We saw it coming with the release of the iPad—Apple is taking “dead aim at Google’s search advertising” with its iAd mobile advertising platform (MediaPost.com). The good news for agencies like ours is that it brings another competitor to the marketplace and expands the reach of our geotargeted, hyper-local mobile advertising.  Yes, it has taken some time for publishers to get on the mobile advertising bandwagon, particularly with the dramatic increase in and technological improvements to mobile devices (such as the iPhone, Android, and other “smart” phones) over the past few years.

Our agency has worked with some of the “early adapters” for some time now—Pandora, Yelp, AdMob and Google Mobile, among others—and with moderate success for our clients.

We don’t see mobile digital advertising as a replacement for traditional online display ads (did we actually just use the word “traditional” to describe online advertising?!?), but it certainly is another option to offer for campaigns with specific geo and demographic targets. For example, if we have a campaign that has a primary goal of reaching 18-34 year-old males in a specific state with a precise number of impressions in mind, and a secondary goal of a high click-through and conversion rate (say, signing up on a web site), mobile advertising is something we would absolutely consider including in that proposal—from Pandora music to text ads.

Read more about Apple’s iAd mobile platform here and, as always, contact us directly if you have a product or service you’re ready to take to the (digital) streets!