Mobile Advertising

Verizon Makes No Bones About New Ad-Friendly Privacy Terms
October 14, 2011

Verizon Wireless has changed its privacy policy to permit it to do, well, almost anything it wants to with users' data. The new policy, which is opt-out, allows it to track subscribers' Web browsing, location and app usage behavior. The policy allows it to share this data with third parties in order to produce business and marketing reports, although in these instances, the data will be anonymized.

The Plight of the Android App Wallflowers
August 19, 2011

Android device users spend more time on their apps than on the mobile Web, and the top 10 apps account for 43 percent of that time, according to Nielsen. When the top 50 Android apps are considered, they account for 61 percent of the time Android device users spend on apps. That means the rest of the nearly 250,000 Android apps available have to compete for the remaining 39 percent of users' time spent on apps.

Opt-In Text Marketing - What's Not to Love?
July 20, 2011

Let's face it, texting is ubiquitous. A constant stream of information comes and goes through our phones. Harnessing the power of this medium to reach customers is the goal of a whole new breed of mobile marketers. "If you want to reach everyone, text messaging is the only way to do that," said Josh Malin, marketing director with Ez Texting.

Top 10 Mobile App Trends and Opportunities
July 19, 2011

It is extremely exciting to be in the middle of what is arguably the fastest growing segment of the largest growing market in the world right now -- the mobile application ecosystem. While this segment has many components and even more underlying noise and confusion, it is possible to see some patterns emerging.

Android Pulls In 500,000 Pairs of Eyeballs Every Day
June 28, 2011

Each day, more than half a million Android devices fire up. That's the word from Andy Rubin, Google's VP of engineering. In a Twitter post Monday, Rubin also noted the number of Android daily activations is growing 4.4 percent week over week. It was only two months ago that Google touted daily activations at 400,000.

Marketers Home In on New Mobile Ad Opportunities
May 23, 2011

Mobile-connected devices allow users to browse where desktop computers can't go, thus increasing the amount of online connectivity for many consumers. This could make a major difference in how marketers choose to reach consumers online. A Nielson report released last week details just how customers use their tablets, smartphone and e-readers -- information that's likely to illuminate prospects for advertisers.

Dev Grumbling Over Rumored Anti-Kids-Apps iAd Policy
May 12, 2011

Reports have surfaced suggesting that Apple has decided to stop displaying iAd network ads on apps geared toward children. This appears to be a policy change on the part of Apple, which cited low interest on the part of advertisers. At the center of the buzz is Mike Zornek, developer of the Dex app for iPhone and iPod touch, who reportedly received an email from the iAd Network Support team about the new policy.

Bing Capitalizes on the Online Coupon Craze
March 04, 2011

Microsoft's search engine, Bing, launched a new daily deals aggregator on Thursday. The service, called "Bing deals," compiles offers from Groupon, Livingsocial, Restaurant.com and more through a partnership with The DealMap. Bing deals is able to sort by location based on a user's mobile device, allowing people to find deals at nearby restaurants, for example.

Retail Industry Is Ripe for Mobile
February 12, 2011

A strong candidate for mCRM solutions is the retail industry -- an enormous business worldwide that includes apparel, restaurants, department stores, pharmacies, grocery, home and hardware, discount and speciality stores, hotels, malls, airports, convenience, and even telecoms. One American guide claims a database of 698,000 retail chains in the U.S. and Canada.

9 Ways to Turn Up the Ringer on Mobile Marketing
January 21, 2011

While marketers have long pursued the mobile or "third" screen, this channel is just now becoming a realistic option for most brands. Meeting consumer demand at the precise moment of that demand is not just push marketing, either. The new mobile environment empowers consumers to initiate the interaction.

Apple Lets Mobile Trackers Have a Field Day, Alleges Consumer Lawsuit
December 28, 2010

Apple and several app creators have been passing along mobile device users' personal information to advertisers without their permission or knowledge, alleges Jonathan Lalo of Los Angeles in a lawsuit filed in Northern California's federal district court. App creators named in the suit include Pandora, Dictionary.com, Toss It, Text4Plus, The Weather Channel, Talking Tom Cat, and Pimple Popper Lite.

iAds' Growing Pains: Irritation or Agony?
October 06, 2010

Pressure is mounting on Apple from the outside -- and from within. The company is rumored to have lost yet another major customer for its iAds mobile advertising platform: sporting apparel giant Adidas. Scuttlebutt has it that Adidas pulled its ad campaign, worth more than $10 million, because of dissatisfaction over the tight control Apple CEO Steve Jobs insists on exerting over the creative process.

NYTCo Dons Software Vendor Cap: Q&A With News Services Director Christine Topalian
September 14, 2010

It's no secret that newspaper companies are seeking new sources of revenue as readers -- and the advertising dollars that typically follow them -- migrate to electronic media. The New York Times Co. was among the first newspaper publishers to deliver its content to mobile devices. Now, it's hoping to turn a profit by helping other publishers to do the same.

What Sort of Game Is Google Playing?
August 31, 2010

Google continued its shopping spree through the social networking marketplace on Monday, agreeing to purchase SocialDeck, a 2-year-old company that develops games for mobile devices. This marks Google's third purchase of a social networking company during the month of August. These purchases have fueled widespread speculation that Google ultimately hopes to unseat Facebook.

RIM Hankering for Mobile Ad Deal
August 19, 2010

Research In Motion, maker of BlackBerry mobile phones and the new Torch handset, is looking to make a play in the mobile ad market. RIM reportedly has held talks with mobile ad firm Millennial Media, but they broke down over acquisition price. Millenial was said to be asking between $400 and $500 million, a price that RIM executives felt was far too high.

Who Would Have Thought Verizon Would Ape AT&T?
July 23, 2010

Rumors are swirling that Verizon may phase out its unlimited data plans. The catalyzing factor could be the launch of the Motorola Droid X, which is widely considered to be Verizon's answer to the iPhone. The Droid X brings many of the data-intensive elements of current-generation smartphones to the Verizon network, including video streaming, a wide range of music apps, and social networking.

Apple Defends Opt-Out Privacy Policies in Letter to Congressmen
July 20, 2010

As if it didn't already have enough problems explaining why the iPhone 4 has reception issues, Apple also finds itself trying to convince two high-ranking members of the U.S. Congress that it's not invading its customers' privacy. Reps. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Joe Barton, R-Texas, asked Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in a letter dated June 24, to clarify recent changes to Apple's privacy policy.

FTC May Probe iOS as War Over Mobile Customer Data Heats Up
June 11, 2010

Accusations have been flying for months about mobile ads. Various companies' attempts to acquire AdMob caused all sorts of commotion. Eventually, Google won that round with the feds backing off the transaction. Now, though, it's Apple's turn to take the heat, as rumors circulate that federal authorities are looking into its newly proposed terms for developers.

Google Hot Under the Collar Over Apple's Revised iOS Dev Terms
June 10, 2010

In response to a recent revision to Apple's developer agreement for its iOS mobile operating system, a Google executive on Wednesday lashed out at the company, arguing that the new terms are "not in the best interests of users or developers." The change drawing Google's ire apparently prohibits some third-party ad networks from collecting ad performance data on the iPhone and iPad.

Google's Caffeine Perks Up Search
June 09, 2010

Google has sped up its search engine with the introduction of its Caffeine Web indexing system. This will provide 50 percent fresher results for Web searches than its previous index and is the largest collection of Web content the Web search giant has offered in search results, Google software engineer Carrie Grimes said.