Monthly Archive for June, 2010

If you hadn’t heard yet, Apple is set to launch its very own mobile ad network July 1. It’s inconveniently named iAd. Well, inconvenient for those in the advertising industry who may find themselves in meetings asking, “what’s the status of our iAd… ad?” Initially, iAd will be available to all iPhone and IPod Touch users running iOS 4, and eventually, we’ll see iAd on the iPad.

But since the iAd network hasn’t even launched yet, you might be wondering why we’re even discussing it? The fact that Apple has announced $60 million in bookings for the second half of 2010, giving it about half of the total predicted mobile ad spend in the United States, makes iAd instantly relevant.

As someone who spends a great deal of time thinking about how consumers identify with brands, iAd’s ability to target ads based on consumers’ iTunes’ store download preferences is very cool. To connect with men and women interested in soccer, rather than buying banner ad space on ESPN.com or soccer-specific websites, iAd will allow advertising on soccer apps such as potentially iFootie where fans can get scores and standings from multiple leagues or Real Soccer 2009, a video game app.

But the real reason to pay close attention to iAd after its launch and beyond is how it changes the advertising experience from a consumer point of view. Steve Jobs promises mobile users, “a new way to explore ads without being hijacked out of their favorite apps.”

In recent years, advertising has aimed to inspire brand engagement, but not within the actual ad. Ads have driven us to websites, microsites, and to storefronts. iAd will challenge the thinking of agencies who must now consider what content will engage consumers within the ad vs. what content is more appropriate elsewhere. Will iAd change the way consumers think of advertising? Maybe, but only if agencies change the way we think of advertising.

See a demo of iAd.

The talk of town this week is Steve Job’s announcement about the iPhone 4 at this years WWDC.   Within moments many sites had posted all about the hardware and the features delivered by the new phone.  Yes, the new iPhone is very cool.

However, there was another announcement of greater importance: the new operating system called iOS 4.  Why is the new name iOS 4? Because the OS is not only for the phone, but also for the iPod and the iPad.

Sometime ago, I posted about the iPad and how it wasn’t for business, at least, not yet.  Well, maybe my “soon” is closer than I think.

Many of the business-friendly features available on most computing devices will now be available to the iPhone and will be available this fall on the iPad via Apple’s iOS 4.  There are over 100 new features available in the new OS, but here are some of the big ones:

Multitasking
This one’s easy.  We do many things at once, why shouldn’t our devices?

Better Email Support
iOS 4 will have a unified inbox with better organization tools and email encryption.  This all shakes out to mean easier and more effective collaboration.

SSL VPN Support
Not being able to connect to your corporate network securely is usually a deal killer with IT departments, this will no longer be the case.

These three features alone address great integration potential into current people’s workflow.  And, with the iPhone 4′s debut, there’s a lot of insight on what’s in store for this device’s future. (i.e., greater resolution, faster processor, better battery life, and cameras)

So what’s this all mean for our industry?

It means that the iPad has the potential to be a powerful and effective sales presentation tool that reps can easily carry in and out of offices without the worry of the bulkiness or the wake-up time normally associated with a PC.  Mercedes-Benz has already made plans to integrate the device within their marketing process both at the consumer level and on the sales floor.

This ultimately means that other ultra mobile device manufacturers better step up to the plate or they will miss the boat.  Apple has already learned from early adopters/critics of the first generation iPad as well a from the massive user base of umpteenth generation iPhone.

A lot of our clients have already been asking for iPad solutions as well as we’re seeing many RFI’s requesting our capabilities within the technology.  And, I can assure you that our developers are currently playing with the iPhone SDK 4 GM Seed, and have a number of solutions in the works.  More, definitely, to come.