Just as online there are tensions and conflicts between publishers, ad networks and ad exchanges there are similar tensions in mobile. Advertisers and agencies want scale, developers and publishers want inventory “fill” and mobile ad revenues optimized. The dilemma thus arises: as a developer or publisher do you work with an ad network or a “mediator,” which enables you to pull ads from multiple networks, increase fill and theoretically optimize revenue.
This morning Millennial Media (a network) introduced new SDKs for the iPhone and Android. The new Android SDK brings more functionality and capabilities to ads on the Android platform:
Millennial Media’s new Android SDK provides developers parity with iPhone advertising functionality, for the first time, including:
- Static & Video Interstitials
- Expanding Banner
- Transparent Overlay
- Companion Ads
These capabilities are not new to iPhone developers; but they were not previously available for Android developers. Speed to market is critical for developers, as advertisers’ mobile ad demands are continuously evolving. While other mobile advertising companies focus primarily on developer publishers, Millennial Media also strives to deliver a development platform upon which agencies and advertiser-side developers can deliver consistent, innovative creative, while reaching the broadest audience. The new Android SDK allows developers the ability to garner higher monetization opportunities by partnering with Millennial Media.
Separately Google announced that its beta program AdSense for Mobile Apps would support third party ad mediators (e.g., Nexage, AdMarvel, AdWhirl, Smaato) enabling ad inventory from other networks to be accessed through the program. One of the benefits to developers is one SDK to access all these networks. One of the potential mediators AdWhirl is owned by AdMob, which is now owned by Google.
In coordination with the Google announcement, AdMob said that developers and publishers could use AdWhirl to access AdSense for Mobile Apps as well as the full range of ad networks:
Today we’re launching full AdWhirl support for Google’s AdSense for Mobile Applications for iPhone apps. This makes it easier for iPhone developers who are participating in Google’s AdSense for Mobile Applications betato set up AdSense in AdWhirl. AdSense joins AdMob, iAd, Jumptap, MdotM, Millennial Media, and Quattro Wireless as AdWhirl’s seventh fully supported iPhone ad network. Today’s launch comes hot on the heels of our announcement last week of full AdWhirl support for Millennial Media for Android apps.
Each network and mediator appears to be seeking to be a gateway or doorway to the others.
One question is: who’s going to own the advertiser and publisher relationships in all this? Another question is: will mobile advertising be “commoditized” in the same way that online display advertising largely has?