When you combine the world's most popular mobile and tablet computing devices with an advertising model that Steve Jobs himself was said to have called "revolutionary", you might expect overnight success.
But that hasn't exactly been the case for Apple and its iAd offering. Although it is far from a failure, it hasn't exactly upended the mobile advertising space -- yet at least.
Why? Critics might point the finger at Apple and Steve Jobs, who were so involved in the development of the early iAds themselves that some brands and agencies were reportedly unable to move forward with their own concepts.
But if the release of the iAd Producer this week is any indication, Apple might be easing up just a little on whatever micromanagement it engaged in early on. The iAd Producer is a Mac application that "makes it easy for you to create high-impact, motion-rich ads." Sporting an interface similar to iPhoto, iAd Producer gives users tools to visually create their ads, producing the HTML, CSS and JavaScript needed behind the scenes.
The iAd Producer contains a number of pre-built interface components, such as buttons and sliders, as well as animations and effects. There are also tools for validating and editing the code produced and simulating how the iAd will look on an iPhone or iPad.
Although the adss created with iAd Producer are useless without participation in the network, which isn't currently self-serve, it seems logical that it reflects Apple's understanding that to scale the iAd Network, it can't be involved in the creative process for every single iAd.
By creating a point-and-click software application that provides a number of pre-built components and effects, however, it can still exercise some influence over how iAds look and function.
While the release of the iAd Producer may not mean that the iAd Network is going to open up more broadly to all comers anytime soon, it probably does represent an important next step in how Apple's mobile advertising network will function going forward.
Photo credit: yto via Flickr.
Reader comments (4)
6:12AM on 23rd December 2010
Thanks for such helpful information about iad. Every time like to read you.
4:33AM on 1st January 2011
I for one, am not a fan of carrier billing. It's VERY bad for the consumer, and puts more power in the hands of the carriers, that needs to be de-centralised. I have no doubt it will play a role in the coming years, as Apps replace SMS as the preferred mode of two way consumer interaction.
4:33AM on 4th January 2011
Interesting concept. Empowering users to create their own ads, etc is certainly the future and what we focus much of our development projects on. As long as it's easy to use, simple to implement, and cost effective it will be very popular.
8:36AM on 16th March 2011
I am not attracted by the title of such landlord, nor is confused by the content of the post. I do not rob the sofa, nor is it to soy sauce. I am not cheering for the landlord cry, nor is landlord to contain attacks. I just struggle to silence every 30 posts.
Log in to post a comment