Let the Ad Wars Commence

…that we will see an incredible change in the amounts and ways ads are broadcast to our mobile devices. A recent article from the Wharton Business School at UPENN  discusses the business maneuvers of Apple and Google which points towards increasingly innovative ways of reaching target markets while we are on the go.

It seems that while both are aggressively pursuing this growing advertising market, both of these innovators have different perspectives on how to derive cash from it.  It seems Mr. Jobs is content and confident that his Apple iPhone and iPAD market can obtain a larger fee due to its unique and very desirable user (market) profile. On the other hand, Mr. Schmidt is willing to market his device to any network and user that is willing to pay the price for Google’s device.

 Each has its pros and cons. By having the high profile user that marketers desire you can afford a higher price to reach them. On the other hand, marketers also much desire the amount of reach – how many eyeballs can I send my message to – which may not afford such a high price but also becomes an extremely lucrative venture.

 Another interesting point is the idea of advertising and marketing becoming content.  This concept has proven true with like online advertising with the advent of social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and SlideShare to name a few. But of course this also creates the dilemma of delivering these ads to our mobile devices without alienating the viewer – again much like traditional online advertising (did I just say traditional?).

It all boils down to innovation. And there is A LONG history of it between these two companies and consider that future mobile advertising dollars are expected to reach $1.56 billion in 2013 according to eMarketer.  Here’s another way to think of : latest estimates show that are that there are close to four billion mobile phones globally vs. only 1.2 billion computers.  That’s a whole lot of eyeballs to reach.

It will be interesting to follow how the battles go forth in this space. Technological innovation and creative delivery of ads will be the weapons of choice. It will be a matter who can deliver them more quickly and more efficiently while holding onto their chosen market segments. OR, is possible that both empires can survive and co-exist?