Smartphone sales have skyrocketed in recent years. Two of the reasons for this increase are the iPhone and the Android operating system. Both the iPhone and Android have a staggering number of apps available in their stores (over 300,000 and 200,000 apps respectively); These apps can be anything from simple games to business productivity apps. Both systems are used on both phones and tablet computers, giving them even more appeal. Other smartphone systems include the ever-popular Blackberry and Windows Mobile operating systems, both with their own rapidly growing app stores.

As these systems have developed, so has the concept of mobile advertising. The idea is simple but effective: a customer downloads the desired app from the app store, accesses the app, and an ad designed to attract users of that app appears on their screen. Ads of this type can be a simple bar at the bottom of the screen when the person uses your newly downloaded app, or it can be a full page ad that occasionally appears during use.

Mobile advertising can benefit both the advertiser and the app publisher. It benefits the advertiser in obvious ways: information about your product or service is delivered directly to the right demographic. It is simple and eye-catching. Advertisers can choose their target audience based on many different criteria and can monitor their entire ad campaign in real time.

For the app publisher, allowing ads to be displayed will often help pay for app development. A better app means more downloads; more downloads means more eyes to see ads, which means more ability to develop new and better apps. The publisher has the ability to set demographic information for their app, control which ads are displayed, and monitor their earnings.

Mobile advertising is simple and smart. Most people who own a smartphone will generally not be without their device, and most of these people rely on them for many of their daily tasks. In fact, it is widely known that there will be more people accessing the Internet through their mobile device than through their desktop computer by 2013. With this in mind, companies would do well to get on board now and develop their marketing skills and understanding. mobile. and its place in the business. It’s a win-win arrangement for the advertiser and the publisher; even the audience can benefit from the relevant targeted ads they see.