With Apple’s July 1st launch of iAds a few days away, it’s being reported that many brands set to launch on opening day are still weeks, if not months away from being ready. The main culprit is said to be Apple itself.
AdAge is reporting that a majority of iAd advertisers are still fine-tuning their creative, and that Apple is a huge contributor to the delays given that Apple is handling all iAd technical production itself, while telling agencies it needs six to eight weeks to build an ad after the creative is completed. “Most advertisers won’t be there on July 1; there just isn’t enough time,” said one agency exec with multiple iAd campaigns in the pipeline.
Still, brands are more than ready to start taking advantage of all that Apple’s promised with iAd. AdAge notes that most marketers are spending a minimum of $1 million to launch on the iAd network, with some paying more than $10 million for levels of exclusivity within their respective industry vertical. For example, Nissan is the sole automaker advertising on iAd, and Citi is the lone bank. Apple is charging $10.00 per thousand impressions for each iAd banner as well as a cost-per-click fee of $2.00. Execs across multiple brands say funding for their iAd efforts comes not only from their existing mobile budgets but also from their digital, TV and even PR budgets.
Part of the incentive is to be able to work directly with Apple, AdAge suggests, which has assigned its own creative and technical professionals to the job, as well as the staff of Quattro Wireless, its newly-acquired mobile and networks and production shop. “Any brand that does it is instantly aligned with Apple,” said Darrell Whitelaw, creative director of mobile shop MIR, which is designing Citi’s iAd. “It’s instant credibility, instant cool. You’re on the new iPhone 4; it really is the one way you can align yourself with that little Apple logo.”
