Advertisers Happy With Results of Apple’s iAd Program

by Gio Gutierrez

Advertisers are pleased with iAd’s performance, noting the level of engagement for users and their willingness to revisit ads multiple times, aiding in brand awareness.

Rob Master, the North American media director for Unilever, which put out one of the first iAds for its Dove shower products — said his company would soon launch a second iAd for its Klondike dessert bar. The company’s Dove ad featured videos and trivia games about baseball players Albert Pujols and Andy Pettitte.

The Dove ad resulted in a “double-digit” percentage of users seeking further information about the product, with 20% of viewers returning to check the ad out again. (Repeat viewers are marketers’ favorite kind — it indicates a clear interest in their brand.) That’s a good start, Master said.

Master also notes that the company’s early entrance into the iAd platform and the experience its advertising team gained with the initial launch have reduced the time and expense required for future ads in the program.

The report notes that Campbell Soup, DirectTV, General Electric and Sears are all preparing to roll out their own iAds, just as Citibank has gone live with its new ad with video and geo-location content built in to tout the company’s credit cards and iPhone apps.