Pete Davis

In the wake of the release of the iPad2, marketers and media agencies have been warning that until publishers can produce accurate download figures and prices for creating iPad campaigns come down, they are not going to be investing heavily in advertising on the platform.

On the flip side of that, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) are launching new guidelines for measuring mobile web ads. And much more positively, as part of its push to increase accountability, Absolute Radio has pledged to release the number of active users its mobile apps have each month.

These things are far from unconnected. While, I agree totally with what the agencies and marketers are saying about the iPad, it is just a matter of time before these issues are addressed. It wasn’t that long ago that we were all saying that mobile web ads and apps needed to present themselves to marketers in a clear and accountable fashion, which is exactly what is now happening. The MMA and IAB have invested heavily in creating the new guidelines, and it is a significant move for mobile web-based advertising and one that takes it a step closer to being seen as a serious advertising channel by marketers and buyers alike.

The same is true for apps – by Absolute Radio taking the lead in making itself accountable it is attempting to demonstrate the worth of this channel to the marketing community. In doing this it is likely to open the door for others to follow suit, but, as is often the case, Absolute has already gained first move advantage and will be remembered for such. So this is a smart move on the radio station’s part.

As far as the iPad is concerned, history has shown that for advertising it is purely a numbers game. No one is querying the technology itself, they’re just querying the delivery of the results and the cost, which is purely down to audience size. The reality is that the popularity of the iPad is growing, and with half a million units allegedly sold on the opening day of the iPad’s availability in the UK, it is growing fast. Take-up for this technology has been far faster than even the now ubiquitous laptop versus the desktop.

The media industry moves and learns very quickly now, and those media owners investing in the iPad need to embrace measurement in the same way as the mobile community has done. And the signs are that they are moving towards this already, with publishers like Dennis taking a clear rate for a single platform – which is exactly what marketers and media buyers need to see.

And while Lisa Fielden, brand communications manager at Toyota, is right when she says in a recent interview, “Media costs for iPad campaigns are about twice the production costs [of other web-based media]. If we had this across the rest of our marketing, we wouldn’t see any return”, once the audience comes, then so will the returns.

I don’t believe anyone is questioning that the product is good enough, what is missing is accountability and a few people brave enough to take the first step. As I said earlier, this is just a matter of time.

About the author

Pete Davis is managing director of innovative media ideas hub, Getmemedia.com.

http://www.getmemedia.com