Greystripe and AdMob enjoy iPhone ad boost thanks to iAd

According to iAd competitors Greystripe and AdMob, Apple's debut in the sector has given advertising on iOS a major boost, with many advertisers now looking at the platform as a viable marketing tool.

Ad network Greystripe has seen an increased level of interest since the announcement of iAd back in April, with CEO Michael Chang telling ClickZ that the company has sold out its inventory to premium campaigns every month since iAd was first revealed a situation that compares favourably with 2009's typical fill rate of around 50 percent.

For example, Greystripe said its recent in-app execution for Buick Lacrosse achieved a 3.7 percent click-through-rate, a 21 percent lift in brand awareness, and an average interaction time of around three minutes for the game included in the ad. 

"[It's] indicative of the increasing interest in immersive mobile advertising from both brands and consumers," Chang stated.

Turning a blind eye to AdMob

Apple's continued relaxed take with respect to AdMob's presence on iOS, means Google's ad network is also enjoying the fruits of iAd.

It had been expected that the two parties would come to blows following iAd's launch, with Apple having altered its iOS developer agreement to block the operations of any non-independent ad network on the platform.

Despite this, however, AdMob continues to function and, indeed, thrive on iPhone, with company director of emerging platforms Mike Steib admitting iAd has been nothing but positive for the format.

"For somebody who's passionate about mobile, it's great, it's really exciting," he said at the paidContent Mobile Conference 2010.

"We'll see lots of solutions as the market continues to evolve, and the iAd is a good one. If iAd was the only choice, that would be bad. I'm a fan of the iAd implementation as long as it's not the only thing on the menu."

[source: ClickZ]