect. Finally, Apple has supposedly been providing high-profile marketing executives with information sessions and tours of the Cupertino campus. While this is common practice for many Silicon Valley corporations, the Journal notes that Apple hasn't wooed advertising executives like this before. Shiv Singh, head of digital at PepsiCo Beverages, told the Journal "[Apple] are still learning the advertising world." The success of the iAds program has been debated by analysts on the outside. In August of 2010, just a month after the first iAds began to appear, the Wall Street Journal noted that advertisers were balking at Apple's insistence on creative control, causing friction. A pricey trademark settlement reportedly costs Apple $1M in October of 2010. Then in February of this year, a study conducted by Medialets suggested that iOS ads were surging against Android.
Apple releases iAd Producer 2.0
Apple has released version 2 of iAd Producer, a piece of software that helps advertisers put together iAds, which are then sent out to be shown in iOS apps across the platform. The latest version offers up many improvements, including project validation and a new feature called the "Object List." Project validation will make sure any material uploaded to the project is typed, sized, and configured correctly, and it will even help iAd creators fix performance problems and other errors. The Object List provides quick access to all of the objects in an ad throughout production. Sounds handy -- maybe these better tools will help Apple get more big brands in the somewhat underwhelming iAd program. [via MacStories]
Apple's mobile ad head Andy Miller leaves for Highland Capital
Andy Miller, Mobile Advertising VP and Former Quattro Wireless CEO, is reportedly leaving Apple to join Highland Capital. Highland Capital is a Boston venture capital firm that previously funded ad company Quattro Wireless. Quattro was scooped up by Apple in an early 2010 acquisition. The ad platform was eventually shuttered when Apple decided to focus its efforts on iAd. The departure reflects poorly on iAd which has been slumping. After a launch filled with enthusiasm, the mobile advertising platform has not lived up to performance expectations. To improve adoption, Apple has sliced the price on its iAd campaign by as much as 70%. Apple was initially charging clients US$1 million but those prices may have dropped to as little as $300,000. Even at that reduced price, Apple still has to compete with less expensive alternatives like AdMob and Millennial Media.
Amazon releases ad-supported Kindle
The e-book wars are heating up, and Amazon is doing everything it can to make sure it takes the top spot. Today the internet giant announced that it will sell an ad-supported version of the Kindle for a price of US$114.00. Thankfully, Amazon is being rather tactful with the ads. They will not appear within the e-books themselves but will be relegated to the Kindle home screen and screensavers. Still, the $114 price point seems a little silly; $99 would be a much better psychological buy-in point. While an ad-supported iPad is unlikely, it would be interesting to see Apple offer ad-supported e-books in the iBookstore. Apple does hold quite a few patents on advertising options related to video advertising and hardware subsidization through ads, as well as its iAd platform. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to think that Apple could offer publishers iAds support for their books, which would allow them to sell e-books more cheaply, yet still bring in sufficient (and recurring) revenues.
iAd Gallery breaks App Store guidelines - so what?
There was a modest amount of Internet Fussing after Apple released its iAd Gallery app. Business Insider noted that iAd Gallery appears to violate App Store guideline 2.13, "Apps that are primarily marketing materials or advertisements will be rejected," and MacStories echoed that sentiment. Inneractive noted that a third-party developer had her app rejected for doing basically the same thing that Apple's own iAd Gallery does. Out of all these outlets, Inneractive is the only one that focused on the real point; the third-party developer clearly had the idea for an iAd gallery long before Apple released its version, and it's unfortunate her effort went to waste. There may have been more to that rejection than meets the eye, though; it's likely that some of the iAds advertisers wouldn't have been pleased with their ads showing up in a third-party "gallery" app without their consent, and as Rene Ritchie pointed out this might have been a plausible intellectual property argument against the approval. But even if Apple's iAd Gallery would have or should have been rejected if it was a third-party app, the key point here is it's not a third-party app. Apple doesn't have to follow the same rules as third-party developers. For instance, Apple can use private APIs and frameworks as much as it wants, and its home-grown Weather and Notes apps show it has no problem whatsoever with releasing apps that have "limited functionality" (snap).
Apple introduces iAd Gallery app four days late
When next someone asks you, "Hey, what is the top app I should put on my new iPhone? Can you recommend something that will be insanely useful, offer lots of long-term functionality and really show off my device?" Consider how much you dislike this person. Then, if they really deserve it, recommend Apple's new iAd Gallery app. This free application offers "Great ads. On-demand. In your pocket." The application allows users to view and interact with Apple's stable of paid advertisements, as if nothing less would be sufficient to demonstrate our complete lack of a life. This app is really only appropriate for the most, uh, loyal Apple fan. Of course, it's also a way for Apple to potentially nudge/guilt hesitant iAd buyers into joining the club. That's because iAd Gallery may help sell Apple's fledgling (and some say struggling) service to a broader market. What purpose does this app serve (other than to make people laugh out loud) if it's not to let advertisers review existing ads before dipping their own toes into the water? Sure, existing advertisers can see their ads playing on a real live iDevice, but that's not enough motivation to release a whole appful of them. The advertisements in iAd Gallery do appear to be broader and more comprehensive than those you may encounter randomly in ad-supported free applications. This wider coverage may allow those potential advertisers to help plan their own campaigns. Caution: iAd Gallery is rated 12+ for infrequent/mild alcohol, tobacco or drug use, or references. [via Business Insider]
Apple releases iAd Gallery app: all ads, all the time
Tired of apps always getting in the way of your ads? There's an app for that. Update: Well, it looks like there's a bit more to this story. It turns out a developer of a similar ad-only app informed us a while back that her Ads Tube app (demoed after the break) was rejected by Apple because there was "not enough user functionality." Guess it finally worked out that problem itself.
