Will Apple Kick Google’s A$$ For Mobile Ad Domination?!

By Karna

I was reading Mashable this morning and came across the below. These two Juggernauts are going at it for the Mobile Ad Domination! Some interesting points made in the article below. But, for me, at the end of the day, I think we’re more likely to see apple strike a deal or make some sort of standard that requires a % of ad revenue to come their way for ads that push through their devices via other mobile ad vendors (i.e. Google-AdMob). That’s guaranteed bank for Apple…but for us advertisers…it’s more likely to be higher mobile ad pricing.

But…I’d really love to hear other thoughts too!

REDISTRIBUTED ARTICLE:
“Could Apple Actually Beat Google in Mobile Advertising?”On Thursday, Apple will unveil iPhone OS 4.0. It’s not the only thing the company is expected to reveal, though. As we wrote last week, Apple is slated to launch its iAd mobile advertising platform, based off of its acquisition of Quattro Wireless in January.

If true, the move would place Apple into direct competition with Google, whose acquisition of AdMob is still pending regulatory approval. Online advertising is Google’s bread and butter. It has millions of advertisers, endless streams of data and seasoned advertising talent at its disposal.

So does Apple, whose specialty isn’t advertising, stand a chance in a duel with the Google juggernaut? The answer is a surprising “yes,” depending on what shape iAd takes and how the iPhone vs. Android battle plays out. Apple is fighting a more experienced competitor, however.
Apple Has a Head Start

While Google may have the talent and the experience in advertising, Apple has the head start in mobile, which could make all of the difference in this battle.

While very few details have been revealed concerning iAd, there are a few assumptions we can logically make. First, it will be designed for the iPhone OS — at least initially. Second, it will incorporate features that made the App Store a smash hit, such as a 70/30 revenue split or something similar. Finally, it’ll incorporate a great deal of Quattro Wireless’s ad delivery technology.

What does that mean, though? It means that Apple has a larger user base for launching its mobile platform and has greater access to mobile advertising technology than Google. The search giant can’t utilize its AdMob acquisition yet, while Apple’s had several months to integrate Quattro’s technology into its own platform. And while Android is growing, the iPhone still has greater market share.

If and when the AdMob deal is finalized, Google will have a lot of catching up to do. It also won’t have the scale of the iPhone for its launch.
How Will Google Counter?

Google threw the first punch by acquiring AdMob, but now Apple has thrown a nasty left hook and an uppercut with its Quattro Wireless acquisition and the likely launch of iAd this Thursday. How will Google counter these blows?

First things first: Google needs to convince the FTC that its acquisition of AdMob isn’t anti-competitive. The result of the FTC’s review is anybody’s guess.

Second, Google needs to move quickly to create an advertising platform for apps based off of AdMob’s technology.

Finally, Google needs to use both its technology and AdMob’s technology to create a stronger web-based advertising platform. Whoever gets ad optimization for iPhone, iPad and Android right is going to be in a far better position than its competitor.

Google’s greatest advantage against Apple is that it has more relationships and experience with web-based advertising, and it already has the technology to back it up (in fact, AdSense has been mobile for years). It’s unclear how aggressive Apple’s iAd platform will be, but my bet is that it doesn’t really focus on web-based advertising, at least initially.
So, Can Apple Win? Absolutely. But Will It?

If tomorrow Apple launched an ad platform for iPhone and Google launched a comparable one for Android, Apple would win simply because it has a larger base of iPhone and iPad users to advertise against, making it more enticing to developers and advertisers alike. That advantage cannot be understated.

That doesn’t mean Apple will win, nor does it mean that there isn’t room for two dominant mobile ad platforms. Google is not going to give up the next advertising frontier without a fight and it has the resources to turn it into a long-lasting slug fest. And, with Android’s rapid growth, it may not be that long until Apple’s market share advantage is minimized.

In the end, I think you’re going to see two dominant mobile ad platforms, one around the iPhone and one around the Android. However, the key to this battle will depend upon each company’s ability to expand their reach onto other platforms, like BlackBerry and Symbian, and who can expand the most effectively onto the mobile web. Unless Apple has some tricks up its sleeves, Google’s experience in advertising and its relationships with advertisers gives it an edge that even Apple’s head start doesn’t beat.

I believe that this will be one of the most interesting technology battles of 2010.

Will HTML5 drive the near-term direction of digital creative

By Karna

A lot of attention is going towards the HTML5 vs Flash debate these days, especially since the intro of the iPad. I just read a post from Steve Jobs articulating why the apple mobile devices (iPad, iTouch, iPod, etc.) will never support flash (http://bit.ly/aiaaNg).

So…given this, and the tremendous impact these devices have on the future of mobile and digital creative (sites, apps, ads), it seems that alternatives such as HTML 5 are poised to shift Flash out of the “preferred” seat and become the next “standard” in creative development tools.

If more creative teams begin to harness the power of HTML 5, would it then present more interesting and interactive and technology forward approaches to mobile creative (sites, ads and apps)? It seems it opens up the innovation opportunities tremendously, and then allows us to bypass some of the barriers that have prevented mobile creative and especially mobile advertising from exploding to date.

So, the question I have is what’s stopping this from happening at an accelerated pace in the production/development/innovation world right now? Is it a matter of knowledge/skill set in the HTML 5 world? Is it something else? Would love some perspective here.

Where Should Twitter Sit Within Organizations?

By Karna

Twitter as well as other Social platforms is beginning to suffer from the “campaign” marketing approach that often exists in brand marketing.  A recent story from@AdAge rightly calls out that so many brands fail to realize the potential of Twitter.  This often holds true with Facebook, My Space and the like as well.  In general, brands plan out their year, it includes a series of campaign pushes, and the agencies that support them are forced to define how “social” should fit into the campaign.  In general, having social as a part of campaign planning that sits within a brand team or an interactive/media team presents an inherent flaw.  Social is all about ONGOING DIALOGUE.  It should be considered a part of the CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP (CRM) PLATFORM rather than just a communication channel.  As such, when planning for social and twitter, the first step is to consider what role it plays in a brand’s wholistic view of CRM and how the communication channels of email, fan pages, apps, Twitter, etc. all combine to deliver ongoing points of dialogue with the consumer.  THEN, the campaign pushes are simply experiences and offers that can help provide relevant outbound message content.  That said, campaigns often only refresh quarterly at most.  As such, a CRM strategy that includes social needs to have far more frequent dialogue.  This dialogue should be guided by what consumers are sharing and saying…not merely by what the brand wants to tell them.

So…to achieve all of this, it becomes a challenge when the budgets sit within a team that can only make campaign decisions or at most annual decisions.  So, where should the budget and subsequently management of an ongoing social interaction sit?  In the instance of the dialogue being marketing and experience driven, rather than PR driven, perhaps the budget sits with the CRM team.  Or, perhaps we revisit how budgets are set entirely and map out a multi-year budget commitment to social platforms that can ensure the funds are available throughout the year and across years to ensure that the commitment to not “going dark in social” can be achieved.

The article that I’m referencing can be found on AdAge at :

Brands on Twitter: 76% of Accounts Are Infrequent Users – Advertising Age – DigitalNext.