Apple"s iAd platform looked promising at first glance, and results are rewarding, but advertisers aren"t thrilled with the creation process. Apple appears to still want to control and be a large part of the iAd forming process. The WSJ mentions for the greater part of July, just two of the seventeen launch partners of the iAd have achieved any ground with the new advertising platform.
Image source: wsj.com
The issues reported show that generally on the iAd platform the ads take eight to ten weeks to complete an ad, with two of the weeks consisting of Apple building the ad itself. This time frame is typically longer than other mobile ad services. Also, Apple does not mention of what audience the ad will be shown to, making the advertisements much more difficult to design. Companies prefer to target a specific audience, but without knowing where their ad is going to be shown it will be hit and miss without extra planning and design. Apple claims that this extra time is actually an advantage to the program, giving higher quality and better produced ads.
Nissan did show positive results from their ads already, with a spokeswoman saying they have seen "exceptional results to date." The company also says that the rate of users showing interest in the ads on the iPhone versus the online portion is 5:1. The Nissan Leaf iAd has a feature to change the color of the vehicle by shaking the iPhone. Interactive advertisement ideas such as that may be responsible for the positive results Nissan has seen.
Citigroup is also working on iAds, but is "taking a phased approach and working closely with Apple to ensure everything is working properly" on this new platform. Other companies are also working on ads for the circuit such as Walt Disney Co. and J.C. Penny Co. The start of iAd may be slow and tedious, however the few who have published to the new platform are finding fantastic results.