iVdopia is a mobile advertising platform which debuted on the iPhone 3G in March of 2009. Their iPhone offerings include pre-app videos, in-app banner ads, and just last month they introduced “Talk2Me” ads. Check the link to see what one of the Talk2Me ads looks like; but basically they are pre-app videos with a screen tacked on at the end giving the user a variety of options for sharing the video, interacting with the advertiser or finding out more about the product.
With the release of their Android SDK this week all of these services can now be incorporated into Android apps.
“Since iVdopia unveiled its Pre-App advertising videos in March 2009 in the U.S., which included the first offering of sponsorship to the iPhone, the company has consistently broken new ground. With the Android, iVdopia builds on its reputation for responsiveness and innovation by providing the most engaging and effective means of reaching customers on even more mobile devices.”Chhavi UpadhyayChief Operating Officer at iVdopia
iVdopia claims that they have seen a “500% growth in year-on-year growth in revenue” in mobile advertising and that their pre-app video ads “generated as much as 300 percent higher click-through rates (CTR) than the average CTR for online video.” Music to the ears of potential advertisers and Android app developers looking to make some additional income from their paid apps or to make some actual income from their free apps.
I’ve watched their sample pre-app videos and Talk2Me ads and assuming you don’t actually interact with them, they take between 10-15 seconds before you get into your app.
I have a number of apps right now that use banner ads and every once in awhile I’ll click on something just to throw the developer a little cash, but for the most part I completely ignore them. Between AdBlock Plus for the web and my DVR for TV, I’m pretty accustomed to being free from or at least flying by ads as I see fit. Clearly that wouldn’t be as easy with these video ads, you are going to be forced sit through them every time you fire up the app.
So my question is what is that worth to you? If some of the current $4.99 apps were to become free based on their use of these ads would that be acceptable to you or would having to wait 10-15 seconds to get into your app be more than you are willing to tolerate?
