Google's Newest Market: The iPhone
In meetings with agencies, Google has presented a new option to show different ads in response to searches made from iPhones. The change, expected to be implemented shortly, means advertisers will be able to create an iPhone ad group as part of their regular search campaign, according to agency executives briefed about the modification.
Google representatives would not confirm the new option, although one said it had been under consideration.
The move highlights Apple's growing clout in the mobile ad market, as well as the challenges raised by iPhone for marketers.
Unlike phones that browse the mobile Web, the iPhone pulls up sites directly from the Internet. This means the ads users see, unless a publisher creates an iPhone-specific site, are the same as those viewed from a computer. The new option would in essence build a bridge between repurposing Internet ads for a mobile experience and creating a parallel structure for it.
Google isn't the first company to figure out that the iPhone, and other phones that offer up the "real" Web, will require specialized advertising. JumpTap and AdMob have been furiously trying to carve out space in the field, all the while looking over their shoulder and waiting for Google to show up. Time's up.
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The iPhone's Next Victim: Fledgling Mobile Ad Networks
