This morning I was using an app on my iPhone and while it was loading I was served an ad for townhouses starting at $600k.  While we all have an opinion about $600k townhouses, it made me ponder the benefits of mobile adverting.  To boot when I clicked on the ad it did not even bring to a mobile site.  First the wireless companies deserve credit for not allowing marketers to run wild and ruin this medium like we have done with e-mail.  Do I deserve to be shown an ad on a phone I pay $70/month for and an app I purchased for $3.99?

While I am very pro-advertising, I have to give the thumbs down here.  What benefit did I get from the ad?  It did not allow me a free service, nor was it relevant to my interests.  I guess you could make the same argument for cable and the internet, but at the very least I am getting better programs and faster download speed.  As marketers we need to realize what is at stake, a personalized one-to-one relationship with our audience.  Lets not make mobile ads the next spam.

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