Friday view: Is Apple’s iAd worth the hassle?

eGR Mobile Intelligence talks to Mark Baker, head of media at mobile advertising agency Active Win, about whether or not Apple’s iAd platform is worth the hassle for egaming operators

 

eGR Mobile Intelligence (eMI): When did Apple first begin to open up its iAd platform to egaming operators?

Mark Baker (MB): That’s very recent, it’s quite new to us as well. There haven’t been any guidelines issued as of yet, we just have the iAd Workbench set up and it’s just a question of whether the ads we put forward will be approved or not. It’s a case of waiting to hear back from Apple for more detail. I would’ve thought more detail will be forthcoming in the next couple of weeks. We’re working towards getting up and launched on there very soon.

eMI: iAd’s a cost-per-click platform, so could you just explain how that works?

MB: The adverts are displayed in-app – and Apple allows you to segregate between iPhone and iPad – and each time a user clicks on the advert they’re sent through to your section on the Apple store. It’s a straightforward user process and it’s usually reserved for free apps.

eMI: Bwin.party appear to be one of the first adopters of the platform, will it become more popular with other operators in the near future?

MB: Potentially. It actually remains to be seen because there’s actually a lot of in-app inventory that’s available through a range of other networks that operate on a cost per install basis. Personally I think iAd is a little late to the market with the offering they’ve got in egaming particularly. There are so many networks, so many people offering inventory and we already get a lot of downloads from Myriad sources, so I’m not massively excited about to be honest. It’s more a case of it being Apple, so we have to be on there because it is open. For me, it’s just another channel to test.

eMI: So the perception is it might not take off as others might expect?

MB: Not in my mind. For egaming particularly, because they haven’t been able to go through Apple people have already found other sources and other areas, and they’ve been very successful in doing so. The only thing I think that iAds does offer is the creative package called iProducer that you can actually run through it is a lot more sophisticated and a lot more engaging. Designers can then work and create on it.

eMI: So is it more of a case of Apple seeing that other networks have done quite well with egaming operators and are simply trying to utilise that revenue stream?

MB: I think that probably is the case. With them being based in the US they’re quite similar to Google in that respect, and because gambling is terribly restricted over there they did just try to blank it with a global policy. Google are fighting their corner at the moment to try and open up the UK market for packages like AdMob and getting into GooglePlay. On reflection it doesn’t make sense to have the apps in the store, but then not be able to monetise that marketing stream. I never really understood that.

eMI: At the moment all that Apple will commit to is a relaxation throughout 2014, but if the market takes off is it unlikely that Apple will re-restrict it?

MB: I would’ve thought so if they see that the revenue works. It depends how they view it alongside their brand and if it’s a negative impact. You go on Facebook and you see so many ads that people have complained, so I don’t know which way Apple will go because they are so strong about how their brand is perceived.