Big Business Is Into Mobile Phone Advertising, Why Aren't You?

Some of the biggest companys are getting heavily invovled in mobile phone advertising this year. From The New York Times:

"Apple Buys Quattro, an Ad Firm
January 6, 2010, 2:18 am Apple encroached upon Google’s turf on Tuesday with its acquisition of Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising company.

The sale, which Quattro announced, is the latest sign that the mobile phone is the next battleground for technology companies, particularly for Apple and Google, which are increasingly in competition. Apple paid close to $300 million for Quattro, according to a person briefed on the deal.
While Apple, maker of the iPhone, branched into advertising on Tuesday, Google, which is predominantly an advertising company, began selling its first piece of hardware, the Nexus One cellphone.

“You can just see the tempers rising between the two companies,” said Gene Munster, the senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray covering Internet companies. “Two years ago it was a very friendly relationship. Now just every day it gets more competitive.”

In November, Google agreed to buy AdMob, a mobile advertising network that competed with Quattro, for $750 million. Apple had also been interested in AdMob, according to people with knowledge of that deal. With Quattro, Apple will also compete in the mobile ad market with Microsoft and Yahoo.

Apple is probably less interested in profiting from ads than in making the iPhone the most attractive device for developers to build applications, analysts said.

Eighty percent of the three billion downloads from Apple’s App Store are free, Mr. Munster said. By offering a way to sell ads, Apple will help these developers — as well as developers who might build applications for a future Apple tablet — make money.

Get in on the ground floor of the mobile phone advertising revolution today!