With the FTC trying to decide whether or not it will pursue Apple for antitrust violations in relation to its newly announced iAd network, this leak from Apple-owned Quattro Wireless detailing iAd’s competitive advantage over other mobile advertising networks has some interesting timing.
The leak describes iAd’s VIP, or Verification of iTunes Purchase, program. Essentially, the program is aimed at developers who want to use iPhone ads to promote downloads and purchases of their own apps. Because VIP ties directly into iTunes sales data, developers who use iAd to promote their apps can get exact numbers on their ads’ conversion rates… no code, SDKs or APIs required.
That’s a big carrot for iAd to be waving in front of developers’ faces: AdMob, for example, requires integration with AdMob’s own APIs before it can deliver conversion tracking. It’s a pretty compelling reason in its own right for developers to switch over to iAd.
It also sounds pretty great for the user: one thing Quattro is bragging about is that once someone buys or downloads an app they spotted in an iAd, they’ll never see it again. If only the rest of the web worked that way.
